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?
New York is another city vying for the convention, but Democratic Leadership Council members in Denver last month claimed New York is definitely “out.”
The union issues are known, but it’s not clear to me what “lack of facilities” refers to, unless it’s referring to the lack of adjacent media workspace, which should not be a show-stopper for Denver’s bid. It would be great if the Denver supporters give us their thoughts on these issues in the comments.
Posted by Matt at 11:52 PM 
If Denver can’t fix the problem with the unions, there’s no way that the convention will be there. Unions are a very big influence in our party and we can’t ignore this issue without losing their support as well. Even if it is fixed by the announcement date, it may be too late. I’m getting worried now…
I concur. I think that the idea of Denver as frontrunner has always been absurd. The labor problem is not fixable. There is only one union hotel in the state of Colorado. The entire Denver hospitality industry will not unionize in the next four months in order to host a 4-day event two years from now. Also, somebody please explain why the DLC and its members are quoted so frequently in this blog. The decision will be made by Howard Dean, who HATES HATES HATES the DLC. He’s repeatedly called it the “Republican wing of the Democratic Party.” DLC statements in favor of Denver and against NYC should be seen as clear indications that the convention will be held in NYC, not Denver.
Man, you guys and this union thing. It’s got to be the stupidist debate since the Clinton-Perot debate back in ’92. Dean – first of all – has been cheering for Denver in silence for months, going back to 2005. I’m a “liberal” from the Portland region (Oregon), and if Denver doesn’t get the convention I’ll be floored. I like Dean. He’s revolutionizing this party like to the level it needs to be at if we want to win some elections. And that’s why I’m backing Denver.
Colorado is the only real pillar state in this bidding process that we need as a party to win 2008. If we win the west, we win America back. Minneapolis is yesterday’s news in politics; sort of the “Iowa fever” type thing. Everybody gets so hypped up about Iowa the December prior to a Pres. election year. And then; we all get shown who’s really the boss of the electoral college; the voters.
It’s similair with New York in this bid. NYC is a dandy town, but do they have to get everything? The Olympics, the RNC, this, that, the World’s Fair. Hey, I love New York, don’t get me wrong. But THE DNC HAS TO ESCAPE THE EAST COAST! We’ve got to take our business to the west, and therefor to it’s premier city; Denver.
Denver’s got the stuff we need. It’s where we’re going to have to be in 2008 if we want to close this one. Matt knows it, denverdan knows it, Kos knows it, and all the John Denver fans of America know it (myself included). We’ve got to do this in 2008, or we can say goodbye to a good portion of that crossover appeal we demand to stay in business as a party.
I’m going for Denver. It’s not a matter of what I WANT but what THE PARTY NEEDS to survive. Go Denver.
Wow. Very interesting stuff Matt! I would’ve thought Denver was a shoe-in, mostly because it seems that they’ve bent over backwards to try and be selected to host the convention.
But if factors beyond their control (unionized hotels) become a factor – that could really affect things.
So from the time I stopped in here maybe a week or so ago until today, it seems that Denver went from 1st place, to now tied with Minneapolis.
The way I look at it ~ both cities would be great! Like some of the others here, I do prefer Denver. But still, the Twin Cities would be an awesome good time too! Then again, don’t the R’s still have them on their list too? I know they have Tampa, NYC, Ohio and _____? Is the last place I can’t remember MN/SP?
Libby
Wow! This union issue could be really bad for Denver and I agree that this problem can’t really be fixed in the given amount of time.
Sadly, I think that Denver is now a distant third (yes, not first or second)because this issue is way too big to be ignored. It’s just sad because I thought that Denver would be the one to get the convention.
And to answer your question, Minnesota is also being considered for the GOP convention.
I would like to see a new poll by Kos, to prove to all of you sceptics that Denver is in first.
Libby-
Come on! You know that the twins are playing back and forth with the RNC and the DNC! They just want A convention, not OUR convention! Honestly, I think everybody here, deep down, knows that Denver is our best bet. Even you guys rooting for MN and NY (if the NY crowd even exists anymore).
My prediction: New York will drop out next. Denver will win DNC ’08, and Minneapolis will have a great shot at the RNC.
I don’t think it will matter if Dean wants to have the convention in Denver if the union issues aren’t solved. This isn’t something that the committee can ignore, considering the fact that unions are a huge part of our party’s success.
I think the union issue is a red herring. They are just trying to attach themselves to a media related issue to get attention. Any number of groups could have done that. Who’s next–Squirrels for a Better and Safer America? Seriously, I don’t think unions have as much influence as they did. We (Denver) just had a transportation strike back in April and no one stepped forward for the union. It ended in a week. Shrug
I really think this union thing isn’t even worth considering. Denver’s got to much goin’ for them at this stage to lose the convention because of a small, insignificant issue like this one. I’m going for Denver.
I remember reading a piece when the union issue first came up about the convention. One union spokeswoman said that they would love to have the convention in Denver and that they were not attempting to block it. She implied that they were trying to make a statement, using the opportunity to do so. That’s the way it seemed to me. Sorry, don’t remember what date that was on or where from. Anyway, I feel it’s not the issue it’s being made out to be.
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