Best day ever. Again.

Each day here proves a little better than the one before it, if that’s even possible. I’m starting to worry that I’ve reached the pinnacle of my life. Everything’s headed downhill from here.

My NY Post supervisor told the interns not to worry about coming in until our Washington Center speakers wrapped up, since mornings at the convention site are proving to be awfully slow. Fortunately for me, lots of Washington Center kids have been skipping out on the speakers. I know that probably seems like an odd thing to call fortunate, but the scant crowd helped me chip away at my goal of rubbing elbows with folks who could help me out with a career in politics or journalism. Here’s why…

Well, when our first speaker — a pollster — couldn’t come in today, his replacement turned out to be the front page editor of the Washington Post. Since there were so few people there, I had a chance to briefly pick his brain about internships. Long story short, I got his business card, and he told me to e-mail him for advice on how to maximize my chances of nabbing a Post internship (Washington, not New York ☺).

As if that wasn’t enough, the security line was abnormally quick today, and when I got in to the NY Post’s office, I was the first intern here, and I actually (gasp) got an assignment. (I know, right?) Gregg, the politics editor, told me to go out and talk to delegates for their opinions on the oh-so-adorable Obama daughters’ appearance last night. Turns out, I beat the other interns to the office by a grand total of five minutes. They ended up having to embark on yet another multi-hour excursion to get food for the staff while I gathered quotes, earning a “Rebecca Delaney contributed to this report” tagline.

Oh, and: I lucked my way into another hall pass for tonight’s convention speakers, including Hillary Clinton and Kathleen Sebelius (my home state’s governor!), so look for a post late tonight/early tomorrow evening!

Also, random, but: Did I mention they have free beer in the press tent?

I haven’t touched it…but this place is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.

Tuesday’s Speakers:

Today’s “youth vote” panel, featuring a representative from Rock the Vote, didn’t really offer much to write home about. So I won’t write home about it.

Besides, I don’t place much stock in for Rock the Vote. MTV’s fairly delusional about the age demographic to which it truly appeals. The vast majority of kids Rock the Vote manages to engage and empower are, as far as I know, barely old enough to get into PG-13 movies, let alone vote. Last night’s Rock the Vote concert featured Fall Out Boy, an alt-pop-rock band whose listening demographic comprises mostly tweens…making them a less-then-effective headlining act to help mobilize the 18-29 masses.

Rock the Vote’s cause is a noble one, sure, but I think they’d be more effective if the campaign acknowledged that its real success rests in its ability to prime kids who can’t vote yet, making them salivate in anticipation of the day they’ll be able to hit the polls. Right now, an awful lot of energy seems like it’s being poured into a message that could be better catered to the ears upon which that message actually falls.

That’s my rant.

Our other speaker (that I got to see) was Vince Bzdek, the Washington Post’s front page editor. Obviously you know I like him, since I bugged him enough to snag a business card, but I had good reason to be impressed.

Like T.R. Reed, Bzdek was refreshingly honest. I especially appreciated his response to my question: How will the advent of blogging, which is far more opinionated than traditional, daily newspaper journalism, impact the newspaper field?

Bzdek admitted he didn’t really know how blurry the distinction between opinion and news would grow, thanks to blogs, before the Washington Post and other outlets would find a way to keep the two safely separated. He mentioned that the Post’s newspaper office quite literally separated its news and opinion departments with a glass wall, offering a “separation of church and state”, of sorts. But, he added, that’s not the way the web department does it. We’ll have to come up with a solution, though…and soon. The Post — and countless of other papers nationwide — are quickly consolidating their offices as paper sales decline and web readership accelerates.

The hope, he said, is that once the blog novelty wears off, things will naturally shake out into a stratified structure of journalistic credibility with traditional, objective reports at the top and blogs hovering somewhere below.

Bzdek also complimented the DNC’s first evening, giving them high marks for unpredictability and praising Ted Kennedy’s surprise appearance. He echoed a common refrain from Washington Center lectures and readings: Conventions are boring, pre-determined and predictable. Speakers are lined up in advance with their speeches issued to press outlets before anyone even takes the stage. We all know the nominee, and no one gives a flapping hoot about the party’s platform. (Last night, when Nancy Pelosi called for delegates to respond with an “Aye” in favor of the 2008 Democratic platform, delegates lackadaisically and drunkenly hollered in response. I bet about two of them actually read what that platform included. I sure didn’t.)

Tonight was special, Bzdek said, because of the element of unpredictability and the historical flavor of both Kennedy’s speeches. I have to agree; I think the Kennedy family’s speeches will prove some of the most memorable moments of the entire convention.