Thursday, July 20, 2006

Did the Democrats pick the best date?

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

Pontificator believes the Democrats made a mistake when they chose their convention to be held the last week in August. I just wrote a response, arguing that Dean chose the best week possible. Read both posts, and let us know what you think. (Also cross-posted at Daily Kos).

For previous articles on this, see: Link, link, link, link, link, link, link, link, link and link. Continue Reading...

Monday, June 26, 2006

New Orleans ALA convention mostly successful

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

The American Library Association is holding its annual convention in New Orleans, and being the first big convention to be held in New Orleans, all eyes in the tourism (political and otherwise) industry are watching to see how New Orleans’ infrastrucure is holding up. The verdict: mostly good, but some issues still needing work:

Participants and observers in town for the first major convention in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina offered mostly praise for the hospitality industry’s handling of the event, but the limited number of flights into the city has emerged as an issue. More than 18,000 members of the American Library Association are in town for a conference at the Ernest N. Morial Convention
Center. It began Thursday and ends Wednesday. It is the first major event to test the city’s convention industry, and the reaction to it will go a long way toward preserving or diminishing New Orleans’ reputation as a premier convention destination.
…
Other conventioneers said they noticed that some operations were short-staffed, but they were not inconvenienced. “It’s been great,” said Dan Donovan, who traveled with his librarian wife from Raleigh, N.C. The hotel “is shorthanded, but everybody’s doing the best they can. It
seems like people don’t mind waiting.” Continue Reading...

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Convention-al Wisdom

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

I’ve been waiting to use that title for a while. Here are some thoughts, opinions and quotes from some news articles on the site selection process for the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

Also that New York is the safe bet, a tried-and-true convention city that can handle the logistical details at least as well, if not better, than it did for the Republicans in 2004. And, this being a Democratic town, empty some of the deepest Democratic pockets to pay for a spectacular event.
…
“Nothing could more eloquently speak to America’s resolve not to be defeated,” Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff told The Observer in July 2002, “than to see democracy celebrated in this city.” Expect that tone in one of New York’s competitors’ bids: New Orleans, still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, is another finalist for the convention nod.
…
The final decision will be up to Howard Dean, the Democratic chairman, a New York native—but also one who has been pushing a 50-state policy, intent on winning support anywhere and everywhere, even in traditional red states. In pursuing the policy, though, he has been butting heads with Rahm Emanuel, an Illinois Congressman and chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who favors investing money in races the party already has a chance of winning.
…
“Rahm Emanuel might favor New York, thinking it’s a place where you may be able to pick up a few upstate seats, versus Howard Dean, who would say, ‘Why not go to Denver and eventually turn it into fertile ground for Democrats?’” said Ross Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers University. “It never works. Frankly, I see no advantage in where the convention is held in terms of how many votes it pulls in. There may be some symbolic significance in having it in one place or another. But frankly, I think everybody wants to come to New York and will look for an excuse.” Continue Reading...

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

New York site visit starts today

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

As I write this, the Technical Advisory Committee for the 2008 Democratic National Convention is having dinner at Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s East 79th Street townhouse. Its just the first step in a three day visit, and the first visit of what should be four visits to the potential host cities: New York, Denver, Minneapolis and New Orleans. From the New York Observer:

The party starts Wednesday evening, when the national committee team arrives, trots through Central Park in hansom cabs and heads to Mayor Bloomberg’s townhouse for dinner. The next morning, the Democrats will convene for breakfast at Gracie Mansion, followed by a tour of Madison Square Garden, which would again host the convention, and 1 Penn Plaza, the neighboring high-rise where the convention’s offices would be. The visitors will break out into subcommittees to hear about security preparations from Police Commissioner Ray Kelly or to visit the city’s fanciest hotels, along with some of its humblest. Continue Reading...

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Quick GOP update

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

The deadline to submit bids for the 2008 Republican Convention was yesterday, and four cities submitted bids: Cleveland, Minneapolis, New York, and Tampa/St. Pete. Which means Minneapolis and New York are bidding for both conventions. Since the conventions are in back-to-back weeks, there’s no way for the conventions to be in the same city, so each either city would instantly drop out of the bidding for one convention if they got the other. But New York City Mayor Bloomberg knows the odds of New York getting the GOP convention again is small:

“Typically conventions do not go to the same city two years in a row, but we’re not a city of quitters,” Mr. Bloomberg said at the opening of a Fairway market in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. Continue Reading...

Friday, April 07, 2006

2012 convention dates

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

2012 Democratic National Convention Site Selection News
2012 Republican National Convention Site Selection News

Taking all this date gamesmanship to its logical conclusion, I think Dean should just go ahead and announce the 2012 Demoratic Convention dates! The 2012 London Olympics end on August 12, 2012, and Labor Day is September 3. I think the Democrats should announce they are holding their 2012 convention starting on August 27, 2012. If a Democrat wins in 2008, the GOP can have their convention the previous week (or even the week before, starting the day after the Olympics end). If the GOP wins in 2008, they can have their convention the following week, starting on Labor Day, just like they are doing in 2008. The tradition of the party in the White House having their convention second is kept, and the Democrats can start their site selection even earlier. Denver, Orlando, and everyone else, interested in hosting the 2012 convention? Continue Reading...

Monday, December 19, 2005

List of cities invited to bid for the 2008 convention

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

Andre at Georgia Politics Unfiltered has published the list of cities invited to bid for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Interestingly, there are 35 cities, not the 33 mentioned in news reports:

Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Miami-Dade County, FL, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, OR., St Louis, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC. Continue Reading...

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Update on 2004 cities invited to bid

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

I recently listed the 34 cities invited to bid on the 2004 convention, which was taken from Democracy in Action’s excellent summary of the 2004 site selection process:

Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City (MO), Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis, St. Paul, San Francisco, Sacramento, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Washington, DC Continue Reading...

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

DNC invites 33 cities to bid for 2008 convention

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

Following up on the news yesterday that the DNC will hold their spring 2006 meeting in New Orleans, the Times-Picayune also notes:

Dean said that the DNC last week sent a letter to Mayor Ray Nagin inviting him to submit papers to host the party’s big event — its 2008 national presidential nomination convention slated for Aug. 25-28. Thirty-two other cities received similar invitations. Continue Reading...