Friday, October 27, 2006

Edwards supports Denver convention

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

While meeting with Colorado bloggers, former Senator John Edwards endorsed Denver’s bid to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

“I think having the convention in Denver would be a great thing,” said Edwards. “We want all of America to feel like they are a part of the Democratic Party. It would be a really positive thing.” Continue Reading...

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Local businesses will see little convention benefit

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

History has shown that many local businesses see little economic benefit from a convention, and 2008 will be no different, as this article about St. Paul shows:

When Boston won the 2004 Democratic National Convention, boosters dreamed of economic riches. They never imagined security that would close 40 miles of roads, fence off a dozen blocks downtown and cripple local businesses during convention week. After that experience, one Boston veteran was convinced that neither political party would ever hold a convention downtown again. David Passafaro, president of Boston’s host committee, figured future conventions would be held in suburban arenas surrounded only by parking lots. Continue Reading...

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Bloomberg confirms NY money problems

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

When I noted last week that New York was having problems raising money for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the consensus was that it was probably just a ploy to get donors to loosen their wallets. Well, the NY Times article should have been enough to get the message out. But today, Mayor Bloomberg raised the issue again:

“I think it will be difficult for the city. As you know, we are trying to raise a couple hundred million dollars to pay for the memorial and we have a poverty initiative which I’m really excited about, which we’ll have to raise the money privately for because it is so innovative, and I think those things, in terms of raising money, would probably be much higher priorities for everybody. But we would be honored to have the convention. But these conventions have gotten so expensive.” Continue Reading...

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Dem state party chairs want Denver

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

In a sign of broad support in most of the country, Democratic state party chairs overwhelmingly prefer Denver as the site of the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

Of 36 state party chairs who gave a preference when surveyed by The Denver Post, 31 chose Denver and five New York. Hawaii did not respond; the rest had no clear favorite. Democratic Party national chairman Howard Dean will make the final decision, and the opinions of the state leaders are in no way binding. Continue Reading...

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Denver on a roll

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

The week after Labor Day was “disastrous” for Denver, but since then, with the bid being better received, St. Paul being picked by the GOP, Denver getting a union hotel, and now New York’s money problems, Denver’s prospects are looking much better:

For several weeks now, Denver officials hoping to win the 2008 Democratic National Convention have admired how “things are falling into place.” And reports Saturday that rival city New York and its billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg were having trouble raising money created an air of wonderment. Continue Reading...

Saturday, October 14, 2006

New York bid has money problems

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

As rich as New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is, apparently his friends have limited resources, and they appear to be overtapped:

New York City’s bid to land the 2008 Democratic National Convention is in jeopardy because Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is spread so thin with fund-raising commitments that he may not be able to raise the money from private donors needed to pay for it, an official said on Thursday. The fund-raising worries come as Democrats have been seriously considering bringing the convention to New York rather than to the other competing city, Denver, which offers a politically attractive location, but has logistical problems because of a scarcity of hotel rooms.
…
But now, administration officials are raising “grave concerns” about Mr. Bloomberg’s ability to cover the expenses. For 2004, when the city was working to show how it had recovered from the Sept. 11 attack, city officials promised Republicans $73 million for their convention and raised $85 million in a fund-raising drive headed by Mayor Bloomberg. This time around, the budget goal is for nearly $85 million, a figure administration officials say could grow to $100 million. Continue Reading...

Thursday, October 12, 2006

47 reps support Denver

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

47 members of Congress have sent a letter to Chairman Dean urging him to pick Denver to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

Denver should host the 2008 Democratic convention, according to a letter sent Thursday by Rep. Diana DeGette to Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and signed by 47 members of Congress. Continue Reading...

Friday, October 06, 2006

New York actually comments!

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

One constant throughout this whole process has been how quiet the New York bid team has been. While the other cities, especially Denver and St. Paul/Minneapolis have always had their supporters quoted in the press about how well their bid was going, New York has said very little. I imagine this is due to New York’s willingness to let their bid stand on its own – given their history of hosting conventions, they don’t feel a need to have a PR campaign. And even today, with quotes from both sides, New York is still staying low key:

From Denver: Continue Reading...

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Reid and other senators back Denver bid – updated

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

From the Rocky Mountain News:

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and three other Democratic U.S. senators are backing Denver’s bid to host their party convention in 2008. Continue Reading...

Monday, October 02, 2006

Hotline calls Denver union hotel deal “huge”

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

While I would note we had the info here three days ago, the Hotline catches up to the announcement that workers at the Denver Hyatt Regency have formed a union:

This is a huge deal for the city’s 2008 convention bid. National unions will likely withdraw their unofficial hold on Denver’s bid, and that means that the only obstacle between the city and a convention comes from some of the party’s major donors, who’d prefer New York. But since when has Howard Dean listened to the provincial complaints of his major donors? This column has noted before that Denver’s attempt at a bid this year wasn’t up to snuff. But two subsequent submissions were better, and the city now meets all of the DNC’s technical requirements and even exceeds NYC in some intangibles. Continue Reading...