Knight Ridder Election 2004: Daniel Rubin

Supposed to be arriving at Logan on Wednesday to begin 10 days of writing about the Democratic National Convention, and so we'll soon see whether Boston feels like old Belgrade, but in English.

The place is supposed to be locked-down. Reporters are getting hostile-environment training. My biggest worry is glad-handers. Ever since wandering into a theater party in college, I have been frightened of any gathering with a critical mass of actors or politicians. Boston should offer plenty of both. I've watched the latter with wonder since a new congressman named Paul Trible visited my first newspaper, in Norfolk, Va. Trible dutifully worked the room, glazed smile, rep tie tacked tightly in place. When he got to me I stood up, but I was in one of those molded plastic chairs with the back cut out, and as I rose, my belt caught in the hole and I could only stand half-way, the chair and legs sticking out of my hunched butt like I was some sort of mutant insect. Trible never cracked a smile. Just shook my hand and moved on. No one had briefed him on reporters.

I'll write as often as I can this week, as I roam around my home town, Beantown, and see how well the DNC set-designers have hidden people like Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky and Michael Dukakis.

Dan

posted at # 3:15 PM

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