Thursday, May 31, 2007

Denver misses fundraising deadline

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Well, as was speculated, the Denver host committee missed the first deadline to raise money for the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

The committee raising funds for the Democratic National Convention next year hasn’t met a June 1 deadline to have $7.5 million in the bank, but organizers insist they’re not worried. “When you’re talking about raising $45 million, that’s a challenge for anyone,” said Elbra Wedgeworth, president of the Denver 2008 host committee. “The Democratic National Committee is confident we can do this.” The national committee has established a series of deadlines for Denver to meet in its goal of raising $55 million for the convention. The host committee is expected to raise at least $40 million in cash and $15 million in in-kind donations for the Aug. 25-28, 2008 event.
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A sources who spoke on the condition he not be identified said that the host committee has fallen short of the $7.5 million cash goal. How far short is not clear. The committee has $28 million in total commitments, but only a fraction of that is in the bank. Many of those pledges involve a mix of in-kind services and cash. Continue Reading...

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Denver in money push

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The Denver 2008 Host Committee committed to have $7.5 million for the 2008 Democratic Convention in the bank by June 1, but they may not make it:

The Denver host committee’s Steven Farber, a powerful Denver lawyer and moneyman; Mayor John Hickenlooper; and Gov. Bill Ritter are working as many as 50 potential donors – about 20 of them in private meetings – during a conference of the International Council of Shopping Centers at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
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Farber said he hopes the Las Vegas trip and a trip next month to Los Angeles will secure the commitments for the more than $40 million in cash and $15 million in services needed to meet Democratic National Committee requirements. The hard work of getting actual deposits will remain.
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At least $2.7 million is in.
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Of the nearly 30 mostly local donors who pledged more than $21 million in cash and services when the DNC picked Denver to host the convention, seven are known to have actually sent in checks, totaling $2.7 million. The DNC contract calls for $7.5 million in the bank by June 1.
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June 1 is the first of four milestones in a timeline that specifies $40.6 million in cash must be available by July 1, 2008. Continue Reading...

Friday, May 11, 2007

Dean looking at future conventions

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Throughout the competition to host the 2008 Democratic Convention, a number of people commented here and elsewhere that a large convention was antiquated in this day and age, and alternatives should be looked at: shorter conventions, conventions held in multiple venues simultaneously, or even on-line. Well DNC Chairman Howard Dean wants to take a look at it:

Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Thursday the days of the $60 million political convention coronations are numbered and he’s studying ways to make them more relevant to average people. Continue Reading...

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Dean: We have peace with union leaders

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In an interview on Denver radio, DNC Chairman Howard Dean was optimistic about the labor issues that have plagued planning for the 2008 Democratic Convention:

Dean said Denver officials have made peace with union leaders who say Denver is too hostile to unions to be the site of the party’s 2008 convention and he believes the convention will go off without a hitch. Continue Reading...

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

1908 Convention fountain to live again

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Denver is going to reconstruct a fountain originally built for the 1908 Democratic National Convention:

Just before the 1908 Democratic National Convention, Denver Mayor Robert Speer pushed to finish a fountain in City Park that fascinated onlookers in much the same way as the current Bellagio water show on the Las Vegas strip. Continue Reading...

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Utah wins convention housing priority lottery

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Great inside stuff from DemNotes. At the meeting of the Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC), the states got assigned priorities to help decide which states get the preferred hotels at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver:

The state parties were understandably very focused on the housing process, and how hotels would be assigned to each delegation. It is a very complicated process, with many variables. Fitting states into hotels at a national convention is like a multi-dimensional puzzle, with the need to match the number of rooms available with as many delegations as possible, while taking into account what hotels each delegation wants. Some may want a lower-cost hotel, even if it means further distance from the Pepsi Center; others may want to sacrifice price for location and amenities.
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One of the big variables in the process is a state’s “priority”. The states are randomly placed into numerical priorities, from 1 to 56 (there are 56 delegations, as the DNC treats the territories, DC, and Democrats Abroad as separate state delegations). Today was the day we each learned our priority — the housing lottery was held this afternoon.
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Because we’re the Host State, the DNCC invited us to be the first state to pick. Alas, our “first in the nation” status didn’t help greatly, as our lottery priority is right in the middle at 24. Then, each state went, in reverse alphabetical order, after Colorado. Continue Reading...

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Trailer for Sale or Rent

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While Roger Miller was able to find a room for 50 cents, it will cost a little more to find private housing during the 2008 Democratic Convention. Check out this ad from Craigslist: $15,000 gets you a week at a a 5 bedroom home with plasma TV and optional basset hound. (Hat tip to Colorado Confidential).

Posted by Matt at 10:31 PM Continue Reading...