The 2008 Denver DNC: Rise of the Machines?

Denver is in full swing as preparations are being made for the upcoming Democratic National Convention, an event that promises to have all the drama and intrigue of Terminator, Othello and Macbeth rolled into one neat package.

The question "Is it dead, yet?" seems to be floating around Democratic circles in regards to the Hillary Clinton campaign. With grass roots organizations such as PUMA and others around, it seems that there is still life in the Clinton machine, something that creates a very dangerous political situation for the presumed nominee for the DNC, Barrack Obama.

History has shown time and again that you can't turn your back on the Clinton machine, nor can you count it out of the game until the game is officially over and team Clinton has been left on the sidelines watching someone else sprint to victory. Thus seems to be the case for the Denver convention, as there is discussion of a brewing coup being planned by Clinton supporters that will take place on the floor of the convention.

As of July 31, the Democratic National Convention was still in need of one-fourth of the estimated cost of the Denver convention – amounting to 10 million of the $40 million.

Moreover, Washington Examiner political columnist Tony Campbell explains in detail why this national convention could be absolutely explosive:

"I talked to a Clinton delegate here in Maryland. He told me they have been instructed to vote for Hillary (for president) on the first ballot. To make things more interesting, there is a movement to swing 160 delegates from Obama to Clinton. If that happens, Clinton could re-establish her campaign and face John McCain in the fall."

And further:

"The group P.U.M.A. (for Public Unity My A--) claims that 15 delegates have switched from Obama to Clinton in July. There is still the possibility of a floor convention vote to fully seat the delegations from Michigan and Florida – which would benefit Senator Clinton.

Given the mood and atmosphere surrounding the Clinton "defeat" by Obama in the primaries, in which both Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates initially, the issues surrounding Obama both in his relationships with controversial figures and the funding he's been receiving from Middle Eastern backers, the relentless work by Hillary supporters in trying to make sure that the message is clearly delivered that they are NOT happy with the Democratic National Party for what they see as having lauded Obama by virtue of race over substance, the new allegations that Obama is "selling" tickets to his planned and potential acceptance speech, among other issues, the party is clearly not moving forward in a united front toward the November elections. Clinton supporters, to be sure, are anything but fully behind the potential nomination of Obama:

A massive e-mail and Internet campaign is under way aimed at derailing the nomination of Barack Obama and making Hillary Clinton the party’s standard bearer next week at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

“It’s downright nasty,” said Memphis, Tenn., superdelegate and city council member Myron Lowery, who has shared dozens of the messages he’s received with The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal newspaper.

“I think it’s divisive for the ‘Support Hillary’ campaign to continue at this time. She made the decision to fully support Mr. Obama,” said Lowery, who initially supported Clinton but later switched his allegiance to Obama. “I don’t know why they’re not taking their cue from Hillary and falling in line.”

But is that really the cue that Hillary is sending forth? Lowery thinks so, but with statements made by the Senator from New York and former First Lady to the effect that her supporters should be heard at the convention, is she truly putting one hundred percent effort behind Obama? Given the "terminatrix" image that some pundits have created around Hillary, I somehow can't imagine her standing over Obama and saying "Come with me if you want to live." I think, personally, she would be more inclined to use the "I'll be back" line made famous during the FIRST movie. This concept becomes more apparent with the news that Senator Clinton's brother and chief campaign backers have met with McCain a top McCain surrogate in Phoenix, Arizona, raising speculations as to what sort of topics where discussed and where the Clinton support will truly rest come the conclusion of the convention.

With the Democratic National Convention less than a week away, the gathering raises questions about the support Illinois Sen. Barack Obama can expect from former local supporters of Mrs. Clinton, who dominated at the polls in the Northeast in the April primary election. Mrs. Clinton won 74 percent of Lackawanna County Democrats to Mr. Obama’s 26 percent.

Ms. Fiorina’s daylong local visit, part of a two-day bus tour of the state, was aimed at talking disenchanted former supporters of Mrs. Clinton into supporting Mr. McCain. The private gathering was not a fundraiser.

“I think there’s going to be a groundswell of support for McCain,” said Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola, a Republican and one of the people who attended. “I think a lot of Hillary supporters are going to be for McCain.”

Neither the Obama camp nor members of team Clinton have been available for comment, and Obama, once enjoying a more comfortable lead in the polls, has recently seen that lead slipping as McCain, a former fighter pilot, has begun to come in on him from behind, a position the Senator from Arizona has stated in the past that he feels very comfortable being in.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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McCain to Announce VP: Who Says Timing Isn't Everything?

What's the best birthday present John McCain could give himself this year? The media blitz that will accompany his announcement of his running mate overshadowing the Democratic Convention and the nomination of Obama.

It's been one of the most anticipated and speculated upon decisions on the minds of both Democrats and Republicans. Who will be the running mates?

It is very likely Obama will announce his decision during the Democratic convention in Denver, an event that is already promising to be a media circus with the expectations of protests BY groups that claim to carry the Democrat mantle.

In a strategic move slated for August 29, McCain's birthday, the likely Republican candidate is expected to announce his choice for a running mate for the November general election in the key battleground state of Ohio.

The campaign has begun building a crowd of 10,000 for Dayton, Ohio, according to an organizer. McCain is scheduled to appear with his running mate at a large-scale event in Pennsylvania shortly thereafter.

Senior Republicans are in the dark about who he’ll name, although they say former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty are prime contenders after a trial balloon by McCain gave him very negative feedback about the idea of picking an abortion-rights running mate such as Tom Ridge, the former governor of Pennsylvania and the first secretary of homeland security.

Another speculative prospect has been Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn), which would have been the first time in history since the candidacy of Abraham Lincoln, whose vice-Presidential choice was Andrew Johnson (D-Tenn) to have seen a vice-Presidential candidate not of the same party as the Presidential nominee.

As of now, the announcement is slated for 29 August, although McCain, who has been playing a very close hand concerning his choice of running mate, has stated that he may make his announcement sooner than that.

UPDATE: According to Drudge, Obama appears to be close to announcing his running mate, as well.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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The Denver Democratic National Convention: A Logistical Nightmare in the Making

How do you take a scheduled event and turn it into a fiasco before it even gets started? Perhaps the Democratic Party should write a "How-To" book on convention planning so that others can learn what NOT to do to attract donations and vendors.

The clock is ticking on the Democrats in bringing together final arrangements for the national convention in Denver. There are less than two months left for them to finalize planning and coordinate things, and yet they are facing dire straits in their efforts, despite their best intentions to the contrary.

The road to hell truly does seem to be paved with good intentions.

Despite the successful fund raising by their presumptive nominee, Barack Obama, the DNC is having problems when it comes to financing their upcoming convention. One can't help but notice the parallels between money mismanagement for the convention and for the nation. The problems the Democrats are facing in bringing the convention together range in size from very large (they are $6 million OVER budget for their renovation of the interior of the Denver Pepsi Center) to the ridiculously simple, such as attracting caterers for the Convention, due to budget problems and some very interesting food requirements that are sending prospective caterers walking away saying, in effect, "thanks for considering us, but hell no."

The convention is being organized by the Democratic National Committee, which is run by Howard Dean, with his chief of staff, the Rev. Leah D. Daughtry, leading the effort. Only in the last month has the Obama campaign been able to take over management of the convention planning with the candidate claiming the nomination, and his aides are increasingly frustrated, as the event nears, at organizers who they believe spent too freely, planned too slowly and underestimated actual costs.

The Obama campaign has dispatched 10 people to Denver to help “get a handle on the budget and make hard decisions” about what has to be done and how to move forward, said Bill Burton, a campaign spokesman.

With Democrats seeking to use the convention to move past the bitterness of their bruising primary fight, the gathering in Denver Aug. 25-28 is likely to draw intense interest as the Obama forces try to show a once-divided party rallying around the nominee. And their convention comes a week before the Minneapolis gathering of the Republicans, whose convention efforts have been much smoother.

The list of financial missteps in planning the convention under the leadership of "Screaming" Howard Dean include the rental of a number of top-end office spaces in Denver, rather than choosing less expensive spacing, and then determining that only half the space that was rented was actually needed, at a cost of $100,000 a month, and filling those offices with rented furniture and office equipment at a cost of $50,000 per month. On top of that, campaign organizers informed their potential donors that donations would not be tax deductible, causing many would-be donors to close their wallets and check books, instead of ensuring that the tax-deductible status was pending and donors would be informed when they could claim the deductions on their taxes.

The next in a long series of mis-steps is the convention's plan to be "green," a program that only three states have signed on to in expected participation. There is still controversy over how to handle protesters outside the Pepsi Center during the convention, with plans currently to locate them possibly next to the media tent (probably not the best strategic move, giving the media full and open access to all protestations).

Perhaps one of the more significant and telling of the list of faux pas made by the DNC in planning events is in regards to how to feed the mass influx of people planning to attend the convention. Given the complex and stringent requirements for the convention in regards to the food to be served, one has to wonder if planners weren't intending to "cater" to Nancy Pelosi.

And then there is the food: A 28-page contract requested by Denver organizers that caterers provide food in “at least three of the following five colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple and white.” Garnishes could not be counted toward the colors. No fried foods would be allowed. Organic and locally grown foods were mandated, and each plate had to be 50 percent fruits and vegetables. As a result, caterers are shying away.

Despite all of this (and more), Denver DNC Committe spokeswoman Natalie Wyeth claims that the planning for the convention “is on track and we are confident that we are where we are supposed to be at this point in the game. We are exactly where we intended to be at.” The party intended to be $11 million short of the projected $40.6 million needed, a figure which does not include over-budget costs, at this point? And with no food vendors slated and under contract at this point? It would appear, given the sliding of Obama's support within the Democratic party and his string of flip-flops in recent weeks, a poorly planned and thrown together at the last minute with what's left available convention is exactly what the Democrat's do not need if they expect to gain steam for candidate Obama.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Is the DNC afraid of it's own base? The Denver Wall is going up.

In the movie "V for Vendetta," the notion that people should not fear their government; government should fear the people is a prevailing theme. Is it possible that the Democratic National Party has reached this level of fear of the people?

As mentioned in previous articles (here and here), there is a huge fracturing going on in the Democratic party, at the base level. Despite all attempts to put on a good face with the media and go on as if there are no problems, the DNC seems to have no illusions, privately, that there is brewing trouble.

And they are making efforts to ensure that that trouble doesn't interfere with the National Convention when it meets in Denver, making preparations to keep protesters as far away from the center of activities as possible.

The fence around the public demonstration zone outside the Democratic National Convention will be chicken wire or chain link, authorities revealed in U.S. District Court today.

That may allow protestors to be seen and heard by delegates going in and out of the Pepsi Center during the convention.

But the American Civil Liberties Union and several advocacy groups have filed an amended complaint to their lawsuit against the U.S. Secret Service and the city and county of Denver that says protestors and demonstrators may have their First Amendment rights violated by security restrictions.

It is perhaps telling that such precautions are being made for the DNC. Given the past two years of a Congress with a record of little to no accomplishment, the rift between Clinton and Obama supporters, and the continued tirades by anti-war protesters (despite the successes made in Iraq in the past year, to the point that the media no longer reports from Iraq), Party leaders have good reason to be concerned over an irate constituency. And with the rise of the Denver Wall, one could speculate further about the views of the DNC not only on the Second Amendment, but upon the First Amendment, as well.

Wasn't there another wall, once upon a time a few years back, that divided a city east from west?

Just a thought.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Undercover Officers are Reported to be Training with Shoe Phones...

The Denver City Counsel is said to be holding meetings under the veil of the Cone of Silence. Police officers have been issued shoe phones in order to be inconspicuous when reporting in...The Golden Age of Get Smart has not only been revived for the silver screen, but it seems that there are those who think that Denver is preparing weapons that could have been created by the mind of Mel Brooks for crowd control for the upcoming Democratic National Convention. Would you believe they think there is a "poopie ray?"

As legend has it, the Brown Note is an infrasonic frequency believed to resonate through human body parts and cause a loss of bowel control. Some protesters are convinced that Denver police will amplify such low frequencies to subdue them in August.

"They'll bring out all the technologies they can get their hands on," says activist Ben Yager. "I wouldn't put anything past police in terms of crowd control."

It isn't helping that Denver officials are laughing about the rumors and cracking jokes about them. Perhaps they've finally developed that most dangerous weapon of all from the Smart franchise, the Nude Bomb.

I hope Code Pink doesn't send a delegation, if that happens to be the case...

Perhaps they've finally developed that most dangerous weapon of all from the Smart franchise, the Nude Bomb.

I hope Code Pink doesn't send a delegation, if that happens to be the case...

The Brown Note, by the way, is nothing more than yet another urban legend.

The Nude Bomb, however..........

Just a few thoughts from the road from,

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Denver DNC Convention - The Eve of Destruction?

There is an old proverb that says, "Those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it." Is the Democratic National Convention this year heading towards a historical reinterpretation of the 1968 Convention?

In 1965, Barry McGuire released his hit, "Eve of Destruction", an interpretation of the world at that time.

The eastern world it tis explodin',
violence flarin', bullets loadin',
you're old enough to kill but not for votin',
you don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin',
and even the Jordan river has bodies floatin',
but you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Today, more than 40 years later, we're seeing history repeating itself in many ways in this country. If a group called "Recreate 68" has any say in the matter, we will see a near replay of the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention played out at the 2008 Denver Democratic National Convention.

The 68 Convention was one marked by infighting of the Democratic Party's members and violent confrontations between the Chicago police, reportedly under "shoot to kill" orders by then-mayor Richard Daly, and anti-war protesters. Bobby Kennedy had been assassinated two months earlier, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated three months prior to that, Lyndon Johnson had declined to run for re-election as President and the nation was, indeed, on the "Eve of Destruction."

There were even suggestions, prior to the meeting of the Convention, that it not be held in Chicago, but rather in Miami, where the Republican party was slated to hold it's Convention. This suggestion was met with violent disagreement by Mayor Daly, who promised to enforce the peace and threatened to withdraw his support for the apparent nominee, Hubert Humphrey, if the convention were to be moved. President Johnson also preferred Chicago, having been rumored to have said "Miami is not an American city."

The Convention itself was filled with tension and apprehension, after a downbeat keynote address by Hawaiian Senator Dan Inouye, and as pro-war and anti-war delegations debated the issue of Vietnam. Peace protesters caused delays in the debates and their confrontations with the police lasted through the length of the Convention.

Humphrey eventually took the nomination for the party, and lost the general election to Richard Nixon, the Republican candidate, in November.

So how does this tie in to today, and the upcoming Denver Convention for the Democrats? The anti-war group known as "Recreate 68" has lost their bid for a permit for the Civic Center to the host committee for the convention.

"When things blow up because the police have to enforce a permit that the Democrats got, don’t blame us for that," said Glenn Spagnuolo, an organizer for the Re-create 68 Alliance.

"Blame the Democrats for trying to silence dissent in the city of Denver."

The lottery for permits to protest, pray or hold other events in city parks during the DNC Aug. 24 through 28 resumed Thursday after the city bungled the drawing Tuesday by accidentally leaving out some of the applicants' names.

This is just one group that is calling for a replay of the 68 convention. Former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder has predicted riots if the popular vote isn't adhered to in selecting the Democratic nominee. Obama is currently leading Clinton in the popular vote.

Personally, I understand the desire for peace, and appreciate the work that is done to achieve peace between conflicting factions. Few know greater how precious peace is than those who have seen conflict. What I don't understand, honestly, is the threat of violence to promote the cause of peace. In my mind, in my way of thinking, that's a contradiction. As I've said before, contradictions can not exist. To protest, peacefully, in the name of peace, for the sake of peace, for the purpose of peace, makes a statement. To protest violently and proclaim that you are promoting peace, contrarily, seems more like an excuse to act in a violent manner for a cause that you don't truly believe in. Violent protestations for peace come across as hypocritical, and the message for the promotion of peace becomes tainted by the advocacy of those who proclaim it, but don't practice what they are preaching.

There is a time for war, and a time for peace, if one is to believe the teachings of the Bible and other ancient texts that have been handed down from generation to generation through the centuries and millennial. A time to kill, a time to let live. A time to sow, a time to reap. If this sounds like a song, too, that's because it is a song, "Turn Turn Turn", by Pete Seeger, and it was based straight out of the Bible (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

Regardless of the situation as it was in 68, the 08 DNC promises to be interesting in it's own right, as well. With the Clinton machine gearing up for full confrontation and a determination to remain in the race right up until the very end of the nomination process, and the continued revelations of Obama's associations and their anti-Semitic, Afro-centrist agenda's, the continued bad light he has fallen under because of his pastor (who is currently working ON Obama's campaign staff), it's sure to be a slug fest right up until a candidate is finally nominated and approved.

And in case no one has mentioned this, the possibility has been suggested that neither Obama nor Clinton could wind up as the party nominee.

Has anyone noticed how quiet Al Gore has been lately?

It definitely is winding up toward a very interesting Democratic National Convention for Denver.

Gore Emerges as Democratic Nominee?

With the Texas Primaries second phase behind them and still no clear cut lead for either candidate, the Democratic Party is starting to prepare for a brokered convention, and the possibility of a compromise candidate.

Have you ever seen a tug of war competition between the two strongest, most able bodied people that you know? They're fairly close in size, weight, strength, and endurance. Put them one each end of a rope to face off with one another, and they're likely not going to make much headway unless one or the other of them blunders and falls. NOW, at our hypothetical community picnic, let's turn around behind us at the OTHER tug of war contest; this one between two of the smaller, more sickly, more conniving and less than honorable people you know, still about the same build and whatnot, but the personalities are different. It's a bit different to watch, these two are scrapping it out for every inch they can take from the other, but there's a difference; neither side is playing clean. They're kicking sand at each others faces, name calling, and sending people to their opponents saying "Why don't you just quit now?"

Definitely a more interesting battle, right?

So what happens if someone else comes along, steps in the middle between these two smaller dirty players, takes a pair of shears, cuts the rope in two, watching the other two fall backwards and blink in shock and outrage as he declares to the crowd, "I win?" Everyone looks up at him, trying to figure out what he's doing there, in his plaid shirt and beard looking like he's just hugged a Ponderosa pine (wait, scratch that, let's rewind just a bit here and put him in a suit and tie, clean shaven, and sporting a Nobel prize).

Confusing to consider, isn't it? Mind boggling to say the very least, according to some. I've been predicting this for weeks, along with others of significantly more influence than I have (i.e Rush Limbaugh and Steve Gill among others). For some of us, it was obvious. It was the only solution. It was the only thing that we could see that would unify the Democratic party before November. And now they're admitting that they're considering it.

Al Gore may very well walk away from the Democratic National Convention as the nominee for President of the United States.

If neither Mr Obama nor Mrs Clinton has the 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination, and if both appear unable to beat Mr McCain, under one scenario a group of about 100 party elders - the "super-delegates" - could sit out the first ballot in Denver, preventing either candidate winning outright, and then offer Mr Gore the nomination for the good of the party.

Tim Mahoney, a Democrat congressman from Florida, said last week: "If it goes into the convention, don't be surprised if someone different is at the top of the ticket." This suggests the party would accept a Gore-Clinton or a Gore-Obama pairing.

Following a brief flurry of speculation that he might jump into the race last year, Mr Gore claimed he had "fallen out of love" with politics, but he has pointedly refused to rule out another tilt at the White House and said that the only job in public life that interests him is the presidency.

The fallout from a move like this on the part of the democrats? Not good. The Democrats have created this situation for themselves in large part by the creation of "super-delegates" and coming up with such complicated methods for choosing their candidates to begin with, not to mention the fact that they have put forward two candidates for the final bid for nomination, each candidate clearly despised by nearly half the party, causing the two halves to be split on making a nominee choice.

In walks Al Gore, after having been properly courted by the DNC upper echelon. He's clean shaven, he's in a new suit, he's holding his Nobel Prize, and there are no splinters visible as the wooden boy steps out of the back rooms to take the stage and say "I accept the nomination of the party" in August.

That may actually send Obama over the top with screams of "Allah Akbar" and make him charge the stage with a scimitar, while Hillary finally has that final overload of circuitry and mutters "target acquisition mode: engaged" as she points her finger at Gore like a gun, surprising everyone as the tip falls aside on a hinge to expose a barrel.

I wonder if they'll be wearing parkas? Al Gore, speaking engagement, hmmmm. It might do well to check the weather one last time before flying into Denver this August come convention time.

There is a problem with bring Gore in as the nominee, though, and I'm not quite sure that the Democrat leadership has really taken this into consideration. Now be easy reading these next few words, I know this is going to come as a shock to many reading this, especially those with leanings toward the idea of a Gore campaign for 2008. It's big. You might pass out from shock at what I'm about to say. Ready? Deep breath, hang on, it'll be over before you know it...Gore didn't even win his home state of Tennessee last time he ran for President when he actually RAN for President in the fully campaign race. So how is it that the Democratic leadership thinks that Gore can be the savior of the party when he didn't even win his OWN bid for the Presidency and by bringing him out as a compromise candidate it's going to cost them votes?

The closer it gets to the Convention, the more panicked Democrats are becoming in trying ANYTHING to win the White House. By bringing Gore out, cleaning him up, dusting him off, checking him for termites, it becomes more obvious just exactly how desperate they are becoming.

I'm just glad Gore gave us the internet so we could follow it all.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


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