Sly's Trip to the Democratic National Convention | E-85 Blog

Live Election Returns

2008-11-04T13:59:00.001-08:00

The Long Way Home

2008-09-04T13:17:00.001-07:00

Denver,CO to Madison,WI
966 miles | 14 hours 11 minutes

Sorry it took me a couple days to get my act together, the trip home is never quite as much fun as the drive out. Late Friday morning, I left Silverthorne,CO, which is in the the Rocky Mountains where my friends Kent and Lisa live, and the Suburban ran great on E-85 in the high elevation of the Rockies. Although I did get pulled over in Idaho Springs,CO. It seems I wasn't watching my speedometer while driving to another E-85 station. The officer asked me what I was doing in Idaho Springs and I said that I stopped to fill up on E-85 and rather than asking me about my driving habits the discussion turned to corn. I told him all about my trip then he promptly told me he had two choses; Either to write me a speeding ticket or give me his official business card. He handed me his card and told me to have a nice day.

Saturday Morning, I decided to go through Nebraska because the trip is a little faster down I-80. I filled up with E-85 in Sterling in Northeast Colorado which is a very desolate part of the State but I was still able to find E-85 stations. Saturday Night I stayed in North Platte, NE, what a great town. I went to an old restaurant called the Depot. It's ironic that the Nebraska Corn Huskers were playing their first game of the season that night. Everyone was chanting, "Go Big Red!" but it made me really think about how important corn is to the Upper Midwest. Sunday was a long driving day but it felt great knowing that over the course of the trip I had help support the small towns along the way. I also saved about $175 in fuel costs. An average of about 75 cents per gallon. It's been an honor to work with the Wisconsin Corn Growers on this trip. I've been using ethanol in my Suburban for the last year and a half and will continue to do so but now I hope I can be a better advocate for the ethanol cause.

The Ticket

2008-08-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

WTDY Talk Personalities Alan Colmes and Sly

2008-08-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

Day 8 | Last Day of the Convention

2008-08-28T17:36:00.001-07:00

Denver,CO
Broadcasting Live from the Pepsi Center

Its the last day convention, night after night of five hours of sleep and I'd like to say I'm running on fumes but with E-85 there are no fumes. Another good evening at the convention, even if Bill Clinton wasn't genuinely sincere about his support toward Barack Obama he gave a very convincing speech. It may have been the best argument so far to Hillary's flock. The fact that he pointed out that Republicans had attacked his youthful inexperience in 1992 was also quite effective. Joe Biden's speech was very touching for me because my parents are elderly and seeing him praise his mother really hit home for me. I had just talked to my mother on the phone a short time early. She's been listening all week at the St. Mary's rehab facility after a hip operation. I think whoever John McCain picks will have a difficult time debating Joe Biden. There are some years his personality might not play well, but in a year in which America's are looking for a little red meat and class warfare, he seems to fit the bill.

Darryl Hawk from the National Corn Growers enlightened us on how ethanol can help rural economies. Obama's great on this issue and so are most of our Democrats in the State of Wisconsin. I wish more Democratis had more passion for supporting ethanol. Sometimes, people overlook the most obvious solutions to our enery problems. John Nichols talked about what was at stake tonight and I don't think its hard to exaggerate just how important this speech is for Barack Obama. Justin Rockefeller from Generation Emerge (son of U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller), Retired General Lloyd Newton, and Andy Roberts from Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America all appeared on the show today. The big surprise of the day was when former former Maryland Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (daughter of RFK Jr.) stopped by for a chat. She's been at the convention talking about faith and politics. As I told her how I much I admired her father, I wondered just how many times someone has said that to her. She was extremely gracious and it was great to talk to another progressive catholic. Tammy Baldwin came on and talked about healthcare and Mayor Dave talked about what it would mean for cities if Barack Obama was elected. Wisconsin Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton also made an appearance.

Nationally synidcated and WTDY talk personlaity Alan Colmes came on for the last half hour of the program. If you get a chance, listen to the podcast. He's pretty tame on TV, although getting more aggressive but his radio show is far edgier and he was a riot today. Wait to you hear about what he said about Karl Rove. I tried being diplomatic, which is rare, only this time it was Alan who pulled the trigger. Tonight I'm having dinner with some friends originally from Wisconsin, Scott and Beth Ingram. They both grew up in beaver dam. I will actually watch Obama's speech with them. I've had enough crowds and security this week.

U.S. Congressman & Civil Rights Leader John Lewis

2008-08-28T10:55:00.001-07:00

Day 7 | Third Day of Convention

2008-08-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

Denver,CO
Broadcasting Live from Denver, CO

My alarm went off at 5am this morning and I felt relieved that Hillary Clinton not only had dashed republican's hopes of descent and division but also did what she needed to do not only for Barack Obama but for her own political career. Although I have to admit, I don't give a rat's behind about her political career. Traffic has been getting progressively worse every morning because work crews are getting Invesco Field ready for Thursday's nights big speech. I've been doing quite a bit of driving back and forth to my hotel in Louisville, just a couple miles south of Boulder. Its amazing, even in this high altitude I haven't had to refill the Suburban's tank with E-85 since Sunday. I thought maybe Denver's high altitude would affect my mileage severely, but I see no change.

Speaking of E-85 and the Rockies, I spoke to a woman on the air yesterday from the Colorado Lung Association, she had great things to say about ethanol and the environment. E-85 helps cut carbon emissions so much, Colorado has a plan to significant increase the number of E-85 stations throughout Denver and the State. Ethanol plays a significant role in the clean air initiative. Its also good to know that Senator Obama is a big ethanol supporter, the East Coast elitists cynically criticize him for this position. But remember Obama doesn't just represent Chicago and ethanol has been great for the entire State of Illinois. U.S. Senator Russ Feingold joined us today, Its always a little strange interviewing him, we've been best of friends since 1992 when I briefly worked at Foley & Lardner. He talked about the healing going on during the convention not only with the Clinton camp but also Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey (whose pro-life). Although Feingold is strongly pro-choice, he's always pushed for a big tent when it comes to views about abortion within the Democratic Party. I also had some notable political heavyweights on my show from outside Wisconsin including former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus. I've been a big fan of Governor Mabus, as a matter of fact my first trip to the Magnolia State in 1991 included a visit and contribution to his campaign. Former Denver Mayor Frederico Pena was on the program, Pena and Mabus both served in the Clinton Administration and both were early supporters of Barack Obama. I ventured into Downtown Denver after the show, I had to pull over in traffic for a motorcade which came racing down 18th Street. Later on I figured out, Senator Obama had arrived in the Mile High City. The race is on.

Our Favorite Senator Russ Feingold

2008-08-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

Sly and Former Governor of Mississippi Ray Mabus

2008-08-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

More Hillary Supporters | Voting for McCain

2008-08-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

Ben Masel Interview- Dos and Don'ts of Protesting

2008-08-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

Anti-Abortion Rally with Randall Terry

2008-08-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

Ben Masel and Sly Sticking it to the MAN

2008-08-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

Sly with MSNBC Host Willie Geist

2008-08-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

Kids Dancing for Credentials

2008-08-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

Day Six | Second Day of the Convention

2008-08-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

Denver,CO
Broadcasting Live from the Pepsi Center

I got to sleep in this morning, that is until 5am when my alarm went off. Its an odd day in that most of the focus is not on Barack Obama, its on the runner-up. Most runner-ups don't garner nearly this much attention, but whenever you dethrone a queen from her rightful preach, don't except her or her supporters to go away quietly. Today show was fun, we had John Nichols on and he gave great insight as usual. Most people seemed pretty happy with Michelle Obama's performance last night. Although, I kind of long for the day when we use to focus on issues. Actor David Keith was a surprise visitor, he was in an Officer and a Gentlemen, Brubaker, and CSI Miami. He was speaking on behalf of Project Innoncence which raises money to help kids stay safe from child predators. State Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass, her exuberance is contagious. She was actually excited to see a presentation from Actor Fran Drescher. Its hard to compete with Fran, but I gave it my best shot.

After the show today, my producer Dylan and I went to see what was happening on the street and we ran smack dap into an anti-abortion protest led by none other than, Randall Terry. You may remember him from Operation Rescue. They were planning on getting arrested and the Denver Police responded with a free ride in a paddy wagon. Also had a chance to meet Willie Geist, co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, great guy who was glad to meet people from Madison, his sister went to school here. Last but not least, professional protestor Ben Masel was holding up a sing that said, "STOP GOVERMENT SPYING". He'd been on the show early today and he gave us a great tutorial on the dos and dont's of protesting. I'm going back to my hotel room because its probably best I'm not in the Pepsi Center at the same time as the She Devil.

2008-08-26T11:04:00.001-07:00

2008-08-26T10:58:00.002-07:00

Sly with Hillary Supporters

2008-08-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Fox Sickophant

2008-08-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Rednecks for Obama

2008-08-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

Angry Hillary Supporters

2008-08-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Day Five | First Day of the Convention

2008-08-25T16:15:00.001-07:00

Denver, CO
Broadcasting Live from the Pepsi Center on Talk Radio Row

Woke up 4:30am Monday morning, my hotel was in Louisville, CO off highway 36 in between Denver and Boulder. Driving at dawn along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains is majestic to say the least. Traffic is amazingly light, as I proceeded South toward the convention site. Denver's glittering lights emerge with the mountains as a beautiful back drop. I was extremely tired but this gave me great burst of energy for my first show from the DNC. While waiting in line for security, I saw Brian Ross (ABC News). He's a great investigating reporter, we had a nice chat. I then saw Chris Wallace from Fox News, we did not have a nice chat. I wanted to ask him if he lived in a nice house, a former journalist like himself must get paid well to play that role on Fox. Today's show started off with John Nichols from the Capital Times. This guy is amazing, he talks to everyone and always gives us great insight. Howard Dean's brother, Jim, stopped by briefly as well. Then my hero from the Labor Movement Leo Gerard, President of the United Steel Workers. I've had him on my show many times but never had a chance to meet him in person. He is by far the most influential labor leader against these horrible trade deals. Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Joe Wineke visited us for a while with Pat Kreitlow, State Senator from Eau Claire. They talked about Obama's strategy to win Wisconsin and Eau Claire being the epicenter of the swing vote in the Badger State. Then U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown from Ohio joined us. His victory over Mike Dewine, should serve as a notice to Barack Obama and other Democrats. When you talk about trade and manufacturing jobs like Sherrod Brown does, you win in States like Ohio and Wisconsin. Tomorrow I'll have some great video on my website and audio formy show, this afternoon we talked to protestors including some recruits from Hillary's army. Your going to laugh out loud when you hear these conversations.

Day Four

2008-08-25T16:14:00.001-07:00

Goodland, KS to Denver,CO
201 miles | 2 hours 59 minutes

I left Sunday morning from Goodland, KS, I had gone to mass the night before at a great church (Our Lady of Perceptual Help). Goodland is a wheat town in the High Plains. It's like taking a step back into the 1950s. Its streets are still red bricked and you can see by the weathered look on people's faces that it's a hard life but they're are always friendly and interested to meet a stranger passing through. Sunday morning it was really foggy, and I was filled with mixed emotions. Excitement but also nervous energy. The logistics of broadcasting from the convention are a nightmare but thanks to my producer Dylan who has set up this trip, things are going smoothly. When I got to the Denver Metro, I filled up with E-85 in Aurora,CO at the Western Convenience Store. Denver is loaded with E-85 locations. I must say, I have never had a time during this trip where I had to supplement my tank with conventional gasoline. I also I saved a lot of money, averaging 80 cents a gallon in savings. When I filled up in Aurora, I noticed a large family in a Suburban in front of me. I'm sure E-85 is a big help to their budget in these tough economic times. It's to bad the national media tries to scapegoat farmers and ethanol for the increase cost in food prices. We all know that the transportation costs of diesel are primarily responsible for the increase at the check out line.

Day Three

2008-08-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

Hays, KS | Goodland, KS

145 mi | 2 hours 18 mins

Saturday Morning started early, my cell phone went off about 3am with the Obama campaign texting Joe Biden as their VP choice. Not a bad pick if he learns to keep his mouth shut. I'm currently located in Ellis County Kansas which is quite an interesting place. A major settlement of German Catholics came to Kansas to farm the land in the late 1800s. Being German and Catholic, I thought it would be interesting to tour some of the local churches including the Cathedral on the Plains, which is in Victoria a few miles east of Hays. William Jennings Bryan coined that phrase when seeing the beautiful building while campaigning for President. I also visited St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hays, and St. Mary’s in Ellis. These churches have history and it shows, you’ll be able to see pictures as soon as my producer Dylan joins me in Denver. One funny note, the hotel clerk at the Best Western saw that I was from Wisconsin and said, " You should feel right at home here. We have many of Wisconsin’s favorite things including a liquor store and tavern on every block and almost as many churches."

My next ethanol fill up was in Oakley,KS at the Mitten Travel Plaza right off I-70. E-85 continues to be about 80 cents cheaper per gallon than standard fuel. I continue to be blown away at how much corn is actually grown in Kansas and how it fills the landscape. Unfortunately, I had to fly to Washington, DC last week and I can’t express to you how much more I enjoy driving. Seeing the big, beautiful, wide open countryside with the stereo blaring as I cruise down an endless expanse of asphalt, thats my little piece of heaven. On a final note, its been about 10 years since I’ve been through this part of I-70 and you would not believe how many wind farms have sprouted up. The Heartland is certainly the answer to our energy solutions. My final stop tonight is in Goodland, KS, tomorrow its Denver or Bust.