Democratic National Convention 2008

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The 2008 Democratic National Convention will be the 2008 United States presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party. It is scheduled to be held from Monday, August 25, through Thursday, August 28, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. (The 2008 Republican National Convention is planned to start just 4 days later, on September 1, 2008, in St. Paul, Minnesota).

Plans are already underway in Denver for massive protests against the Democrats. A local group ,Recreate-68, has formed aiming to bring back the spirit of the 1968 protests which exposed the Democrats and the overall system for the violent, repressive state it is. Complimenting that work includes the national network of anarchists and anti-authoritarians Unconventional Action.

The US government finds itself in another racist war, this time in Iraq, one which could not have happened without the complicity of the Democratic Party.

This site will help provide information for those planning on coming to Denver to protest the Dems.

Contents

[edit] Convention

[edit] Venue

The convention is set to be held at Denver's Pepsi Center, and will be the 100th anniversary of Denver's only other political convention, held in 1908.

[edit] Site selection

Denver was chosen as the host on January 11, 2007. Nationally, the State of Colorado went to George W. Bush and the Republicans in the 2004 Presidential Election; however, state elections were much more generous to Democrats, with Democrats taking control of the State Senate, the State House of Representatives, one more Congressional seat, and a U.S. Senate seat. In 2006, the State continued this Democratic trend by electing a Democratic governor and by expanding the Democratic majorities in both chambers of the State Legislature. Because of this, Colorado is one of the states included in the "Purple West" making Denver an ideal location for the Democratic National Convention.

[edit] Labor issues

The head of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes Local No. 7, Jim Taylor, has refused to sign a no-strike agreement for the convention. The Pepsi Center normally uses non-union labor, but will use Taylor's union during the convention, and Taylor wants the Pepsi Center to use his union for all events.

[edit] Preparations

Work to prepare the Pepsi Center for the convention is expected to cost $15 million. In addition, a 220,000 sq. ft. temporary building to be used by the media will be built adjacent to the Pepsi Center.

The host committee has a goal of raising $40 million in cash and $15 million in in-kind contributions by June 2008. In late June 2007, the last time the committee issued an update, it reported about $6 million in cash, short of its $7.5 million benchmark for June 1.

The overall cost of the convention is expected to total more than $100 million, possibly $120 million. [1]

[edit] Fundraising

With such a large amount of money being raised, the DNCC (Democratic National Convention Committee) is seeking out Fortune 500 companies and other large corporations to help with costs. Corporate funds will pay for roughly 75% of non-security costs; public money will pay the rest.

Because the money is technically going to the city to host the convention, donations are not considered soft money and thus there are no caps of how much people can donate- serving as a huge loophole for special interest money.

To attract large contributions the organizers are offering companies access to power brokers and the chance to lobby them as they try to pick up their fundraising pace a year before the events. Having failed to meet their first fundraising goal, Denver is auctioning off all sorts of things. Examples include the right to throw out the opening pitch at a Colorado Rockies game. (The winning bid: $3,150.) [2], companies donating at least $250,000 can host talks with politicians on issues affecting their industries.

Donors are ranked by how much they give and the more you give the more influence during the convention. If you're a "Mile High" donor and give $52,800 to help Denver host the 2008 Democratic National Convention, you get invited to the biggest parties and are granted multiple advertising opportunities.

If you're "Presidential" and donate $1 million or more, you also get VIP access and credentials to the coveted Pepsi Center convention hall, choice hotel reservations, invites to private meetings with the mayor, the governor, Sen. Ken Salazar and Rep. Diana DeGette - and loads of other perks. [3]

[edit] Donors

While the DNCC does not have to make their received donations public, this section will track the companies and donation amounts that are known of. From who and how this convention is funded is quite revealing of whose interests the Democrats listen to the most.

[edit] Security

Legislators attempted tacking on $100 million to be split equally between the Twin Cities and Denver for security costs at the upcoming Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The law was voted down. [15]

The $50 million per city figure is twice as much as congressional leaders originally requested for the convention host cities of Boston and New York City in 2004. Boston eventually spent $35 million on security for that year’s Democratic National Convention and New York city spent $50 million for the Republican National Convention, DeGette spokesman Brandon MacGillis said. [16]

Denver police have asked suburban departments to loan them officers to help patrol the 2008 Democratic National Convention. So far, Aurora has pledged 300 officers, about half of the city's patrol officers, for five days, as long as Denver agrees to reimburse the city and won't hold it liable if anything goes wrong.[17] Past events where outside officers have been brought in have often had greater cases of brutality and lack of respect for protesters' first amendment rights. With the already poor record of the Denver police, other forces with even less training will likely act in similarly aggressive ways at this convention.

At this time, the Denver police has been giving the local organizing group, Recreate 68 very vague answers to anything. While not confirmed, it does sound as if the city will be setting up a "free speech zone" which Denver locals will not cooperate with. The city is also refusing to allow protesters to file permit requests earlier than normal, despite the fact that by doing so the city can legally wait until the day before the convention to approve or disapprove such a request. If talks between the city and protesters continue it is likely that a lawsuit will be filed against the city for violation of first amendment rights.

[edit] Convention Protests

[edit] Tent State University

Tent State University will be built with sea of tents housing the thousands of activists expected to converge on Denver. It will include workshops and skillshares, venues for music, free food, space for planning, and staging, and carrying out actions and protests against the DNC.

[edit] Festival of Democracy

The Festival of Democracy will be a four day event running in conjunction with the DNC Convention. The Festival will include free music and performing arts, free food and free institution building and political training. The purpose of the Festival of Democracy will be to share some fun and to work towards the development of programs and networks that will address our community problems, ourselves, without relying on the two party capitalist system.

[edit] Days of Resistance

During the Convention, there will be five major protests, one each day (including the Sunday before the convention). The days are loosley based around the following themes: Stop Wars, Environmental Justice, End Racism, Respect Human Rights/Civil Liberties, Demand Economic Justice

[edit] DNC Resistance In the Media

[edit] News


[edit] Opinion

ctavilatael

[edit] Articles

[edit] Books

[edit] Strategy

[edit] Reflections From Past Conventions

Boston 2004

Los Angeles 2000

[edit] External links

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