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Pepsi Center Getting Makeover For DNCManager: 'Transformation Will Be Enormous' UPDATED: 12:21 pm MDT July 6, 2008 By CHUCK PLUNKETT and ELIZABETH AGUILERA The Denver Post DENVER -- The Pepsi Center hands over the keys to construction teams for the Democratic National Convention Committee at 8 a.m. Monday, and the on-the-ground, multimillion-dollar race to transform the arena into a convention hall by Aug. 25 begins. Standing inside the Pepsi Center not long after Denver won the bid, the facility's general manager, Dave Jolette, waved his hand at the vast space in something like awe, or maybe fear. "The transformation," he...

Do we really want these chuckleheads running our country? Some of the Democratic missteps started soon after planning for the event began. The Democratic National Convention Committee decided not to take cheap office space and instead rented top-quality offices in downtown Denver at $100,000 a month, only to need less than half the space, which it then filled with rental furniture at $50,000 a month. And in a costly misstep, the Denver host committee, early on, told corporate donors that their contributions were not tax-deductible, rather than to encourage donations by saying that the tax-exempt application was pending and expected...

Statement From DNC Chairman Dean and Convention CEO Daughtry on New York Times Sunday Story July 6, 2008 Email this Print this Blog this Digg this We are proud to stand at the helm of the finest Convention team we’ve known. As the arm of the national Party tasked with planning and organizing the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the Democratic National Convention Committee has been at this for more than a year. And we take great pride in our work. That's why we were astonished to read in Sunday’s New York Times such a gross misrepresentation of the groundwork...

Denver—With a recent move to relegate peaceful protestors beneath the Denver homeless population, Re-create 68 has now vowed that there will indeed be “a bloodbath” at the Democratic National Convention should they try to keep them fenced in. The American Civil Liberties Union and several advocacy groups have filed an amended complaint to their lawsuit, stating that their First Amendment rights have been violated by security restrictions. “What the hell do they think we are? Barnyard animals,” asked Tom Mestnik, a member of The Re-create ’68 Alliance, an umbrella group organizing the protesters. “They’re giving the homeless a free pass...

[Click through to article to view interview with author James Piereson.] The central thesis of James Piereson's Camelot and the Cultural Revolution was that JFK's assassination was the key moment that caused a large portion of once sensible liberals to begin to tilt to the far, far left, and for lack of better word, become Unhinged. Like this calm, rational fan of the New Frontier! In the (admittedly totally tasteless) formulation of a friend of mine, the best thing that ever happened to civil rights in this country was the bullet through JFK's head. Along the way, as I wrote...

For all Senator Barack Obama’s success raising money and generating excitement among voters, he faces a daunting challenge as he prepares to claim the nomination in August: a Democratic convention effort marred by costly setbacks and embarrassing delays. With the Denver convention less than two months away, problems range from the serious — upwardly spiraling costs on key contracts still being negotiated — to the more mundane, like the reluctance of local caterers to participate because of stringent rules on what delegates will be eating,down to the color of the food. At last count, plans to renovate the inside of...

One week after Hillary Clinton made a public show of unity with Barack Obama, a new survey suggests supporters of the New York senator are increasingly less likely to follow her lead. A growing number of Clinton supporters say they may stay home in November instead of casting their ballot for Obama, a clear sign the party has yet to coalesce around the Illinois senator four weeks after the most prolonged and at times divisive primary race in modern American history came to a close. According to a new survey from CNN and the Opinion Research Corporation, the number of...

Barack Obama's campaign is considering moving his nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention from the Pepsi Center convention hall to Invesco Field at Mile High to accommodate the uncredentialed masses, sources say. The move would mark a major departure from tradition, but would be in keeping with the candidate's desire to build a large grass-roots campaign focused on "change." It also would leave behind the multi-million-dollar broadcast studios, media offices and high-tech podium and stage to be constructed at the Pepsi Center.

Power to the street people during DNCThe city says it has no plan to hide the homeless during all the hoopla. Some officials hope they'll be part of the dialogue. By Allison Sherry The Denver Post Article Last Updated: 07/01/2008 06:20:24 AM MDT Denver police Cmdr. Deborah Dilley has a message to the 3,900 homeless people who live in the city: You can stay where you are between Aug. 25 and 28. Responding to rumors that Denver's homeless would be bused to Pueblo or hauled out of the hip Lower Downtown area during the Democratic National Convention, city officials say...

"Hundreds" of FBI agents will be in Denver during the Democratic National Convention, according to James Davis, the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver field division that oversees Colorado and Wyoming. The FBI is "responsible for gathering intelligence on, primarily terrorist activity, any possible terrorist activity with regard to the convention, and make sure we get that intelligence to our partner agencies so they can be prepared," according to a "Colorado Matters" interview that aired today on Colorado Public Radio. The audio is available here. Davis also said that, "We don't have any information right now about any...

The fence around the public demonstration zone outside the Democratic National Convention will be chicken wire or chain link, authorities revealed in U.S. District Court today. That may allow protestors to be seen and heard by delegates going in and out of the Pepsi Center during the convention. But the American Civil Liberties Union and several advocacy groups have filed an amended complaint to their lawsuit against the U.S. Secret Service and the city and county of Denver that says protestors and demonstrators may have their First Amendment rights violated by security restrictions

The DNC's Denver confab has adopted political correctness not seen since George McGovern boycotted grapes. Organizers have strict rules aimed at the "greenest convention in the history of the planet." * No fried foods. Whatsoever. * All meals must include "at least three of the following colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple and white." * At least 70% of foods must be organic and grown locally..........900 recycling enforcers will ensure every scrap of trash goes into the proper bin. But full compliance is proving difficult........demands that 15,000 fanny packs for volunteers be US-made of organic cotton by union labor turns out...

The Denver Group was recently formed to ensure that Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee conduct the Democratic Party's presidential nomination process in keeping with democratic principles at the Party's convention this August. This means an open convention, which includes Senator Clinton's name on the ballot, allowing speeches by Clinton supporters on behalf of her candidacy, and the taking of a roll call vote, all of which is the norm. The Denver Group (www.theDenvergroup.blogspot.com), organized by Marc Rubin and Heidi Li Feldman, is a non-connected committee, established on June 24, 2008. It is not affiliated with Hillary Clinton for...

Bill Clinton is so bitter about Barack Obama's victory over his wife Hillary that he has told friends the Democratic nominee will have to beg for his wholehearted support.

In a move backers are calling a “pilot test,” the Democratic Party convention in Denver this August has banned fried foods from the premises. “Republicans are telling the American people that our comprehensive healthcare plan is infeasible, that it will ‘break the bank,’” Howard Dean, Democratic National Committee Chairman, asserted. “That just shows the myopia of the right wing when it comes to caring for the health of the American people.” “A lot of our nation’s health problems start with a poor diet,” Dean contended. “Fried foods are among the worst things people can eat. If we can put a...

Hillary Clinton hasn't forgotten that her defeat came not at the hands of voters but because of her opponent's ability to out-organize her in caucus states. By some measures, she equaled or surpassed Barack Obama in the popular vote. Nonetheless, Mrs. Clinton has officially rallied behind Mr. Obama in hopes of giving Democrats their best shot to win a presidential election since 1996. But she has a price. Mrs. Clinton showed up in Unity, N.H. for a symbolic event with Mr. Obama and the downpayment seems to begin with $10 million in cash – the amount her campaign still owes...

Remember, when you are a Democrat, you leave your individual rights and preferences at the door. You are now a cog in the great machine. You will comply with approved party policy, or you will be branded a heretic and will become fodder for a Keith Olbermann rant. Per the Party Grand Poobahs, the fun at the Democrat Convention will be supplemented with some proper dietary rules. Warning to Southern delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver this August: it will be a no-fry zone. As part of the effort to make the August 25-28 convention the...

Party officials say they're simulcasting the entire convention in Spanish. Al Garza says he's of Hispanic descent, and he's outraged. "I speak English, and I don't watch anything in Spanish...This is a nation that was founded and based on English." But Damon Jones with the Democratic National Convention says they're doing it for good reason. "Spanish is the primary language for the more than 35 million people in our country and more than 300 million around the world. So, we think it's a great message to share and a great step forward at being as inclusive as possible." Garza contends...

RUSH: How about this show that's going on between Hillary and Obama in, of all places -- how stupid do they think we are? -- in Unity, New Hampshire. How much energy did it take for both of them to fly to Unity, New Hampshire, for a photo-op? We all know this is a staged thing, anyway. They could have done it in Washington at a hotel room, the Eliot Spitzer hotel room at the Mayflower. They could have done it any number of places because somebody's going to get screwed in this deal. And look at this. You...

Democratic convention to be no-fry zone By Scott Shepard Cox News Service Article Last Updated: 06/26/2008 08:45:08 PM MDT DENVER — Warning to Southern delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver this August: it will be a no-fry zone. As part of the effort to make the August 25-28 convention the greenest ever, the Democrats' guidelines for food catering include one that strikes at the heart of Southern cuisine: no fried food. No fried chicken. No fried catfish. No fried green tomatoes. No fried okra. No fried anything.

The Greenest Show on Earth: Democrats Gear Up for Denver From Organic Fanny Packs to 'Pure' Trash, Party Planners Face Logistical Nightmare By STEPHANIE SIMON June 25, 2008; Page A1 DENVER -- As the Mile High City gears up to host a Democratic bash for 50,000, organizers are discovering the perils of trying to stage a political spectacle that's also politically correct. Consider the fanny packs. With biodegradable balloons and organic snacks, Denver Democrats hope to stage the "greenest convention" ever. See examples. The host committee for the Democratic National Convention wanted 15,000 fanny packs for volunteers. But they had...

Hillary Clinton returned to the Senate today with cheers from her Democrat colleagues. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) led the way with chants of “we need you!” Mikulski was not alone in her praise as fellow New Yorker Chuck Schumer was part of the small contingent of senators that welcomed back their junior colleague. Striking was that Clinton made her entrance on the east side of the capital in the door that is rarely used. Not even good ole Dick Cheney uses that door! As the Politco reported today Clinton was greeted with a standing ovation during the Democrats weekly luncheon...

WASHINGTON: Bill Clinton has given terse backing to Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama, as his wife returned to politics for the first time since her agonising primary defeat. Timed to coincide with Hillary Clinton's reappearance in the Senate, Bill Clinton issued a one-sentence statement through his spokesman to put a lid on months of fireworks on the party's nominating campaign trail. “President Clinton is obviously committed to doing whatever he can and is asked to do to ensure Senator Obama is the next president of the United States,” spokesman Matt McKenna said. Hillary Clinton said the Democrats must unite...

The 16-month Hillary-palooza has finally gone bust. Her website bravely instructs us to "Support Senator Obama Today." Mrs. Clinton's staff has been pared down to a skeleton crew. And she's finally getting around to paying off the health insurance bills. But Hillary's campaign wasn't a presidential nomination effort in the usual sense. It was a massive exercise in feminist consciousness-raising foisted on an unsuspecting American public. Take Clinton's June 7 concession speech that was billed as an endorsement of rival Barack Obama. In reality it was a neo-Marxist rant lightly disguised as a feminist pep talk. Hillary regurgitated her demand...

Barack Obama may want to rethink his position on public financing after all. Not only did he lose most of the contests over the last three months of the primary, his fundraising numbers declined during the same period. In just-released figures, Obama had his weakest fundraising month of 2008 in May, outraising John McCain by only a million: Democrat Barack Obama raised $22 million in May for his presidential campaign, his weakest fundraising month this year, and ended the month with $43 million cash on hand, the campaign reported Friday. That puts him behind McCain, after spending $5 million more...

Hillary Rodham Clinton returned to Congress Tuesday for the first time since suspending her presidential campaign, to a loud round of applause and hugs from Democrats as they try to bridge the rifts left by a long, bruising presidential primary. The return of the New York senator had been much anticipated since she suspended her race for the White House earlier this month after Barack Obama clinched the necessary number of delegates to secure the party's nomination. "Glad to be here, my friends, glad to be here," she said as she entered the building, adding later: "We have a lot...

Barack Obama tells Hillary Clinton supporters to 'get over it' By Toby Harnden in Washington Last Updated: 7:20PM BST 23/06/2008 Senator Barack Obama has angered senior allies of his vanquished Democratic rival Senator Hillary Clinton by telling them to "get over it". Barack Obama is trying to woo Hillary Clinton's supporters At a meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus last week, reported by ABC News, Mr Obama urged women who had backed Mrs Clinton to support him against John McCain, the Republican nominee. "If women take a moment to realise that on every issue important to women, John...

The postmortems are rolling in to explain the long-drawn-out and spectacular failure of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-promising presidential campaign. She and her supporters are sure they know how and why she was rejected: She was the victim of sexism. Feminist ideology teaches that American women are victims of an oppressive patriarchal society. No matter how rich or prominent or smart or advantaged a woman might be, success and happiness are still beyond her grasp because institutional sexism holds her down. Feminist icon Gloria Steinem opined on CNN that it is "clear that there is profound sexism." She whined that...

Why Dems are Leaving The Party! In Droves! I left the Democratic party a few years ago. But this letter clearly embodies why so many are leaving now, and why progressives like me no long can support them: Open Letter to the DNC By Stephen Elliott, LCSW “We have to be unified if we’re going to put a Democrat back in the White House…We’ve just seen two brilliant candidates run the most exciting primary in decades. Now we need to come together and finish the job.” Thus are the words of Howard Dean in an email sent to Democratic Party...

Clinton Campaign $22.5 Million In Debt at the End of Last Month By Shailagh Murray Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, June 21, 2008; A06 Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to return to Senate politics next week, now that her run for the Democratic presidential nomination is over, but a campaign finance filing made plain last night that the effects of that losing effort will continue to weigh on her political future. Clinton's campaign was $22.5 million in debt at the end of May, $3 million more than a month earlier. More than half of the latest debt ($12.2 million)...

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. The presumptive nominee has raised a jaw-dropping $265 million for his fall campaign, smashing previous records. And reliable estimates say he might drum up that much more for the November race. Meantime,...

The director of volunteers for the Democratic National Convention in Denver has resigned, saying she wasn’t “empowered” to do her job. Sondra Williams ...declined to elaborate on her reasons, saying she doesn’t want to criticize the host committee. The committee is coping with fundraising problems. It reported this week it is $11.6 short its $40.6 million goal.

It's a no-expenses paid trip to what looks to be one of the most hotly debated political events in the country. At least seven local people have won a coveted spot in Michigan's 2008 delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, earning them a first-hand view of a historic presidential nomination. For at least two of the area delegates, this is the first time they will travel to the August convention, where their only duties are to hob nob with party leaders, cheer wildly -- and cast their vote for a presidential nominee."I'm really excited to be a part...

Every group that wanted to have a parade during the Democratic National Convention will. And every parade will end "within walking distance" of the Pepsi Center — but nobody knows yet exactly where that will be. That is the upshot of a decision late today by Denver officials to hand out parade permits during the convention, scheduled Aug. 25-28. The final ending point of the parade route is expected to be determined in the next few weeks, said Sue Cobb, spokeswoman for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is taking a month off from Congress to recuperate after her marathon run for the presidency. She is not expected to return to the Senate until July 7 or July 8 after the Independence Day recess, according to two Democratic sources. Clinton’s Democratic colleagues in the Senate are taking a sympathetic attitude toward her extended absence, which comes after a grueling 18-month formal bid for the White House and, according to some calculations, a decade or more of planning and positioning since the days when her husband was president. “People understand this is a transition...

<p>Denver police are stocking up on guns that fire a pepper spray-like substance instead of bullets - a less-lethal weapon used to disperse crowds - in advance of the Democratic National Convention.</p> <p>The department recently ordered 88 Mark IV launchers and projectiles at a cost "in the low six figures,"..</p>

Facing an $11.6 million budget shortfall, organizers of the Democratic National Convention are cutting events ... The convention's Denver host committee reported it has deposited $29 million of the $40.6 million it promised to the Democratic National Committee by a Monday deadline. The overall convention budget is about $70 million. A planned media walkthrough of the Pepsi Center was abruptly canceled last week, alerting political reporters across the country that something was amiss. People close to the party's convention committee said the event was scrapped in part to embarrass the host committee into stepping up its fundraising efforts. Denver was...

FORMER North Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle was as giddy as a school girl preparing for her first prom. One could see him jumping up and down yelling, "We'll have a candidate, we'll have a candidate by the end of the week." His choice for prom king all along was Barack Obama. He like many others in the Democratic Party were in a twitter because the primaries had gone on too long and the party needed a candidate. A long list of other Washington politicos, including Howard Dean, head of the Democratic National Committee, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wanted the...

Posterity may well remember the Hillary Clinton campaign as the nearest that a member of the female gender had thus far gotten to the nomination of a major political party. But the episode will be recalled for many other salient features as well. The first time that the wife of an ex-president had leveraged her first-lady status into a senatorial seat and then a bid for the presidency. http://www.slate.com/id/2193684/

(THE WORLD) Where’s Hillary Clinton? Chappaqua? Washington? Has she returned to Iowa? Has anyone seen Hillary since she endorsed Barack Obama before an adoring crowd of her most ardent supporters? Philippe Reines, a campaign adviser, says that “she’s enjoying some well-deserved R&R,” but only Hillary knows for sure. Her sudden and mysterious disappearance has prompted New York publisher Little Brown to announce plans to publish a picture book, Where’s Hillary, modeled after the Where’s Waldo series published in the late 80’s and reissued in the 90’s. A spokesman for Little Brown says that they hope that the new Where’s Hillary...

(While party loyalty wins overall, some Clinton backers are slow to let go) Stevens Point, WI - At her birthday party one week ago, Democratic Party and union activist Candice Owley received a Barack Obama pin. As a pledged delegate to the Democratic national convention for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), Owley — and other Wisconsin Democrats who had worked tirelessly for more than a year to nominate and elect the first woman president — had a decision to make. “I put it on,” Owley said in an interview at the annual Democratic Party convention. “It’s really about the future...

The host committee for the Democratic National Convention faces a possible shortfall of $15 million, complicating logistics for the August event and forcing it to abruptly postpone a media walkthrough of the site scheduled for next week. The Democratic National Committee has asked the cash-strapped panel to raise $40.6 million by tomorrow to finance the event. Last month, the committee said it had just $25 million in cash, and it has failed to meet each of several fund-raising deadlines since signing a contract with the DNC last year.

Political conventions are known for a certain conviviality which often spills into the local watering holes when all the floor speeches are finished. But this is taking beer-power to a whole new level: Our colleagues at The Stew report that the official General Motors vehicles at the Democratic National Convention - the ones shuttling delegates, candidates and the rest from place to place - will not only be running on flex-fuel, but also will get their ethanol from a uniquely Coloradan source: The Molson Coors Brewing Company.

Continuing struggles to raise cash for the Democratic National Convention forced the suspension of a national media event scheduled for Thursday at the Pepsi Center, multiple sources said. The Democratic National Convention Committee announced Friday morning that it had postponed the Spring Media Walkthrough, a meeting designed to give the hundreds of media organizations that will cover the convention important logistical information. Because of the protracted Democratic nominating process, Denver's host committee responsible for raising $40.6 million in cash for the convention has fallen behind its schedule. The host committee and the DNCC have been looking for ways to cut...

Superdelegate Davis slow to endorse Obama By John Rodgers, jrodgers@nashvillecitypaper.com Updated: Friday, June 13, 2008 2:33 am The rise of Sen. Barack Obama, to become the Democrats’ presidential nominee has put most of his party’s faithful on his bandwagon — but not Lincoln Davis, a rural Tennessee Congressman with gubernatorial ambitions. Davis (D-Pall Mall) is not yet endorsing the presumptive nominee in Obama, saying he’ll wait until the late August Democratic Party national convention. In Davis’ sprawling 4th Congressional District — which ranges from as far west as Hickman County to as far east as the upper Cumberland Plateau —...

Denver—In what can only be referred to as a fecal disaster, Denver police were forced to use the “crap cannon”—commonly referred to as the “Defecator”—on raucous parents at the Abraham Lincoln High School graduation ceremony. Unconfirmed reports claim that four unruly parents were the victims of a test run for the Democratic National Convention in August, attempting to celebrate their children’s graduation as they received their diploma. “All I did,” whined Chris Davis, a 38-year old accountant, “is applaud and yell ‘congratulations’ when my son got his diploma. The next thing I know is that I’m making a mad dash...

Former house delegate and state Sen. Mary Boergers (D), a pledged delegate to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), told PolitickerMD.com today that she has not committed to voting for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in the November election, saying she first wants to see what "action's (Obama) takes to unify the party." Boergers, who represented the people of Montgomery County in the House of Delegates from 1982 to 1990 and in the Senate from 1991 to 1994, also said she would vote for Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in August. "I'm a pledged Hillary delegate," Boergers said. "That's what I was...

Don't know what to make of this but, at least one site, Clinton Democrats, says it is true. TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION! Howard Dean is working to remove Hillary from first ballot at the convention! I.E he is trying to have her stricken from the record…the annals of history, and diminish the gravity of her historic place in history. Remember, Obama had Alyce Palmur removed from the ballot here in Chicago so he had no one to challenge him….SEE An PATTERN? More . . . Another commenter on this post also mentioned it. Otherwise, why would he be trying to have...

Eighteen million votes: $212 million. Some 1,926 delegates: $109,823 a pop. Blowing the biggest head start in presidential history: priceless. From anointed to also-ran, Hillary Clinton spent more money to lose a primary election than any candidate in Democratic Party history. "The Clinton campaign found itself without adequate money at the beginning of 2008," chief strategist Mark Penn wrote in a published Op-Ed yesterday - but it was enough of a cash stash to fund the causes she championed. The money raised could have been better spent. Instead of throwing it at a failed political bid, Clinton could have achieved...

Hillary Exits; Promises a Sequel By Kathryn Jean Lopez It may not be a presidential campaign, but we will be seeing Hillary again in all the old familiar places. At the National Building Museum on Saturday, Hillary Clinton promised her supporters: “You’ll always find me on the frontlines of democracy fighting for the future.” Put another way: “I’ll be back.” Throughout the Clinton campaign, I’ve had this pang of anger that Barbara Olson couldn’t weigh in on Hillary’s run for the White House. Barbara could see the “Hillary for President” signs. There were too many signs in Hillary’s life pointing...