Yesterday I spent the day handing out credentials to TV and Radio organizations in a banquet room in the basement of the downtown Sheraton. So while I didn’t get to experience much of the hubbub outside, there was plenty going on inside the hotel, including the arrival of delegates from more states than I think are in the union. I was even able to get my hands on a rare Jobama Button (not an official campaign button, but very fun). It’s quite impressive how quickly it was made considering Obama named Biden a little over 24 hours earlier.
Denver is alive with a Democratic fervor. People are energized and ready for the convention to get underway this evening. The police presence is an interesting visual addition to the bustling streets. We’re not talking just beat cops, we’re talking officers and the national guard in full riot gear. The Recreate 68 demonstration that was expecting tens of thousands of people yesterday, ended up with closer to a thousand attendees, which many are saying is because there was so much talk about the potential for violence and the heavy police presence.
Walking by the civic center park yesterday evening, I saw a bunch of marijuana-legalization enthusiasts smoking pot out in the open, in front of the capital building and discussing how since the cops are so preoccupied, they have nothing to worry about. While I don’t think that everyone will have as much luck with getting away with crimes, heightened security may mean confusion and leniency on non-convention related violations.
It is an interesting mix here in Denver. There are the Democratic elites, including delegates, that are wedded to the party and the process, and there are the die hard liberals that feel the party should be much further to the left than it actually is. Recreate ‘68 may have better luck later in the week in attracting support but I doubt we will see anything even closely resembling the ‘68 Democratic convention. For the most part, Obama – being against the war from the beginning – is attracting all degrees of the left of center crowd.
Descent may only be coming from those pesky Hillary Clinton hold outs. We’ll see how that unravels.
1 Comment
August 26, 2008 at 12:53 am
it sounds like those Clinton hold outs are very tiny in numbers — about 100 congregated around Chris Matthews of all people.
Have you seen the new McCain add featuring a prominent Clinton supporter telling Democrats that it’s ok to vote for McCain, she is?
PS. Dissent not descent