Homeowners looking for quick rent money

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Where there is demand, supply is sure to follow:

The Democratic National Committee has blocked out 17,000 Denver-area hotel rooms for a week, but won't allow any of the 35,000 people expected to reserve them until January. A $1 million donation will land a company on the DNC's priority housing list. A $250,000 donation will secure at least one room.

So, companies are looking for alternatives to hotels and some Denver residents are looking to cash in on providing lodging during the convention, scheduled Aug. 25-28. Rick Mirsky is planning a vacation with his fiancee during the convention and renting his loft in lower downtown to a Washington law firm for $2,000 a night while he's gone. "It's an opportunity that rarely happens, to be able to make $5,000 to $10,000 in a matter of four days," Mirsky said. The law firm is still looking for another 41 rooms.
...
Developer Mark Falcone, chief executive of Continuum Partners, said he's getting inquiries for units downtown and in Lakewood. Continuum is asking a minimum of three months' rent to lease a place for August. Falcone said that will cost $12,000 to $13,000 for one of the Denver units. "There are people who really do need things for a whole month," Falcone said. "Three hotel rooms would have the same cost and value for the same duration."

If you've got the space, why not make a little, or not so little, money out of it. And if you're a Republican, and want to get out of town anyway, even better.

Still no Hyatt contract

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A year ago it was huge: Workers at the Denver Hyatt Regency, the convention headquarters hotel, formed a union. Well a year later, the workers still don't have a contract:

More than a year has passed since employees at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Denver became unionized, and workers still don't have a contract negotiating wages or health benefits.

The hotel, located at the Convention Center downtown, was touted as a boon to Denver's bid for the 2008 Democratic Convention when it was announced in late September last year that workers had successfully organized a union, appearing to show that the Mile High City would at least have one unionized hotel for delegates to stay at.

But that may not be the case, if the Hyatt cannot come to an agreement with the labor union representing the hotel employees. A staffer with UNITE HERE, the labor group representing the Hyatt workers, has confirmed that there is still no contract enforcing workplace issues like wages, health benefits, and vacation time.

If there's no contract by next summer, it will be embarrassing for the Democrats to have their convention headquarters at essentially a non-union hotel.

Convention rentals at a premium

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Looking to rent housing during next summer's convention? Better act fast:

Renters may have fewer homes to choose from in Colorado.
...
The 2008 Democratic National Convention may also be another reason for the scarce rental vacancies. The convention will be in Denver in August of next year. Visitors to the convention have already started looking for short-term rentals with in a short distance of the Pepsi Center. On the Craig's List Web site, Denver homeowners have started posting their properties as rental.

Homeowner Jeff Davis has offered up his condo for rent specifically during the convention. "Competition is going to be the hotels (which are) $200, $300 and $400 a night. It seems like a good time to rent the place, generate a little extra income and potentially get out of town," he said.

The organization Housing Helpers of Metro Denver has already received phone calls from groups looking for rentals ranging from a few weeks to more than 6 months. "People are looking ahead," said Dave Janecek, a Housing Helpers employee. "I guess they anticipate, if they don't take care of it, there's a limited supply of housing and when it's out ... it's out."

Housing experts expect the demand for temporary housing to move well beyond hotel rooms. Pat Waak, state Democratic Party Chairman, said 12,000 volunteers for the convention will need a base of operation and a place to stay. "If you have a best friend, who live in downtown Denver, call them up right now," Waak said.

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Fox News to provide convention pool coverage

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There's a mini-controversy about the announcement that Fox News will provide the pool coverage for the Democratic Convention. First, the news:

TVNewser has learned Fox News will be the pool for the Democratic National Convention in Denver beginning August 25, 2008. And NBC News will be the pool for the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis the following Monday, September 1.

The pool provides camera shots inside the convention halls and can be used by any cooperating (read: paying) entity. A network insider tells TVNewser it's really as simple as drawing straws about which network will be the pool for a certain event. Since NBC and FNC will be pool for the conventions, the other networks will likely be the pool for other events, including next fall's debates.

Now the controversy. From OpenLeft:

Fox News is not a legitimate news outlet, but a partisan outlet pushing out GOP propaganda. Why in the world would this channel be allowed to control the camera shots inside the hall?

While I agree that Fox News is very partisan, the post at OpenLeft shows little knowledge of how a pool works at a convention. The pool is there to provide standard shots - especially shots of the podium. There is no need, and actually no room on the camera stands, for each network to provide their own camera to give the same unmoving shot of the speaker. More importantly, each network provides its own cameras for its own shots, and each network does its own production, choosing when to use its own shots, and when to use the pool shots. Also, the pool does not provide any graphics, commentary, or anything close to any editorial discretion. There's really no way that Fox providing the pool coverage could affect how the convention is covered.

Convention looking for interns and volunteers

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It takes a lot of people to put on a convention, and Denver's putting out the call for more. From Dan Slater at DemNotes:

Last night, I was in Denver again for a meeting of the Denver 2008 Host Committee’s Volunteer Committee (that’s a long name!). I am one of the co-chairs of that committee, along with Landri Taylor and Cec Ortiz, who are both wonderful people with which to work. The Committee is continuing to work to ensure that we plan for every possible contingent to identify and utilize the 7,000 to 10,000 volunteers that will be needed to put together the most memorable Democratic Convention in the history of our Party.

If you haven’t yet signed up to volunteer, you can do so on the State Party’s website (www.coloradodems.org), or at the Denver 2008 website (www.denverconvention2008.com). If you have signed up, you should have received about four different e-mails from the Host Committee over the past few months providing short updates. If you have signed up, but haven’t received those e-mails, you may want to check your spam folder and junk e-mail settings to be certain they aren’t being mis-identified as spam. You also may want to try signing up again online.

In the next couple of months, you will be able to set your volunteer profile online, and that will help us identify where we can use you as a volunteer as things heat up closer to next summer. So, when you get the e-mail about your online profile, be sure to go online and get that done — hopefully, before the end of October.

Right now, though, the Host Committee is in need for more college interns. If you, or somebody you know, is interested in being an intern for the Host Committee / DNCC, please send an e-mail to the Host Committee with your resume or qualifications to info@denverconvention2008.com - be sure and put “Intern” in the subject line, so your e-mail doesn’t get lost in the shuffle of e-mails received by the Host Committee daily.

Also, the Host Committee is looking for volunteers who can donate a full day or more a week on a regular basis to helping out at the Host Committee offices. Send an e-mail to the address in the prior paragraph with the subject line “Full-Day Volunteer” with your availability.

Volunteering for a political convention just can't be beat. And if you can be one of a few, instead of 1 of 10,000, the possibilities are endless. Those intern positions, or working in the Host Committee offices, are great ways to get in early and really make a contribution.

Convention looking for volunteer housing

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The Colorado Democratic Party notes the Denver Convention Host Committee is looking for housing for volunteers for next August:

The Denver 2008 Host Committee is looking for volunteer housing. While many of the volunteers for the 2008 Democratic National Convention will be from Colorado, some of those volunteers will come from outlying areas around the state. Also recruitment is going on in surrounding states. Most hotel rooms locally will be used to house state delegations, press, and others associated with the convention. If you know of someone who has extra room during next August, please contact Sondra Williams, Volunteer Coordinator at Sondra@DenverConvention2008.com or 303-534-6200.

How many journalists will cover the convention

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Interesting column in the Rocky Mountain News this weekend on how many media people will actually attend and cover the 2008 Democratic Convention:

The estimate of 15,000 journalists includes media support personnel, and it's the same figure the big political conventions have used for planning purposes since the 1992 or 1996 events, according to Wally Podrazik, director of media operations for the Democratic National Convention Committee.

But as you've noticed, major news media aren't spending as much money these days, so it's reasonable to assume that fewer mainstream journalists will come to Denver than came to previous conventions.

Fact is, most of the cutbacks have already occurred at previous conventions. When the networks were providing major coverage, they used to send 700-800 people each to the convention. But since they've cut back their coverage, they've already cut their numbers considerably, so 2008 shouldn't be much different than 2004. And trust me that the increase in bloggers covering the convention hasn't made up for it.

And if Wally Podrazik says they're planning for 15,000, they're likely to get near 15000. Podrazik has been doing media planning for conventions since 1980, and he works very closely with the umbrella press organizations that help to organize convention credentialing. I would trust his 8 conventions worth of experience over a local Denver columnist.

Dean marks 1 year to go milestone

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DNC Chairman Howard Dean was in Denver today to rally the party one year before the 2008 Democratic Convention:

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean led a lunchtime rally today at the site of the 2008 Democratic National Convention by touting recent Democratic victories in the Intermountain West and then quickly engaging the presidential primaries. Saying that "any Democrat is better than any Republican running," Dean outlined what he called clear differences between the parties.

Dean spoke before a crowd of several hundred people just outside the Pepsi Center, which will be the convention site next Aug. 25-28. Joined by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Gov. Bill Ritter, Dean hammered at the war in Iraq, criticizing the Republican presidential field for wanting to stay the course, whereas Democratic candidates have sought a withdrawal.

Dean also criticized Republicans for a "culture of corruption," alluding to ethical scandals that plagued national GOP lawmakers in the months before the 2006 elections.

...

During the rally, Dean and Hickenlooper stressed the desire of convention organizers to hold the "greenest" national political convention ever seen and challenged Coloradans and Westerners to join the volunteer effort.

Just over 1 year to go...

Denver quiet on fundraising

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Well we always knew fundraising for the convention would be difficult, so stories like this shouldn't be surprising:

The host committee for the 2008 Democratic National Convention has stopped issuing updates on fundraising after falling short of its first benchmark, but organizers say they aren't worried. The host committee has a goal of raising $40 million in cash and $15 million in in-kind contributions by June 2008. In late June 2007, the last time the committee issued an update, it reported about $6 million in cash, short of its $7.5 million benchmark for June 1.

Host committee spokeswoman Rachel Gordon said in an e-mail to The Associated Press Tuesday that the committee "declines to comment on updated fundraising figures. We are focused on our December goals." The December goal hasn't been released.

Natalie Wyeth, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee's convention organizing committee, said the organizers were not worried about the host committee's ability to raise money. "We remain confident the host committee will continue to report in accordance with the contractual deadlines," Wyeth said.

Ultimately, the money will be raised. If things are still running behind once the nominee is selected in the spring, then a lot of help will quickly come from the national party infrastructure. The party will not want money issues to detract from the messages of the campaign.

Tonight Show's Mo Rocca previews convention prep

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This is just fantastic. Mo Rocca, who covered both conventions for the Tonight Show in 2004, filed a piece on Denver's preparations for the 2008 National Convention. Rocca and Mayor Hickenlooper cutting paper to make confetti, Rocca and DNCC head Leah Daughtry blowing up balloons, and lot's more. Two video's below. The first, shorter, but with the highlights, and good quality. The second is the whole piece, including before and after with Leno, but the quality is not as good, and there's laughter of the camera holder in the background.





I love at the end of the long video, when Leno says "look forward to your piece tomorrow on Minneapolis", and Rocca corrects him, "No, St, Paul". As the St. Paul Pioneer-Press wrote in July, 2006:

"This is Katie Couric, reporting from Minneapol- … from Minnesot- … from St. Paul.

DNCC Announces Online Director

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Well, that job has been filled:

The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) today named Jason Rosenberg as Director of Online Communications for the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

In his role, Rosenberg will be responsible for developing and implementing new media strategy for the DNCC and overseeing the official 2008 Convention website, www.demconvention.com. Rosenberg will manage online vendor and partner services relations on behalf of the DNCC and oversee outreach with the online community.

We are thrilled to have Jason join our team," said Leah Daughtry, CEO of the DNCC. "Using technology and online tools to bring more people into our 2008 Convention experience is a top priority. Jason brings both the skills and bold thinking to broaden our reach, expand the dialogue and make our Convention in Denver as inclusive as possible."

Update: Rosenberg on the 2008 convention:

Jason Rosenberg promised that bloggers would, technologically speaking, "break down the walls at the Pepsi Center" to make the convention a 24-7 conversation lighting up the blogosphere.
...
By 2004, the party credentialed 30 bloggers, who reported from the convention floor alongside their mainstream media counterparts. Rosenberg says far more than 30 will be in Denver.

Convention organizers are still developing credentialing rules for bloggers. They also expect that many of the 7,000 delegates will also be blogging. "There's a palpable feeling of empowerment here," Rosenberg said. "We're looking to capture that for the convention."

Bridge collapse to affect GOP planning

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The tragic collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis will affect planning for the 2008 GOP convention:

While the 2008 Republican convention is about 13 months off, this major disruption to the Twin Cities’ transportation network appears a serious problem for GOP and local logistical planners.

Some 17,000 hotel rooms have been blocked for the 2008 Republican National Convention, according to Meet Minneapolis, the city’s official visitor’s association. Of those rooms, 1,500 could be affected by the bridge collapse, said Meet Minneapolis spokeswoman Connie Stetler on Thursday, though she said the route to the airport located south of the cities would not be affected by the accident.

Democratic state Rep. Joe Mullery, whose district is northwest of the bridge, said the accident will shift 140,000 to 180,000 cars a day to other Twin Cities thoroughfares, creating the potential for major traffic disruptions. “Instead it will go on to my district, going north, a very large percent, half or slightly more of the traffic, could be shifted on that road through my district,” Mullery said. “There are no safety concerns, but it will just become another parking lot, practically.”

It's also more directly affecting the RNC summer meeting being held in Minneapolis this weekend:

The Republican National Committee says it plans to go ahead with its summer meeting in Minneapolis over the next few days although with a revised schedule. Earlier today, Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the R.N.C., said the schedule was “in flux” after yesterday’s highway bridge collapse. Republican officials are gathering in the city to take care of party business and gear up for next year’s Republican National Convention, which will be held in the Twin Cities next September.

“We are in nimble mode,” Ms. Schmitt said. “The mood has shifted to one of empathy and concern.”

First Lady Laura Bush was scheduled to speak at the meeting for 20 minutes tomorrow afternoon. Today her press office said that she would now be dropping by the event for a shorter time and her remarks will not be public. Mrs. Bush is making room in her schedule to visit the Interstate 35W bridge collapse overlook and to meet with volunteers and first responders in the morning.

One wonders if the convention might be used to create a deadline to get the bridge rebuilt on a quicker schedule. Brian Williams hinted at this on his broadcast this evening.

Dems and GOP look countrywide for convention money

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As Denver (and St. Paul) try to raise money for the conventions, they are traveling far and wide:

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his Colorado counterpart, Bill Ritter, each trek to New York this year on a mission. Their task: to persuade corporate executives to help sponsor the national political conventions being staged in their states next year. Ritter plays host to fellow Democrats in Denver in August 2008, while Pawlenty welcomes fellow Republicans to Minneapolis-St. Paul a month later. "A convention like this is an opportunity to showcase the city and state internationally," said Ritter, who is in his first term.

Organizers estimate it will take at least $100 million in corporate funds to underwrite the conventions, with grants from the Federal Election Commission accounting for only a fraction of the costs. Because Minnesota and Colorado aren't home to many Fortune 500 companies, elected officials from those states must travel across the country to make their pitches Ritter, for example, recently traveled to Chicago and Las Vegas and plans trips to Washington and Los Angeles.
...
To raise money for next year's events, organizers are offering donors everything from luxury seats at the convention hall to receptions with elected officials. In Denver, organizers even auctioned off the right to throw out the opening pitch at a Colorado Rockies game. (The winning bid: $3,150.)
...
Taxpayers help underwrite convention costs by designating a $3 contribution on their tax returns each year. That public money — about $16.5 million for each 2008 convention — has barely kept pace with event costs. Private funds account for a growing share of non-security expenses.

More on how the corporations are being hit up:

Organizers of the Republican and Democratic conventions are offering companies access to power brokers and the chance to lobby them as they try to pick up their fundraising pace a year before the events. The pitches for corporate sponsorship — such as golf with state and national GOP leaders for $2.5 million — highlight the role unlimited contributions known as "soft money" will play in staging the events.
...
Corporate donations are legal for conventions, but Fred Wertheimer, a critic of the practice and president of the non-partisan watchdog group Democracy 21, said the donations give companies "the opportunity to buy access and influence." In contrast, candidates are limited to raising campaign funds in chunks of $2,300 or less and cannot accept corporate or union cash.

In Denver, companies donating at least $250,000 can host talks with politicians on issues affecting their industries. Other private events with Democrats such as Rep. Diana DeGette also start at $250,000. DeGette said contributors aren't gaining special favors: "A reception that donors attend … doesn't in itself show any undue influence."

Molson Coors Brewing is giving $1 million to the Democratic convention. Spokesman Dan Lewis admits the donation gives his company, which also makes ethanol, a chance to lobby. He insists the donation reflects civic pride. "To have that many decision-makers of any party in your hometown is an opportunity you don't want to pass up," Lewis said.

Fundraising is lagging a bit, but Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is not worried:

Hickenlooper has been making lots of trips out of town shoring up donations, and he's certain the money will be there at the finish line. "We've been raising lots of private money for the national convention. It's hard work; we're not a city with a lot of corporate headquarters, but we're looking outside of Denver," Hickenlooper said.

Local organizers and the Democratic National Committee have set a series of incremental "benchmarks" for raising $40 million in cash and $15 million in in-kind donations by June 2008. The host committee for the 2008 DNC said in early June it had fallen $2 million short of the $7.5 million in cash it hoped to raise by that point.

Hickenlooper said he has traveled to New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia and San Diego to meet with potential donors. "There's a lot of foundation work this year," Hickenlooper said. "I think we'll be alright. I'm not worried."

DNCC opens convention office

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Less than 400 days until the 2008 convention opens, and the DNCC has now opened their Denver office:

A skeleton crew of the key staff who will run the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver next year has officially moved into its new office space here, its chief executive announced today.
...
Democratic National Convention Committee's CEO, Leah Daughtry, said the current paid staff of 10 has occupied some space on the 11th floor of Civic Center Plaza — the old Denver Post building — but will shift floors and employ up to 200 next year, bolstered by scores of volunteers, when the committee is expected occupy up to 70,000 square feet of the building. Daughtry, based in Washington, D.C., and currently the party's chief of staff, said she planned to move to Denver later this year.

More from the AP:

Daughtry said the convention committee is still talking with local labor leaders, who have objected that Denver does not have enough union workers to pull off the convention and isn't sufficiently supportive of organized labor.

Daughtry said party officials are working on security issues but predicted that disruptions would be minimal for Denver residents because the Pepsi Center, the main venue, is downtown and close to hotels and restaurants. “For Denver residents, it will be business as usual,” she said.

The office is currently situated in a suite on the eleventh floor of the Civic Center Plaza at 1650 Broadway, overlooking Civic Center Park. Daughtry said the full-time paid staff with soon begin swelling to an eventual 150-to-200 people, supplemented by numerous volunteers. The office in which Thursday’s press briefing was held will eventually be abandoned for two entire lower floors in the same office high-rise.

7500 interested in volunteering

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Interested in volunteering for the 2008 Democratic National Convention? Get in line:

About 7,500 people have already expressed an interest in volunteering during the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, the chief of the local host committee said today. "We've had 7,500 people who've sent their names to us," said Mike Dino. "The next step is to get (more) information and see who's serious."

An estimated 10,000 volunteers will be needed in the time preceding -- and during -- the convention.
...
Volunteer opportunities will range from staffing events and hospitality suites to doing office work and preparing materials for delegates and media. An estimated 35,000 people will be in town for the convention. Dino said that 50 volunteers would probably be needed by year-end to drive convention-related visitors around the city.

Volunteers, however, are unlikely to get access to the Pepsi Center during the convention. "Unfortunately, most of the people getting credentials will be from out of town," said Dino. "It's tough enough to get into the convention hall for folks who are staff for the VIPs."

The key to get a really good (i.e., meet interesting people, maybe get into the hall) volunteer job is not to be 1 of 10,000, but 1 of a very few. And a really good way to do that is to offer to volunteer for the whole summer. Especially for college students, offer to start in late May, and by the end of the summer you'll have a really rewarding experience no matter what you end up doing.

Or maybe you'll just get lucky. In 1976, the Saturday before the convention started, a high-school friend told me they needed volunteers downtown in New York. (No web registration!). I walked into a hotel ballroom with a few hundred people. Then, someone asked for 2 people who knew Manhattan really well. I raised my hand, and soon I was a messenger, constantly running paperwork to various hotels. (Even pre-fax!). After 4 days of running around the hot, humid, summer city, I was rewarded with passes into the convention on Wednesday and Thursday, getting to see Carter and Mondale give their acceptance speeches. Best memory was seeing them totally change overnight between Wednesday and Thursday the color scheme of the hall from the standard red, white and blue to Carter's green campaign color. Great stuff.

Click here to sign up to volunteer for the convention.

Director of Online Communications job opening?

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A number of sites have posted the following job opening, but it's not clear it's real since its not mentioned anywhere on the official convention web site. But it sounds legit, so here it is. The deadline to apply is July 30:

Description

Senior member of Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) staff responsible for developing and implementing entire new media strategy and overseeing official website for 2008 Convention in Denver.

Among other responsibilities, Director will:

(1) Manage team of paid staff and volunteers in further development of content and functionality of www.demconvention.com during lead-up to and Convention week itself;

(2) Identify, retain and oversee communications with vendors and sponsors;

(3) Manage partner services relations; and

(4) Oversee outreach and relationships with the online community and work closely with media logistics team to develop blogger credentialing process for 2008 Convention.

Position runs from August 2007 through September 2008. Relocation date to Denver is negotiable.

Company Name

Democratic National Convention Committee

Company Website

http://www.demconvention.com

Job Category

Marketing/Public Relations

Job Salary

Competitive

Job Terms

Full Time Temporary

City

Denver

State

Colorado

Application Deadline

Jul 30, 2007

Qualifications

Ideal candidate has experience running new media strategy for large online or offline events for political campaigns, corporations, and/or organizations. No political experience necessary.

How To Apply

Looking to hire immediately! Interested applicants should send resume and cover letter to staffing@demconvention.com with “ATTN: PUBLIC AFFAIRS” in the subject line.

Hotel chase continues

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Apparently union hotels are no longer the key to which hotel each state delegation wants to stay in. Working toilets are:

The group of out-of-town Democratic Party officials piled into the small bathroom of the Embassy Suites hotel room on Thursday and watched as Todd Taylor took a scrap of tissue paper, dropped it into the toilet and flushed. “Pretty good,” proclaimed Mr. Taylor, the executive director of the Utah Democratic Party. “But if you’re in a room any higher than the eighth floor, the flushing can be a problem.”

Despite the chuckles from his fellow Democrats, Mr. Taylor was serious about the toilet test because it might just determine where his delegation stays during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. After all, Utah delegates have complained about feeble hotel toilets in years past. On Thursday, Mr. Taylor, joined by representatives from 16 other delegations and a gaggle of national Democratic officials, meticulously inspected the toilets, beds and conference facilities at an assortment of Denver hotels, kicking off their search for accommodations during the convention, which will be held next August.

“Even though this is my fourth convention, you still hold your breath and try not to be overwhelmed by the magnitude,” said Cameron Moody, deputy chief executive of operations for the Democratic National Convention Committee. Mr. Moody is charged with arranging hotel rooms for the 5,200 delegates, alternates and state committee members. It is a daunting task that involves matching the needs of 56 delegations with the 22 hotels that have set aside rooms for them during the convention.
...
“How late does the bar stay open?” asked Caroline Valand, executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party, as she strolled through the Denver Marriott South.
...
Each delegation wants its first choice, of course, and in the past some would submit only one hotel to make their point, Mr. Moody said. “Things usually end up sorting themselves out,” he said.

In case they do not, a lottery that was held in May will decide which delegation gets preference if two want the same hotel and there is not enough room. American Samoa, which is bringing a delegation of 13, is positioned to score a choice hotel because it gets the third pick in the lottery. Pennsylvania, by contrast, will bring a delegation of 206 but will pick 49th. (Utah has the first pick; Alaska the last.)
...
Utah’s dream of a centrally located hotel could come true this time, however. Buttressing its chances are its lottery pick and the fact that a significant portion of the 7,000 rooms reserved for the delegations and their families are within walking distance of the convention site, the Pepsi Center. The others are clustered in two outlying areas, Stapleton and the Tech Center, both less than a 30-minute ride from the convention.

“We’re able to plan this convention in a way we couldn’t do in a larger city,” Mr. Moody said. Such was not in the case in Boston in 2004, or especially in Los Angeles in 2000, when delegates were scattered pell-mell in surrounding suburbs.

It may be spin, but maybe being in a smaller city like Denver is providing some hotel benefits.

Late conventions, early primaries, could move up VP choice

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I started this blog when DNC Chairman Howard Dean announced that the convention would be held Aug 25-28, 2008, which was a great date both for both financial and political reasons, and eventually forced the GOP to start their convention on Labor Day. Elizabeth Wilner at The Politico notes another effect of the late summer date for both conventions:

In presidential election years, summertime traditionally is for running mates and conventions - though never quite in the way we’ll see a year from now.... Conventions mark the culmination of the biggest, most gamed-out draft pick in American politics: the selection of the running mate.

In 2008, that long-held custom will be threatened, as other political traditions already have been, by the unprecedented schedule and scale of this campaign. Running mates historically have been chosen within days, or at most, a few weeks before the start of a convention, then packed off on a grand tour that ends with a balloon drop. Sen. John F. Kerry’s choice of his colleague Sen. John Edwards, which came 20 days before the start of the 2004 Democratic confab, was unusually early compared to previous cycles. A lead time of about a week has been more the norm; in 2000, then-Gov. George W. Bush and then-Vice President Al Gore revealed their picks the week before their conventions began.

I would note that in 1976, Jimmy Carter, even though he had the nomination all wrapped up, did not reveal his choice of Walter Mondale to be VP until after Carter was officially nominated, on the morning of the last day of the convention.

In a cycle in which the identities of the nominees are expected to be known unusually early, adhering to tradition would mean that running mates get picked fatefully late. The 2008 presidential nominees could be anointed as early as Feb. 5. The Democratic and Republican conventions will take place during the last week of August and the first week of September.

It’s hard to imagine both nominees enduring such a stretch without the kind of help only a running mate can provide. Assuming that Feb. 5 proves decisive, they’ll face six and a half months of nonstop travel, relentless pummeling by the opposition and constant fundraising until the public campaign fund check arrives.

Another reason for a presidential nominee to pull the trigger early on a running mate would be to ensure that he or she captures the full attention of the media and the public. This announcement is the single biggest controllable news event any presidential campaign gets to stage before Election Day. Sticking to the old game plan of waiting until shortly before the conventions means that the respective announcements, like the conventions themselves, would bump up against each other.

An earlier decision also would leave time for a campaign to get its vice presidential subsidiary organization staffed up and running and give the second on the ticket some time to ease into the job. Waiting until shortly before the convention to announce the pick would give him or her just six to eight weeks before the traditional fall vice presidential debate.

The Democratic National Committee believed it was scheduling its confab for as late as, well, conventionally possible. Having seen how a late-August gathering worked to President Bush’s benefit in 2004 by giving him momentum against Kerry heading into the fall, the DNC has scheduled its event for Aug. 25-28. (The party also was shut out of most of that month in 2008 because of the Summer Olympics.)

Few really expected the Republicans to look beyond Labor Day, but hoping to repeat their 2004 success, that’s precisely what they did, besting the DNC in scheduling jujitsu by setting their convention for Sept. 1-4.

The decision that will confront the major-party nominees about when to choose their running mates will provide another example of how the trappings of traditional politicking must be revisited or even cast aside to enable candidates to better handle the particular rigors of this presidential race.

And for a gathering whose financially bloated, suspenseless existence is being questioned more and more, any weakening of its biggest selling point for the public and the press could strike the death blow for the nominating convention as we know it.

I think the long gap between the candidates being picked in March and the conventions at the end of the summer is going to have a number of unpredictable effects, the timing of the VP choice being only one of them. And I think the future of conventions is going to be a major topic next summer in the leadup to the conventions, and it will be very interesting to see how the 2008 conventions are covered, and how the parties respond in the future.

Pelosi named convention chair

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

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be the Permanent Chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, leading an all-female team of chairs and co-chairs:

Governor Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, announced today his intention to nominate Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California to serve as Permanent Chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. Dean also announced that three outstanding leaders, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Chair of the Democratic Governors Association; Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, President of the National Conference of State Legislatures; and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, President of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors, will be nominated as Permanent Convention Co- Chairs. This distinguished group of strong Democratic leaders from all levels of government and all parts of the country exemplifies the vision, values and commitment to America's future that the Democratic National Convention will showcase in Denver.

"Our Party is bringing a new kind of leadership to our country at all levels," said Governor Dean. "We are extremely fortunate to have such a distinguished group of strong Democratic leaders chairing our Convention. I want to thank Speaker Pelosi, Governor Sebelius, state Senator Van de Putte and Mayor Franklin for their commitment to putting our presidential nominee on the path to victory for the November 2008 election."

The recommendations by Governor Dean will be presented to the Convention Rules Committee next summer and then voted on by the delegates to the 2008 Convention at the opening session. The Permanent Chair and Co-Chairs preside over the Convention proceedings, ensuring order, decorum and efficiency as the Party nominates its presidential and vice presidential candidates, adopts the National Platform and conducts other important business.

I would have to check, but this is likely the first all-female Chair team in the history of the convention. Pelosi comments:

"At the convention," she said, "Democrats will share with the American people our priorities and values that will take our nation in a new direction."

FEC approves $16.3M for conventions

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

One piece of the money puzzle:

The Federal Election Commission today announced that each of the two major political parties’ convention committees will receive initial payments of $16,356,000 from the U.S. Treasury for planning and conducting their respective 2008 Presidential nominating conventions.
...
The FEC has certified that the two convention committees have met all eligibility requirements and the Commission today sent letters to the Secretary of the Treasury, requesting that the payments be made.

In exchange for public funding of the conventions, committees agree to certain requirements, including spending limits, the filing of periodic disclosure reports, and detailed audits.

You wonder what it would take for a 3rd party to meet the requirements to get this money.