Yuma Catholic alumna energized by Republican convention

  A Yuma Catholic High School alumna got an insider's view of the Republican National Convention while working as a citizen journalist and putting her personal views into her blog, thanks to the MySpace Impact contest.

  Sara Pat Badgley, 21, a senior at the University of Arizona, was one of two competitors among thousands who won a chance to access the floor of this week's Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn. The other contestant attended the Democratic National Convention in Denver Aug. 25-28.

   MySpace, an Internet social network, teamed with MSNBC and NBC to enable competition finalists of Decision08 to attend the conventions.  Badgley had to upload a two-minute video that answered the question, "How will you get the scoop no one else can?"

  Badgley said Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, gave a good nomination speech that identified with independents and undecided voters who are disappointed with the Republicans. She noted that people were very happy about the nomination process and that open primaries like New Hampshire, in which voters can cross party lines to vote for a candidate, especially helped McCain because of his reputation for independence.

  "You felt the convention served its purpose, rallied the troops and energized people to go back home and make calls and walk through the neighborhoods," Badgley said.

  Prior media experience as a host at UATV and KAMP, her college TV and radio stations, helped Badgley get rid of starstruck ideas and approach politicians and media personalities who helped her with coverage for her blog.

  While spending most of her floor time next to the Arizona delegates, Badgley got to meet NBC "Today" reporter Ann Curry, who helped her see the vital background of the larger convention story and identify critical side issues.

  "I met Ron Paul (R-Texas, former presidential candidate)," Badgley said. "He's interesting and I was able to talk in depth with him during a couple of interviews in the press booth."

  The main issue of MySpace was how youth can get involved, Badgley noted. What is important is not that young people aspire to be politicians but they fight for something they believe and not just focus on personal ambition.

  "I think most people want change and get legislation passed without partisan politics," Badgley said. "Immigration reform is a good example of that. The only way you can tell if McCain will be a good president is once he takes office and achieves what he proposes. That's why experience matters."

  Not all the excitement took place on the convention floor, Badgley noted. At a Vanity Fair magazine tribute party to former President Ronald Reagan, she got to meet former CNN reporter, now working for the Al Jazeera, the Arabic-language news network, Riz Kahn, who is well known among MySpace staff and is "a lot of fun," she said.

  It was the Republican vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who stole the show, Badgley said. She called Palin an "out-of-the-box pick" and added that Palin gracefully maneuvered through the controversy of her daughter's pregnancy.

  Even Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, handled the controversy well, Badgley noted. He admitted his mother gave birth to him when she was only 18 and that showed he didn't want this as a distraction. It was a great insight to him personally, yet that didn't dim the spotlight focused on Palin, she said.

  "I think it's great when a woman is picked (for vice president)," Badgley said. "It shows it's no longer a matter of if it can happen but now it's a reality if you can work hard enough."

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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.