Karma

It is fitting that my final blog should be inspired by ‘Karma’, the nightclub where I spent the last few hours of my two-week political excursion.

Citysearch of Minneapolis describes ‘Karma: “Dress to the nines and play high roller at this exclusive downtown club. Plush red carpet and a long line outside the door indicate that this is the place to be seen. The enormous glass chandelier in the foyer also sets the tone for an over-the-top evening. Plasma TVs tile the walls and purple velor couches fill up with people-watchers upstairs. Skilled DJs cut hip-hop beats as club goers let loose on a massive dance floor. There’s also Cristal and Louis XIII cognac at the ready.”

Before I left for Denver, one Saint Anselm alum who shall remain nameless told me, “You got to go to the parties, the convention is the parties. You can’t go to a convention without going to the parties.” So on the last night of the convention I went to Karma. Being the driver, I didn’t seek out what was ‘ready. ‘ Since I was certain that either a People Magazine photographer or super-sleuth Brian Lawson would capture the moment, I elected not to fill the dance floor, not for fear I’d be photographed dancing with someone, but merely for the fear I’d be photographed dancing.

Since the crowd was largely Hispanic and since we were celebrating the 2008 Hispanic Vote, I carried on several conversations in Spanish. The fact that I can’t speak Spanish was not much of an impediment since I couldn’t understand what was being asked and no one could hear what I was saying.

It was a rather surreal experience to stand to the side and watch the crowd dance against the backdrop of strobe lights and a Spanish language soap opera being shown on dozens of TVs throughout the room. Add to that the sound of the music and the smell of perfume, and it was indeed the case that every sense was stimulated.

As I stood there and took it all in, I recalled a lyric from a similar scene from long ago at a high school dance where I actually did. The lyric comes from Three Dog Night:

“I seen so many things

I ain’t never seen before”

Karma and Three Dog Night capture the essence of the last two weeks.

For two weeks, I have stood on the sidelines watching and I have witnessed over-the-top ‘politics.’ There were many times in which I found myself unable to understand the meaning of what was being said. There were moments when I didn’t know whether to watch (or not watch) the stage or the Jumbotron, because I couldn’t watch both. I felt out of place most of the time, and yet the longer I was in Denver and St. Paul, the greater yearning I had to be part of the dance. This was true, in spite of the fact; it was a dance with which I had little acquaintance. I realized these two weeks that there is nothing stopping me from raising my voice and requesting a different kind of music, but in 2008, like in junior high school, I stood on the side of the dance floor watching others request the music and do the dancing.

Convention 2008 may be gone, but 2012 is on the way. I have a chance to learn a new language, learn a new dance, and find a way to speak to the music that will be played. It was okay to come and sit on the sidelines of the convention once, but democracy needs more dancers (and a gluten-free platform).

It was extremely fitting to end my convention and this blog at Karma, because it introduced me to the future of American politics. The rising force in American politics is Hispanic. It is not a monolithic group, but it is becoming sizable enough to determine the direction democracy will take in these United States during the 21st Century. They have gotten off the sidelines, and while on this night in the Twin Cities they may go unnoticed, they will soon be taking center stage on the dance floor of democracy.

I don’t believe in Karma, but I believe that those within its walls tonight will have a large say in whether the future holds more good or bad.

Vaya Con Dios.