The party got started early last night, with a fabulous concert at the Red Rocks amphitheater put together by Laurie David. Called Green Sunday at Red Rock, the show featured hot sets by Sheryl Crow, Sugarland, and Dave Matthews, and speeches about the environment by Laurie, Van Jones, Tim Kaine, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, sustainable architecture innovator William McDonough, and Bobby Kennedy, Jr. And as remarkable as the performers and speakers were, the setting was even more spectacular. Words can't do it justice. If you ever get the chance to see a show there, say yes as fast as you can. (One interesting note: RFK, Jr. pointed out that the amphitheater had originally been put together with the assistance of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Work Projects Administration (WPA), a glorious symbol of the kind of things that can get done when an administration is focused on using public spaces to serve the people, not help cronies turn a fast buck.)
This morning I had breakfast with Valerie Jarrett, Michelle and Barack Obama's close friend and a senior advisor on the campaign. She was with her daughter Laura, who is a second-year student at Harvard Law. They had flown in yesterday with Michelle and the kids and heard her practice her speech -- which they described as very personal and very emotional. The introductory video is narrated by Michelle's mother, who Valerie says regularly pinches herself and says, "I can't believe that's my little girl." Valerie, who had been in the background for much of the campaign, is now doing a lot more press -- by 7:45 when I met her, she had already done the morning show rounds.
The HuffPost Oasis has become a must-visit destination for harried conventioneers and members of the media. More than once we've seen visitors walk in with stress etched on their faces and walk out loose-limbed, smiling, and clearly recharged. When I left the Oasis this afternoon, one high-powered magazine editor was slumping contentedly on the coach. "I've gotten two massages and taken an incredible yoga class," he said. "I can't seem to leave the Oasis."
He's not the only one.