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Viewing Category: Conventions
Democrats Look for Way to Avoid Convention RiftFormer Vice President Al Gore and a number of other senior Democrats plan to remain neutral for now in the presidential race in part to keep open the option to broker a peaceful resolution to what they fear could be a bitterly divided convention, party officials and aides said Friday.Democratic Party officials said that in the past week Mr. Gore and other leading Democrats had held private talks as worry mounted that the close race between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton could be decided by a group of 796 party insiders known as superdelegates.
The signs that party elders are weighing whether and how to intervene reflects the extraordinary nature of the contest now and the concern among some Democrats that they not risk an internal battle that could harm the party in the general election.
Permalink [Category: Conventions, Gore]
Avoiding a Convention Train WreckOne thing that's clear after last night, we've got a tough and potentially ugly delegate fight ahead of us for the Democratic nomination. Not only might the unaccountable and undemocratic superdelegates come into play, but the prospect looms of a bitter intra-party battle to seat the Michigan and Florida delegates. The DNC, Governor Dean, and the state parties need to do some serious thinking – starting now – on how to avoid a situation where backroom deals determine the nominee and his or her legitimacy is called into question.Permalink [Category: Conventions]As most people know, the Michigan and Florida delegates aren't supposed to be counted towards determining the nominee, a penalty for unilaterally moving their elections up in the primary season against the party's wishes. The candidates agreed not to campaign in the states, and in fact, only Hillary Clinton appeared on the ballot in Michigan. Once she won both states, her campaign predictably began to argue that these delegates should be counted. This could force the Obama campaign into the unenviable position of looking like they are trying to block voters in two swing states. It's a train wreck waiting to happen – perhaps to be played out before the national media in Denver.
Not So SuperdelegatesThe Democratic primary contest is shaping up to be the closest since 1984. The campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are preparing for a delegate battle. If the race goes down to the wire, an elite contingent of superdelegates--unpledged party operatives and elected officials not chosen by primary voters--could play a decisive role, even though most voters don't know they exist. How could the Democratic Party be so, well, undemocratic?Permalink [Category: Conventions]Rewind to the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which showcased the undue influence of the party's old guard. Big-city bosses like Chicago Mayor Richard Daley handed the nomination to Hubert Humphrey, despite Humphrey's support for a deeply unpopular war and the fact that he hadn't won a single primary. As Rick Perlstein recounts in his forthcoming book, Nixonland, Eugene McCarthy won 79 percent of the vote in the Pennsylvania primary but got less than 20 percent of the state's delegates at the convention. The rest were picked by the party machine. The will of the voters was ignored at the convention, and protesters on the streets outside it were met with clubs and tear gas.
Races Entering Complex Phase Over DelegatesMIAMI — The presidential campaign is entering a new phase as Democratic and Republican candidates move beyond state-by-state competition and into a potentially protracted scramble for delegates Congressional district by Congressional district.Permalink [Category: Conventions]The shifting terrain is influencing the strategies of candidates from both parties — though decidedly more so for Democrats — as they move from early state contests to the coast-to-coast contests on Feb. 5, when 41 percent of Republican delegates and 52 percent of Democratic delegates will be chosen.
It is the first time in over 20 years in which the campaign has turned into a possibly lengthy hunt for delegates, rather than an effort to roll up a string of big-state victories.
Republicans Ponder Deadlocked ConventionWASHINGTON (AP) -- The Republican presidential race is so unsettled that some party officials are openly talking of a scenario that seemed almost unthinkable until now: the first contested GOP convention in 60 years.Permalink [Category: Conventions, Election Process Archive]Even if Republicans choose a nominee before they convene in Minneapolis-St. Paul on Sept. 1, there's a good possibility he will emerge weeks or even months after the Democratic nominee is chosen, giving Democrats an advantage in fundraising, organizing and campaigning. Congressional Republicans particularly wanted an early nominee to draw voters' attention from President Bush, whose low approval ratings could hurt the entire party in the fall.
Bush's former top political aide, Karl Rove, told Republican officials Wednesday that major challenges await ''the moment our candidate secures the nomination.'' As if they needed reminding, Rove told those at the Republican National Committee's winter meeting, ''the primaries are far from over.''
Romney Grabs Lead in GOP DelegatesFormer Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has won at least 18 delegates in Michigan's Republican primary, giving him the overall lead among Republican candidates, an Associated Press analysis of primary results shows. Sen. John McCain has won at least three delegates in Michigan, with 9 delegates still to be allocated.Permalink [Category: Conventions, Romney Archive]Overall, Romney has at least 37 delegates from the first four contests, followed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 31 and McCain with 10.
The national party stripped Michigan of half its delegates to the national convention for violating party rules by holding its primary before Feb. 5.
Mich. Voters Could Make HistoryAs voters in Michigan head to the polls today, they have the chance to make history. Not because Republicans there may hand a victory to Arizona Sen. John McCain, who would be the nation's oldest president ever, or former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who would be the first Mormon in the Oval Office. But because they may help propel the Republican race toward the first brokered convention in more than a half-century.Permalink [Category: Conventions]Yes, yes, we know. Every four years, the political class, including wise-acre journalists, gets all caught up in breathless speculation about the prospect of a brokered convention. After all, no presidential nomination has required more than a single ballot since 1952 and the prospect of actual drama seems like such a refreshing thought at conventions that in recent times have been sucked dry of any suspense whatsoever. And then every four years, the notion evaporates as modern political reality takes hold again.
In fact, there's still every reason to think the same will happen this year, that both parties will shuffle through their choices and effectively coalesce around a nominee by the time spring arrives. And yet, and yet -- it's hard not to ponder the possibilities, particularly on the Republican side, where the race is as unsettled as any in decades. If Romney wins his home state today, then the first three major contests will have produced three winners after former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee's victory in Iowa and McCain's triumph in New Hampshire. Even if McCain wins today in Michigan and manages to keep the momentum rolling into South Carolina on Saturday, Rudy Giuliani waits in Florida and if the former New York mayor wins there on Jan. 29, the Republicans could head into Super Tuesday on Feb. 5 with no clear front-runner.
At California GOP convention, candidates conspicuous by their absenceINDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Anticipating a report to Congress next week on progress in the war in Iraq, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) offered a forceful defense Saturday of his stick-it-out approach at a state Republican convention still reverberating from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's warning that the party must move to the political center or risk irrelevancy.Permalink [Category: Conventions, Election Process Archive]With less than four months before absentee ballots go out for California's Feb. 5 presidential primary, McCain was the only presidential contender to speak at this weekend's semiannual convention at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa.
State GOP Chairman Ron Nehring dismissed the lack of presidential candidates as insignificant, but delegates said it contributed to a sense that the state party lacks energy and focus.
"I'd hate to think they've written us off, but actions speak louder than words," said Justin Stoner, 36, a delegate from Visalia and a district representative for Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Visalia). "Maybe they feel like they have to build momentum in those traditional early primary states. Maybe they feel like there's not much to gain in California."
'Net Roots' Event Becomes Democrats' Other National ConventionLast month, in a straw poll on the popular liberal blog Daily Kos, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), the front-runner for her party's presidential nomination, won only 9 percent of the vote, lagging far behind former senator John Edwards (N.C.) with 36 percent and Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) with 27 percent. She couldn't make it past 4 percent for most of the year.Permalink [Category: Conventions]But as the who's who of the progressive blogosphere -- the "Net roots" -- gather in Chicago for the YearlyKos convention, which started yesterday, Clinton will be there. Her attendance underscores two seemingly contradictory realities: blogs' growing influence as powerful backroom players in Democratic circles and the fact that they don't reflect the views of most Democrats, much less the general public.
They've crashed the gates - to borrow a phrase from Markos Moulitsas Zuniga's book on the "Net roots" movement - and possibly arrived as the next gatekeepers. YearlyKos, the convention spawned from Moulitsas's popular political blog, Daily Kos, is hosting half a dozen Democratic candidates in Chicago this weekend. That's six more candidates than came to the centrist Democratic Leadership Council's annual "conversation," a formerly high-profile Democratic campaign stop, in Nashville this past weekend. Here's how the two events compare: - Rachel Dry
Democrats Start Scramble for ’08 Convention Rooms...On Thursday, Mr. Taylor, joined by representatives from 16 other delegations and a gaggle of national Democratic officials, meticulously inspected the toilets, beds and conference facilities at an assortment of Denver hotels, kicking off their search for accommodations during the convention, which will be held next August.Permalink [Category: Conventions]“Even though this is my fourth convention, you still hold your breath and try not to be overwhelmed by the magnitude,” said Cameron Moody, deputy chief executive of operations for the Democratic National Convention Committee.
Mr. Moody is charged with arranging hotel rooms for the 5,200 delegates, alternates and state committee members. It is a daunting task that involves matching the needs of 56 delegations with the 22 hotels that have set aside rooms for them during the convention.
“Some of the delegations can be a little persnickety,” said Betty McElderry, a committee member from Oklahoma. “But the D.N.C is doing a good job,” she added, referring to the Democratic National Committee.
Democratic Hopefuls Woo 'Superdelegates'NEW YORK (AP) -- It's more than half a year -- and a few snowstorms -- until the first votes in Iowa, yet Democratic presidential hopefuls have already captured some of the delegates critical to winning the nomination.Permalink [Category: Conventions, Election Process Archive]Not just any delegates -- ''superdelegates,'' the party's top echelon of elected officials who can back a candidate at any time no matter what the calendar, caucus-goer or primary voter says. Candidates have been pursuing endorsements from Democratic governors and members of Congress, knowing these individuals will have a direct say in choosing the party's nominee.
The 235 Democratic House members and nonvoting representatives, 49 senators, the District of Columbia's two ''shadow senators'' and 28 governors total 314 -- about 14 percent of the 2,182 delegates a candidate will need to secure the party's presidential nomination at next year's national convention in Denver.
Democrats' Denver Choice Rankles UnionsWASHINGTON (AP) -- The Democrats' choice of Denver to anoint their presidential nominee in 2008 has stirred up angst among unions, one of the party's core groups, because of Colorado's reputation as an unfriendly place for organized labor.Democrats worry that picketing and protests could put a damper on their party.
Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will confront some of the problems firsthand Thursday when he arrives in Denver for meetings with local officials and John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO.
Permalink [Category: Conventions, Labor]
New Dem Website Offers 'Convention 101' for Denver '08ABC News' Paul Fidalgo Reports: As the city of Denver, Colorado braces itself for the onslaught of Democratic enthusiasts that will pour into the city next year, the Democratic National Committee unveiled its official website Tuesday for the 2008 Democratic National Convention at www.demconvention.com.Permalink [Category: Conventions]While the convention itself does not begin until August 25, 2008, the website takes care to make sure everyone is prepared well in advance. Eager Democrats can find out how to become delegates to the convention and who they should contact if they would like to volunteer or apply for a job. The site also has a detailed history of conventions past, and will soon post video of the acceptance speeches of previous Democratic presidential nominees.
Confessing to WeaknessHe leads most polls of Republicans for the 2008 presidential primaries, but former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani nevertheless has had the strength of his evangelical support questioned in part because of his three marriages and his "friendship" with now-wife Judith Nathan, while he was still married to Donna Hanover.Permalink [Category: Christian Right, Conventions, Gingrich, Giuliani Archive]...like Giuliani, Gingrich's unfaithfulness to at least one of his former wives is commonly known. Both of their personal backgrounds cause unease among social conservatives, yet apparently Gingrich is excused a bit more because of his conservatism on abortion, same-sex marriage, and other family issues, which Giuliani lacks.
Union Group May Ask Democrats to Move MeetingAngry about Gov. Bill Ritter’s veto of a bill that would have made it easier to set up all-union workplaces in Colorado, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. may urge the Democratic Party to move its 2008 convention from Denver. “Union members and working people will make up more than a quarter of the delegates to the Denver convention,” the labor federation’s executive council said at its winter meeting in Las Vegas. “Unless we can be assured that the governor will support our values and priorities, we will strongly urge the Democratic Party to relocate the convention.” Evan Dreyer, a spokesman for Mr. Ritter, a Democrat, above, said the governor “welcomes the dialogue” with the federation.Permalink [Category: Conventions]
A Mood of Gloom at CPACAt first blush, the state of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy appears to be strong. Here at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a few thousand students, activists, hopeful pols and professional hangers-on have descended on one of Washington’s larger hotels to affirm and amplify the right-wing gospel.Permalink [Category: Conservatives, Conventions]
Republican, But Not RestrainedGroups At Annual Conservative Gathering Will Do A Lot To Get Their Point AcrossPermalink [Category: Conservatives, Conventions]
Presidential contenders on long road to DenverRocky Mountain News has the story.
WASHINGTON - The long road to Denver started Friday in the basement ballroom of the Hilton Washington hotel.Permalink [Category: Conventions]One by one, presidential contenders at the Democratic National Committee's winter meetings braved a smattering of hecklers to say why they should lead the party's White House ticket in 2008.
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