Tag: Democratic National Convention

The City and County of Denver and the ACLU have reached a partial agreement with respect to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Colorado seeking details of security purchases made by police for the Democratic National Convention. Denver has now provided details of the $18.2 million spent to date and those planning on protesting can rest a little easier:

The city also announced today that none of the equipment purchases include nonlethal weapons that discharge "slime" or "goo" to immobilize persons or vehicles or that use microwaves or sonic waves to induce pain or discomfort in targets.

The ACLU was relieved -- so much so that it agreed to wait until the convention is over to decide whether to return to court and seek more information.

Denver also disclosed that the police have no "mandatory arrest" policy -- meaning there is no list of offenses that will require arrest rather than the issuance of a citation.[More...]

I've been wondering who will be the musical guests for the Democratic National Convention and related parties. By drips and drabs, we're getting more information. Today's news:

Among the big-name performers likely to make a splash in the Mile High City are hip-hop king Kanye West, reggae/hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean and the rap/rock fusion band N.E.R.D.

Bono will be in town, but not to perform for the convention -- AT&T is throwing a party for his One Campaign. Kanye West may perform at the event. As to Wyclef Jean and N.E.R.D., they likely will be at the MTV/Rock the Vote Party.

As to the big corporate sponsors for the event, it's the usual crew:

United Airlines, Google, Coors Brewing Company, Anheuser-Busch, Xcel Energy and telecom giants Motorola, Qwest and -- a brand you'll see plastered all over the place in Denver -- AT&T.

AT&T will be front and center during the convention since it is providing the wireless. [More..]

If Sen. Barack Obama moves his acceptance speech from the Pepsi Center to Invesco field, he'll need 76,000 people to fill the seats.

Only 50,000 are expected in town for the convention. Many in Denver will be doing their best to avoid downtown that week. I think they need a concert. Remember the 75,000 crowd in Portland, OR? They had Obama follow a free outdoor concert by the Decembrists which was planned in advance with his campaign.

Question: Who will it be? For reasons explained below, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Melissa Etheridge and Stevie Wonder come to mind. Will it be one huge band or a few smaller and diverse groups? [More...]

The Denver National Convention Committee (DNCC) announced today that the August convention in Denver will be simulcast in Spanish:

In keeping with its commitment to make the 2008 Democratic National Convention the most accessible and technologically-savvy event of its kind, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) announced today that Comcast Corporation will produce simultaneous, online streaming coverage of the Convention in Spanish at DemConvention.com and make available a broad range of Convention content through its signature On Demand service.

...From the Comcast Media Center, based in the Denver metro area, Comcast will provide live, gavel-to-gavel Spanish-language interpretation of all Convention activities from the Pepsi Center to be streamed online at DemConvention.com from August 25-28. This marks the first time a national political Convention has been completely simulcast in Spanish and made available to a worldwide audience.

Spanish is the primary language of 35 million Americans. World-wide, there are more than 300 million people who speak Spanish.

The Rocky Mountain News today in an editorial calls on Sen. Barack Obama to "take Denver off the hook" and chip in for the August convention.

Make the calls to your donors, Sen. Obama. Send the e-mails. Denver should no longer be on the hook for Democratic National Convention expenses. A few exhortations to your supporters could quickly retire the city's remaining obligations.

After all, Denver is simply providing the venue for Barack Obama's nomination. It's his party. It's only appropriate to ask his contributors to ensure that the celebration is a rousing success.

Obama has raised $265 million so far. He's now opted out of public financing. Why is he not helping out? [More...]

SWAT (Security with Advanced Technology) has let the cat out of the bag on some of the weapons purchased by the Denver Police Department for the August Democratic Convention:

Security With Advanced Technology, Inc. (NasdaqCM:SWAT - News) reported that its Veritas Tactical business segment has received a purchase order from the City and County of Denver, for the Company's recently introduced rifle launcher and pistol launcher as well as projectiles and associated accessories.

More...

This just in from the DNCC: The media walkthough in Denver that was canceled last week has been rescheduled for Tuesday, July 8 (received by e-mail, no link yet):

The Democratic National Convention Committee will host a media walk-through for national, local and online media outlets, including bloggers, interested in covering the 2008 Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, July 8, 2008 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Registration and a continental breakfast will be available beginning at 8:00 AM MST, and the program will begin at 9:00 AM. A more detailed itinerary will be distributed to registered outlets closer to the event. The event is scheduled to conclude around 2:00 PM MST.

Please note that the DNCC is not the same group as the Denver Host Committee which failed to fully meet its fundraising deadline yesterday. [More...]

If you're online today and looking for a place to chat, here you go.

And don't believe the rumors I'm seeing on other threads about the Denver Convention being canceled or scaled back to a single day due to lack of funds. The only thing canceled was the media walk-through for this coming week -- and the Sunday night parties are being combined into a single event.

For the latest, check the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post. The fundraising is being done by the Denver Host Committee, not the DNC or the DNCC. What's the difference?

The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee is a non-profit organization charged with generating the funding to pay for the 2008 Democratic Convention; organizing a volunteer base; and providing hospitality to delegates and credentialed media. Our mission is to showcase Denver and the Rocky Mountain West, to include all aspects of the community and culture of the entire region, and to emphasize environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable development.

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I've just been notified by the DNCC that TalkLeft will be a credentialed as a blogger at the Democratic Convention in August. From the e-mail:

Congratulations. The Democratic Convention staff has completed its review of blog credential applications and I’m writing to let you know that your blog will be credentialed at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

We’re excited to welcome so many blogs to the Convention (about 3 times as many as 2004). And we know you’re eager to make travel plans for August. We’ll contact you next week with logistical information regarding housing, credential distribution, and other key details. You probably have several questions. Please be patient – as our goal is to distribute this information to all credentialed blogs at the same time.

I'm very excited TalkLeft was selected. As one of the credentialed bloggers for the Boston DNC in 2004, I know how exciting it is to cover the convention live and to be in the hall during the evening speeches. [More..]

This just in from the DNCC for media and bloggers planning to attend the Denver Convention in August: The final media walk-through is June 19. Details below:

DENVER - The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) will host a media walk-through for national, local and online media outlets, including bloggers, interested in covering the 2008 Democratic National Convention on Thursday, June 19, 2008 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Registration and a continental breakfast will be available beginning at 8:00 AM MST, and the program will begin at 9:00 AM with remarks from Colorado Governor Bill Ritter. A more detailed itinerary will be distributed to registered outlets closer to the event.

Working members of the news media interested in attending should register via email at MediaRSVP@demconvention.com and provide attendee name(s), name of news organization and complete contact information. The deadline to register for the walk-through is June 5, 2008. Registration is required to attend.

More...

This Saturday, the Democratic Convention in Denver will be 100 days away. How big an affair will it be? Check this out, from the DNCC's press release today:

• Nearly 200,000 square feet of media space has been allocated. Initial plans are complete for the media pavilions located outside the Pepsi Center that will provide workspace for many of the nearly 15,000 members of the media expected to attend the Convention.

• Space has been allocated for more than 100 production trucks, media workspace trailers and broadcast transmission vehicles.

• 17,000 hotel rooms in the Denver metro area are reserved....Meeting space reserved at 100+ hotels and the Colorado Convention Center

[More...]

The Democratic National Convention Committee, through DNC Chair Howard Dean, has announced the selection of credentialed blogs for the "50 state blogger corps" for the Democratic Convention. They include one blog from each of the 50 states. To be eligible, the blog must concentrate on the politics of its state. National blogs and video and niche bloggers will be selected at a later date.

Congratulations to Colorado's Square State Blog for being selected as the credentialed state blog for Colorado.

For the first time, state bloggers will be seated on the convention floor with their state's delegates.

Aaron Silverstein at Square State has this interview with Chair Howard Dean about the credentialing of bloggers.

Update: For those who don't want to read through the live-blog below, the shorter version is the DNCC is making efforts to accommodate more bloggers than in 2004. Enabling a state blogger to sit with the delegates from their state is a big improvement, but it only applies to one blog per state, and doesn't apply to non-state bloggers.

Also, the credentials are only for events at the Pepsi Center, not for events at the Convention Center where other events and meetings will be taking place. I don't think this should deter anyone. In Boston in 2004, our media pass got us into events at the hotels and events outside the Fleet Center. Nothing really happens at the Pepsi Center until late afternoon. [More...]