It was an exciting day. Banners are up all over town welcoming people to the DNC, Hugh and I (learn all about Hugh here) drove in early in the morning to attend the 8 a.m. organizing meeting for the People’s Revolution/Occupy Protest.

We stopped at the Starbucks, as the meeting was changed to 9 a.m. While drinking our brew, a few officers joined the line. We spoke briefly with them, and they were very nice. That is, they had the right attitude. They didn’t bother anyone at the meeting, which, because it was delayed again until 9:30, kinda sorta convened in an outdoor courtyard, and spilled into the street outside. While we were at the Starbucks, Hugh interviewed me about Jill Stein’s chances in Pennsylvania. I’m going to try an get a copy of the video for you to see, but I can’t seem to pull it off his FB feed <sad face> — bottom line, if she won 50% of the people who voted for Bernie in the primary, given that more people vote in a general than in a primary, she still couldn’t hit 10%.

It was interesting that the vast number of people were baby boomers. I had noticed the same thing last year at the Keystone Progress summit where Bernie Sanders was the keynote speaker. I found it interesting, especially as compared to the voting statistics based on age in the primaries.  Then again, all of these things cost money… Continue Reading...

Welcome to Philadelphia. We actually threw snowballs at Santa Claus. We’re the fifth rudest city in America. Our foods are cheesesteaks and soft pretzels. It’s Philly. But we worked hard to get the DNCC here, and we should be trying to put our best food forward. But, as I said, it’s Philly.

We have a regional transportation system called SEPTA. Trains, subways, buses and the infamous Regional Rail. A couple weeks ago, the new Regional Rail cars were found to be dangerously defective, and a third of the fleet was pulled from service. Good for safety, bad for commuting. Think graft and corruption. So who saves the commuters? Uber. The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) is allowing Uber to operate in Philadelphia for the convention and for a while after. A few things to know about the PPA.

• The PPA is incredibly efficient at giving tickets and removing illegally parked cars. PPA works, unless you need to briefly pull up in front of a doctor’s office and get your aged parent into the building while you go for a legal space. (Seriously FIVE MINUTES!)
• The TV show about PPA caused tourists to be afraid to come to Philadelphia.
• Since Uber is involved in a court battle as they’re not allowed in Philly (or rather, weren’t allowed) the taxi drivers have decided to possibly go on strike during the convention. They’re going to court to stop Uber.

Also, baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants, airplane cleaners, and other workers at Philadelphia International Airport voted 461-5 to strike for the convention. They say that since the DNC platform calls for a $15/hour minimum wage, the conventioneers should be supportive. They are striking for pay, better conditions and the right to unionize. Good idea, bad timing. Continue Reading...

Many of the events that will occur during the convention are open to everyone. First, there is a parallel convention, the People’s Convention. It’s being run by the People’s Revolution. Their kick-off event is Saturday morning, 23 July.

For those of you looking for DNC events, there are meetings and caucuses all day at the Convention Center, beginning on Sunday 24 July.  Many are open to the public, although most require pre-registration. In addition, independent groups are holding functions in Center City, beginning the same day.  There are upwards of 30 events every day,  Many of these events are free, although some are not.  Click this link to see a full listing.

The most amazing thing that will be confiscated and not returned? Backpacks. Really. How do they expect us to carry our laptops? Huh. But that’s a personal problem, I guess.

But seriously, the Secret Service has announced the road closures for the DNC and it’s a little onerous for people traveling in that part of the world. The map seems small, but if you click on it, it expands and is easy to see.

Now for everything you could possibly want to know about security, traffic and helpful links. Continue Reading...