Monday, January 29, 2007

15,000 media expected

WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

On one hand the press says conventions are boring. On the other hand, 15,000 media are expected in Denver to cover the 2008 Democratic Convention:

While Denver almost certainly will get a flattering closeup, don’t expect scads of exposure on the broadcast networks. The political conventions are increasingly covered online and by cable news networks as the major broadcast networks scale back the primetime hours devoted to what amount to political infomercials. Continue Reading...

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Fundraising update

WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Denver is looking to raise close to $80 million dollars to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Denver lawyer, and co-chairman of the 2008 Denver Host Committee, Steve Farber:

“We’re going to try to get $30 million in commitments from Colorado, and another $10 million from the region and another $15 million or $20 million nationally – which is something both conventions, Republican and Democratic, have done in recent years,” he said.
…
“We need to cover a few things, our operational expenses being No. 1. And No. 2, we need to cover the budget,” he said. Continue Reading...

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Security planning starts

WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Meetings to plan the security for the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver have already started:

Security will be tight during the 4 day event and run up a tab of about $35 million. Most of that will be paid for by the federal government. “It’s going to be a security shot that probably the city of Denver has not seen the likes of,” said Bob Pence, former director of the FBI’s Rocky Mountain office. Continue Reading...

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Denver raises $20 million

WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

They have a ways to go, but this is a good start:

The local host committee for the 2008 Democratic national party convention in Denver, Colorado, has already raised $20 million in donations and pledges. Qwest has pledged $6 million, and other corporate donors include Comcast ($5 million), Coors, Sage Hospitality, Ch2M Hill, Xcel Energy ($1.5 million), TeleTech ($100,000) and Echostar. Steve Farber, co-chairman of the host committee stated 75 individuals and companies have already made commitments. There is no limit on the size of donations. Continue Reading...

Monday, January 22, 2007

CQPolitics starts convention city reports

WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

CQPolitics.com, the web site of Congressional Quarterly, is starting a series of articles on the convention cities, Denver and St. Paul/Minneapolis. The first article is an overview of Denver:

Democrats will find Denver a welcoming, if not distinctly emblematic, host city for their 2008 national convention. The burg that sent outspoken liberal Pat Schroeder to Congress for 12 terms (1973-97) has long been an island of progressive politics in a largely conservative region. Continue Reading...

Friday, January 19, 2007

Denver labor update

WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Before the 2008 Democratic Convention was awarded to Denver, the major hold-up was the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local No. 7, whose head, Jim Taylor, refused to sign a no-strike agreement, because the Pepsi Center normally uses non-union labor. But Taylor’s union will be used during the convention, and this gives him leverage. This was a subject of much concern, with national labor organizations getting involved. Then, all of a sudden, Denver got the convention. So what happened? The day after the announcement, nothing really had changed:

“There is no agreement,” Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said in a news briefing. “There are always labor issues in every convention. We’ve worked hard with labor officials of all kinds, both nationally and locally. We believe we can solve some of these difficult issues.” Continue Reading...

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Denver Volunteer form

WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

The official volunteer form for the 2008 Democratic Convention is now available. Lots of volunteers are needed both before and during the convention.

Update: Continue Reading...

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Does Denver have enough hotels? (probably)

WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Concerns about the number and location of hotels was one of the logistical issues Denver had to overcome to host the 2008 Democratic Convention. Here’s an overview of the situation:

The 2008 Democratic National Convention will need roughly half the hotel rooms in the metro area, with those properties downtown and along highways with relatively quick access to the city getting priority. Denver and the surrounding area “absolutely” have more than enough hotel rooms to accommodate the huge gathering, according to Richard Scharf, head of the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. Continue Reading...

Monday, January 15, 2007

Keynote speaker Mark Udall?

WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

While Wikipedia says

“Almost everything else about the 2008 Democratic National Convention is uncertain: … who its speakers will be” Continue Reading...