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Mayor Hickenlooper's office has stated that they have not heard anything about the mile radius lockdown referred to in Saturday's Rocky Mountain News article. They believe the article is inaccurate.
I'm waiting to hear back from the Denver Police Department for a more solid answer.
Stay tuned.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
The House passed an amendment containing $50 million funding for the Democratic National Convention yesterday as part of a massive Omnibus funding bill.
Another amendment to the bill gives $30 billion for the war in Afghanistan but no funding for Iraq. Bush has stated that he will veto anything that doesn't fund his disaster of a war. And before the bill even reaches the White House it needs to pass the Senate which is expected to look at it today.
With the Democrat's slim majority in the Senate the bill is unlikely to pass as is. Most likely a new amendment will be introduced tying Iraq funding to a troop withdrawal.
You can read more information on the bill at the links below.
Rock Mountain News
Washington Post
NPR
Google News
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
We've been watching with amusement the game of chicken the DNC is playing with Florida over its early primary. Florida's early primary violates the DNC's rules, so the DNC has responded by saying Florida will not get any delegates, going so far as to not assign a hotel for the Florida delegation. In fact, to find out how many delegates Florida is supposed to get, I had to go to the Florida Democratic Party web site, which shows that Florida will get 210 delegates. (The DNCC site shows 0 delegates for Florida).
But in reality, the DNC is trying to support an illusion that is about to be burst. Here's Nancy Pelosi, who will be the Permanent Chair of the convention:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has let the cat out of the bag and said what everyone has known all along: The Democratic National Committee's removal of all of Florida's 2008 convention delegates for violating party rules about scheduling state primaries before Feb. 5 is meaningless.Pop.Speaking with a covey of political reporters at a lunch in Washington today, Pelosi was asked what she thought of the delegate termination. "That will be determined by the presidential nominee," said Pelosi, who will serve as honorary chair of the convention next August in Denver. "The Democratic National Committee is the ruling authority now," she said, "but the tradition is that the presidential candidate will decide."
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
After meeting their December goal last Friday, DNCC fund raisers don't have time to pat themselves on the back. According to CW2 the next fundraising goal is to raise $13 million by March 17th. "We're talking to individuals, large corporations, small businesses," said Wedgeworth. "It's a comprehensive approach to raising a lot of money."
If you have a spare $13 million lying around or would like to make a smaller donation to the convention you can get more information here
It's a question that Wedgeworth (Committe President) is confident will be answered in the months to come. In total, Denver must come up with $40 million in cash, and another $15 million in donated goods and services.
"In term of our enthusiasm, on a scale of one to 10, we're like a 15, and we've always been that way," Wedgeworth said. "So I think that's what's helped us get through the whole thing."
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
Like Matt, I was amazed at the proposed mile radius security zone mentioned in this weekend's Rocky Mountain News article about starting Denver Public School's late next year.
Here is an approximate view of what a mile radius looks like around the Pepsi Center.
Even if you've never been to Denver it's obvious what a nightmare a mile radius lockdown would be. Maybe the Denver Police Department isn't big on geometry and meant a mile diameter lockdown? While a 1/2-mile radius would still cause havoc it would be far better than a 2-mile wide loop covering a large majority of downtown Denver.
I'll just mention a few things within a mile radius that will be in lockdown:
- All downtown Denver light rail lines both inbound and outbound.
- The Auraria Campus which is adjacent to the Pepsi Center has already announced that classes will be cancelled during the convention.
- Elitch Gardens amusement park which is also adjacent to the Pepsi Center
- Coors Field
- 16th Street Mall
- All of Denver's largest office buildings including MCI, Qwest, Republic Plaza
- Union Station
- Denver Children's Museum and Denver Aquarium
Boston, while not calling for such a sweeping lockdown, also had major issues during the 2004 Democratic National Convention
In St Paul, home of the 2008 Republican National Convention, no announcement has been made as to the extent of the security but officials have stated that protesters will have close access to the convention.The measures include closure of some 40 miles of roads, a vehicle-free zone around the FleetCenter, extensive parking bans, the shutdown of the train service running beneath the FleetCenter, and closure of tunnels to and from Logan International Airport. Acknowledging that all of central Boston would be affected, city officials were urging business owners to give workers flex-time, telecommuting, and vacation options during the convention.
That same day, Burns' office launched a public awareness campaign — “Let's Work Around It” — to help people figure out travel options during the convention. Updated information on transit and road conditions would be available on Boston 2004's Web site (www.boston04.com). Even as Burns and city and state officials worked to assuage concerns about the unprecedented travel restrictions, it did not help that two days later New York City, which won the bid to host the Republican National Convention in late August, announced that there would be no major transportation closures in the city.
A top St. Paul police official is promising that demonstrators will be able to exercise their free-speech rights close to next year's Republican National Convention. But police have not designated any protest locations, and city officials have yet to issue permits to demonstrators. A watchdog group is threatening legal action if an agreement isn't reached soon. - MPRWe will definitely be following this story closely and will hopefully have a clearer picture of what the lockdown will entail.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
This post was going to focus on the Denver Public Schools potentially delaying their start date by 2 weeks next year (from Aug 8 to Sep 2) because of the convention. But lets look a little closer at the reason for the concern:
Denver Public Schools leaders are asking for public input on whether to delay school next fall for two weeks because of security surrounding the Democratic National Convention. The convention, slated for Aug. 25-28 at the Pepsi Center...is expected to draw 35,000 people.A mile-wide radius? Are you kidding me? I mean, in New York City they've held conventions in Madison Square Garden, which sits on top of Penn Station, a major commuter hub, with the public allowed access as needed, and certainly, a block away, the sidewalks are fully accessible. A mile covers a huge part of downtown Denver. This just doesn't make sense. If true, Denver is in for a load of logistical headaches.But plans to lock down a mile-wide radius around the center for security reasons could wreak havoc with busing and activities at nearby schools. Two dozen DPS schools are located within a mile and a half of the Pepsi Center, and the Emily Griffith Opportunity School is within a couple of blocks.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
Security funding may be on the horizon: It's the latest in a series of benchmarks toward the final goal of having $40 million in cash to stage the August convention. The city fell about $1.5 million short of the previous goal of $7.5 million in June. Mayor John Hickenlooper and Chris Lopez, a spokesman for the Denver host committee, both say they're confident the city will hit Friday's benchmark. - Denver PostDenver city officials say they expect to meet Friday's deadline to have $15 million in hand for the 2008 Democratic Convention.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
If you're curious as to whose hotel is where and aren't familiar with Denver I've created a map that shows the approximate location of all of the hotels.
All of the downtown hotels are shown in the top left of the map. It looks like 21 delegations got spots downtown. *Michigan may lose their rooms
You can see that Mississippi has the longest hike. Their hotel is on a golf course so it won't be all that bad for them.
Downtown assignments don't seem to be dependent on the 2004 elections. States like Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia and Utah are all downtown.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
The House Ethics Committee released their guidelines on convention events on Tuesday.
The sweeping new rules should make lobbyists rethink their extravagant plans.
Shocking isn't it? They won't be able to say their party is for a specific member or members only for a group (as long as said members of that group are not named).Most important, lobbyists or organizations that employ lobbyists cannot underwrite parties that honor a member or members of Congress by name.
“Thus, an event that is organized to honor a delegation or caucus, without naming any specific Member or the delegation or caucus, or providing any special benefit or opportunity to a particular Member, would be an event that Members may participate in,” the House ethics advisory opinion states.
But ethics experts hired to interpret the rules for lobbyists or their parent organizations are not crying in their beers.- The Hill
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
The Washington Center is hosting a seminar called Campaign 2008: Presidential Academic Seminar Series which will allow students to attend the convention in August.
The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars is pleased to announce the launch of the Campaign 2008 The Presidential Academic Seminar Series, a set of academic seminars covering the 2008 presidential race to the 2009 inauguration. Inside Washington ’08; The National Political Conventions; and The Presidential Inauguration allow students to delve into critical issues surrounding the U.S. presidential election through engaging lectures given by notable professionals with experience in the political arena as well as interesting site visits and programming. Students even have the opportunity to attend the Democratic and Republican National Conventions or the actual swearing in of the 44th United States president!Click here to get more information and to apply. Good Luck!
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
Wyoming's Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal will make the 100 mile trip to Denver after not attending a convention since 1984. Although he will attend it doesn't sound like he's too enthusiastic about it.
"I heard from a couple of my daughters, as well as my wife, that I was planning to go to the convention," he said. "I just wasn't aware of that at the time."Freudenthal is one of about 800 superdelegates which allows him to nominate a candidate on his own without following his state party's choice.
Freudenthal skipped the 2004 convention in Boston, even though -- as governor -- he was an automatic superdelegate who had a vote. The only Democratic convention he has attended was San Francisco in 1984.Freudenthal said he still doesn't like any of the candidates and is frustrated they aren't talking about issues he thinks are important, like the weak U.S. dollar and national debt. Wyoming Democratic Party spokesman Bill Luckett said the state party had expected Freudenthal would attend.
"Beyond the politics of it, this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the governor and his family to hop in the family truckster and drive 100 miles down I-25 to go to the national convention," Luckett said. - Casper Star-Tribune
"I have yet to hear one talk about the impact of the declining dollar in terms of what it has done, and its contribution to the price of oil," Freudenthal said. "It just seems to me from watching the debates and listening to this stuff is all discouraging. I think if your children behaved that way at Thanksgiving dinner, you send them to their room." - Casper Star-TribunePay attention Dennis Kucinich... this may be your chance to get a delegate!
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
I just wanted to note that Oreo will be co-blogging with me here. He's already posted some great stuff, and between us we should be able to cover all the issues leading up to the convention. Welcome!
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
The Democratic and Republican conventions are in back-to-back weeks (never happened before in the television age), and this is forcing the media to put special plans in place:
A compressed 2008 primary calendar will force presidential candidates to sprint from state to state beginning with Iowa on Jan. 3. At the other end of the nominating pipeline, an unusually tight window between the Democratic and Republican national conventions will pose its own challenges for news organizations. Only four days separate the end of the Democratic National Convention in Denver and the start of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, a much shorter timeline than the near-month that separated the 2004 conventions.That security sweep is the gating item. It's usually done a day or two before the convention starts, and afterwards everything has to go through the major security to get into the arena, which often means major delays. So all the big communications equipment needs to be in the arena before the sweep. There will be major logistical headaches for the media leading into the Labor Day weekend. Which is why I noted way back in Feb '06 how Dean's choice of convention dates forced the Republican's hand:The quick turn was front and center Monday as Republican convention organizers briefed hundreds of journalists on logistical preparations for the GOP's gathering. Operations managers for news outlets as far away as Japan learned that they might only have a day or two to get from Denver to St. Paul with gear set for a mandatory security sweep.
Starting the convention on Labor Day would not be best in terms of media coverage. Do you think the delegates and VIPs want to give up their Labor Day weekend? The media would be grumpy about it also, especially with the Democrats just finishing a few days earlier.Grumpy media in St. Paul. That's what we want. And the Republicans have no one to blame but themselves for choosing the date.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
The Tuscaloosa News reports that almost 900 people have applied for delegate slots for the 2008 Democratic and Republican conventions. Denver will welcome 69 of the lucky delegates in August of next year.
The Democratic National Convention Committee website has a great interactive map that shows the number of delegates from each state.
It's amazing to think that in less than a year we'll be able to put some names and faces to the numbers.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
The DNCC has just named Frank Conner as the Director of Security and Jim Malone as the Deputy Directory of Security.
Conner, who spent 35 years with the Denver Police Department, will coordinate security needs with the police and the U.S. Secret Service.With the news of the security camera request and today's hirings it looks like the DNCC isn't waiting to get money from Congress before they start planning security.Malone, with more than 30 years at the Denver department, will plan security for the DNCC staff, offices and events. He also will work on a security plan for the DNCC's official hotels and shuttle system. - Denver Business Journal
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
The DNCC has opened the application process for bloggers to obtain credentials for the Democratic National Convention. You can get more info and apply for credentials here
or at the DNCC Blog
DNCC CEO Leah Daughtry answered some great questions from bloggers at RootsCamp about who can apply, volunteering, lodging and many other things.
Thanks to TakeBackTheHouse from SquareState and guamlovesjasonrosenberg.blogspot.com
And if you're not one of the lucky few who are chosen as a delegate or get press credentials and find yourself in Denver you can still be a part of the action. You can join Progress Now Action and Markos Moulitsas at ProgressCon 2008 a short walk from the convention sites.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
The Denver Post reports that the Denver Police Department wants to add 20 surveillance cameras to several areas around downtown Denver. They are hoping that the added surveillance will make the convention more secure. Police hope to install at least 20 high-tech video cameras by spring that can capture images as detailed as faces and license plates, said police Sgt. Ernie Martinez. "All officers have radios, but we want to put eyes to those ears," Martinez said. "It puts a cop on every corner for the protection of the citizens in the area."
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
As Matt stated in earlier posts some states were given hotel assignments that they weren't too happy about. Here's yet another story from the great state of Texas. It certainly isn't the first time Texas Democrats got less-than-primo lodgings. In 2004, in Boston, they got stuck at the airport Hilton – nice enough, but a hike by trolley or shuttle to the convention site. In 1992, it was a Days Inn in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood.
Texas will be sharing a hotel with American Samoa ten miles from the Pepsi Center when the convention comes to town. According to the Dallas Morning News the Texas delegation will be staying in the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast which is about a 20-30 minute drive to downtown Denver on a good day with no traffic and a tailwind.
Maybe if Texas can pull out a win for the Democrats in 2008 they'll get first choice on hotels for 2012.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
A quick update on the stripping of Michigan's delegates. Turns out Michigan's been given 30 days notice:The rule-making body of the Democratic National Committee ... tentatively recommended stripping Michigan of all its 156 delegate slots at the August 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver for setting a primary date of Jan. 15. The DNC panel said the penalty would take effect in 30 days unless the state party submits a delegate selection plan that complies with DNC rules.
According to the DNCC, the delegates haven't actually been taken away yet - that won't happen until after the 30 days expire. So Michigan gets to keep its hotel rooms, for now. But just in case they become available, Colorado Confidential gives us the room details:
"Enjoy the ambiance that soaring ceilings, slate stone columns, rich hardwood fixtures, Tibetan area rugs and a hand-painted mural provide," the website for the Red Lion reads. "Rooms feature brand new furniture, a 27" flat tube TV set along with free high-speed wireless high-speed Internet access and a pool and fitness center."Wow, a 27'' flat tube TV. Also available for $299 at Best Buy.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
Last week the DNCC stayed consistent, and did not assign any hotel rooms to the Florida delegation, since there is officially no Florida delegation. Well, today, the DNC also stripped Michigan of their delegates:
Democratic leaders voted Saturday to strip Michigan of all its delegates to the national convention next year as punishment for scheduling an early presidential primary in violation of party rules. Michigan, with 156 delegates, has scheduled a Jan. 15 primary. Democratic Party rules prohibit states other than Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina from holding nominating contests before Feb. 5. Florida was hit with a similar penalty in August for scheduling a Jan. 29 primary.Michigan had been assigned the Red Lion Denver Central. Looks like the Democrats Abroad will have the run of the place.
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