Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Denver Dem expects a mid-November decision

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

The Denver Business Journal reports:

Denver attorney Steve Farber, a partner at Brownstein Hyatt & Farber and a chair of the [Denver 2008] host committee [said] “They’ll probably negotiate two contracts and pick one. I think we’ll hear [from the Democratic National Committee] in mid-November.” Continue Reading...

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

GOP selects St. Paul/Minneapolis

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

While the Democrats moved first in picking convention dates and visiting cities, the GOP, realizing they needed to move fast to get their first choice, announced today that they have chosen St. Paul/Minneapolis as the site of their 2008 convention. New York, Cleveland and Tampa/St. Petersburg were also in the running. The convention will be held at St. Paul’s Xcel Center, just as the Democrats were going to do. This leaves the Democrats with Denver and New York as their final two choices.

CQ notes: Continue Reading...

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Hotline says Denver back in play

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

I normally try not to show a full article, but the latest from the Hotline on the 2008 Democratic National Convention has nothing that can be skipped:

The city of Denver, which as recently as early September stood a small chance of securing the Democratic National Convention in ’08, is a contender once again. Continue Reading...

Monday, August 28, 2006

Hurricanes and conventions

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

As we hit the one year anniversary of Katrina, and as we are almost exactly two years away from the 2008 Democratic and Republican Conventions, I wanted to revisit the question of whether the parties should hold their conventions in hurricane-prone cities.

When New Orleans was still a major contender for the Democratic convention, I claimed that the chances of a hurricane actually hitting a specific city during a convention was so low, that it was unfair to rule out New Orleans as a site for this reason. And it’s not just New Orleans (which hosted the GOP in ’88); it’s also Miami, which has hosted multiple conventions, Tampa, in the running for the GOP in ’08, and Houston, which hosted the GOP in ’92. Unless you want to put a permanent hex on these cities’ tourist industry every late summer/fall, it just wasn’t fair. Continue Reading...

Thursday, August 17, 2006

The politics of picking a convention site

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

CQPolitics examines the politics that play into picking a host city for the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

Picking a host city two years in advance of the 2008 presidential nominating conventions — a process in which both major parties are currently engaged — implies thinking ahead. Continue Reading...

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Is Denver still the frontrunner?

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

I’ve been tracking the union issues with Denver’s bid for the 2008 Democratic Convention, and Colorado Confidential is reporting that Denver’s chances to host the convention have been affected:

The political “buzz” about the location of the Democratic National Convention has Denver slipping into second behind St Paul/Minneapolis because of Union problems and lack of facilities, according to sources within the national party circle. They acknowledged that Denver Mayor Hickenlooper is working on the labor problems, but with the DNC decision expected in November, will he have enough time to solve the problems? Continue Reading...

Friday, July 28, 2006

Bid cities to host receptions at August DNC meeting

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

In April, the DNC held a meeting in New Orleans and I watched with interest how different cities were hosting receptions, and especially how Orlando’s cancelling of their reception was followed 2 weeks later by them dropping out of the running to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Well the DNC is meeting in Chicago in August, and the three cities still in the running are all hosting parties: Continue Reading...

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Did the Democrats pick the best date?

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

Pontificator believes the Democrats made a mistake when they chose their convention to be held the last week in August. I just wrote a response, arguing that Dean chose the best week possible. Read both posts, and let us know what you think. (Also cross-posted at Daily Kos).

For previous articles on this, see: Link, link, link, link, link, link, link, link, link and link. Continue Reading...

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Convention-al Wisdom

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

I’ve been waiting to use that title for a while. Here are some thoughts, opinions and quotes from some news articles on the site selection process for the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

Also that New York is the safe bet, a tried-and-true convention city that can handle the logistical details at least as well, if not better, than it did for the Republicans in 2004. And, this being a Democratic town, empty some of the deepest Democratic pockets to pay for a spectacular event.
…
“Nothing could more eloquently speak to America’s resolve not to be defeated,” Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff told The Observer in July 2002, “than to see democracy celebrated in this city.” Expect that tone in one of New York’s competitors’ bids: New Orleans, still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, is another finalist for the convention nod.
…
The final decision will be up to Howard Dean, the Democratic chairman, a New York native—but also one who has been pushing a 50-state policy, intent on winning support anywhere and everywhere, even in traditional red states. In pursuing the policy, though, he has been butting heads with Rahm Emanuel, an Illinois Congressman and chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who favors investing money in races the party already has a chance of winning.
…
“Rahm Emanuel might favor New York, thinking it’s a place where you may be able to pick up a few upstate seats, versus Howard Dean, who would say, ‘Why not go to Denver and eventually turn it into fertile ground for Democrats?’” said Ross Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers University. “It never works. Frankly, I see no advantage in where the convention is held in terms of how many votes it pulls in. There may be some symbolic significance in having it in one place or another. But frankly, I think everybody wants to come to New York and will look for an excuse.” Continue Reading...