Tong’s DNC Diary Day 4: Tammy Duckworth, Tish James, & Avocado Toast

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is keeping a daily diary for the Independent this week as he attends the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

So tired. A happy, enthusiastic kind of exhaustion. The days start early here in Chicago, and my day on Wednesday started by introducing my dear friend and colleague Attorney General Tish James of New York. The whole world knows Tish of course because of her groundbreaking and successful verdict in New York vs. Trump. The delegates love her. Connecticut loves her. Mission accomplished. 

Much of my day in Chicago is spent connecting and reconnecting with friends and colleagues from all over the country. War hero and national icon Tammy Duckworth on Wednesday. I introduced Tish and then ran over to a reception for our Democratic Attorneys General. And of course, at the lunch, I got drawn into a long conversation about my data privacy work. Connecticut was the first state in the union to start a department focused on data privacy and protecting our personal information. Work always follows me, even when I am in another state and my gas tank is running low. 

The Tong Tasting of course is never out of sight. A little avocado toast, followed by some pizza later (thin crust, not deep dish). But I had to load up on salad and vegetables because I needed some greenery and risk getting scurvy. 

What I love about these days is talking to people for whom this is a first experience. Charlotte, here with her dad, 17 and running into President Clinton in the hallway. Karen, a fellow delegate, enjoying her first convention and asking me about my good friend and colleague Governor Shapiro of Pennsylvania. Jacob Schonberger from New Haven, 17, wearing lots of buttons and flair and loving every minute of it. 

There are some who make it out after the speeches. John Legend played last night (again) at House of Blues and Kamala Harris showed up for the show! I was already in bed because I had to get up and speak on Thursday morning to the Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine delegations. But Thursday night, after Kamala gives her speech, I am going to try to summon some energy for a final Tong Tasting. Deep dish? Or the delightful Chicago pork chop sandwich? Never had one? I will explain later….

See below for previous entries in this series:

• Tong’s DNC Diary Day 3: How Far We’ve Come. How Far We’ve Fallen
• Tong’s DNC Diary Day 2: Kaboom!
• Tong’s DNC Diary Day 1:​“There’s A Pit In My Stomach”