Sunday, December 11, 2005
2008 site selection summary (updated 2/24/06)
WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
The DNC sent out invitations to 35 cities to bid for the 2008 convention in late November ’05. On Feb 17, the DNC confirmed that eleven cities accepted the invitation to bid for the convention:
Anaheim: Held an event at the 2004 convention to kick-off their 2008 bid. With California not being competitive, and with the Dems in LA in 2000, I doubt this will happen.
Dallas: The CEO of the Convention Bureau doesn’t want to even bid for the convention. Not looking good.
Denver: First city to announce a Host Committee. Given the strategic Western location of Colorado, and the drumbeat of publicity, they must be considered a front-runner at this point.
Detroit: They’ll be a contender if they make a bid, but the news from Detroit seems a bit wishy-washy.
Las Vegas: Harry Reid’s home state, and the infrastructure is there. But I doubt this is the message the Dems will want to send.
Minneapolis: Purple state could be attractive.
New Orleans: Lots of talk for the obvious reasons. Is this a plus or a minus? The DNC is is having their spring ’06 meeting here.
New York: After the ’04 GOP convention, you would think new York would want a break. But the last 2 Democratic presidents, Carter and Clinton, both had their first convention in New York.
Orlando: Too hot, the arena doesn’t have enough skyboxes, and it’s hurricane season.
Phoenix: McCain’s home turf, and it’s too hot.
San Antonio: Alamodome or AT&T Center? One of 2 cities in Bush’s back yard.
Posted by Matt at 10:09 PM 
memphis?
Haven’t heard any talk about Memphis. I wonder if the city has enough hotel rooms and other infrastructure to support the convention.
Why not Las Vegas? The city is an extraodinary city, clearly has the hotel space, and is strategically located in a Republican leaning state that could be competitive. The casinos should not be a reason to say no.
The Dems should pick New Orleans in 2008 for the same reasons why the GOP picked NYC in 2004.
Just like the Republicans used 9/11 as a sign of GOP strength, Democrats can use the Katrina disaster as evidence of GOP weakness.
The Dems can also show off their outreach and commitment to African-Americans and lower-income Americans (assuming they develop a platform that truly reflects that commitment by 2008).
Katrina is the Democrats’ 9/11: evidence of why the GOP’s “anti-government” rheotoric is deadly and destructive.
Wait. What happened to Seattle??
Seattle did not express interest in hosting the convention. You would have to ask city officials why that was. (My guess is they were concerned about cost, and maybe did not have enough close-in hotel rooms – these are usual concerns for many cities).