According to Marc Ambinder, Obama's toying with giving his nomination speech at Invesco Field has moved from speculation to reality. The reason? Pretty pictures.
Showmanship and pretty pictures aside, what message does it send that Obama won't be accepting the nomination in the same room with the people that nominated him? You know, surrounded by real democrats, hardworking delegates even, and at the actual democratic convention...
UPDATE: Bringiton informs us that the entire convention rather than just the acceptance speech will likely be moved on the final day from the Pepsi Center to Invesco. If this is the plan, a better question is what impact might the move and showmanship have?
UPDATE II: My apologies for the initial confusion and a thank you to Bringiton for the explanation.
And while we're talking convention...
The NYT details some of the other complications already facing planners and the tension between planners and the Obama campaign.
My favorite complication so far?
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.
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It means
he doesn't give a shit about them or the Dem voters.
He needed them as stepping stone to the presidency. Now, they can be safely ignored and humiliated.
It sure looks that way
If I were an Obama delegate and was robbed of this experience I would be pissed. Even if it's manufactured history, it's still history and it's certainly genuine history if you're a supporter.
And what of the party leaders? Unity
?
Another thing... Obama is starting to be perceived as arrogant by a portion of the electorate. It's a tag that Rove has used with him from the get go and a meme the GOP has made clear they're going to push. I'm not sure that this isn't going to end up backfiring and reinforcing the arrogance meme.
Who cares what message it sends to Democrats
The Democratic theme song this year is "You Have Nowhere Else To Go."
At this point Democratic voters have been deemed irrelevant. The evangelicals and other Republicans are the ones who are important and Obama and the Dems will make sure that the issues are structured to meet their agendas. So far, Obama is doing a heck of job of doing just that aided and abetted by Dem leadership in offering the Bush Cover Up and Elimination of Rights (FISA) bill as an assist.
The delegates will be there
The convention will move to Invesco for the acceptance speech, the presidential nomination having been settled the previous day and the VP on that morning.
Invesco seats 76,000+ in the grandstands, maybe another 20,000 on the infield. With an expected convention attendance of 35,000, there will be room for all the delegates and guests.
The big risk here is the outside venue. I've lived near Denver and worked there for years, end of August can be anywhere from 90F in the day to 40F at night, and thunderstorms are a daily threat.
There will be no moon out that night, so unless there's a deluge the stars and the city lights will make for a spectacular visual. As Willie Nelson wrote:
Are you sure?
If so, that's much better than just moving the speech.
Yes, I am certain
This has been kicked around for a couple three weeks, they want a big splash and I don't actually see anything wrong with that. The Dems have been getting their butts kicked by the Rs for forever, so a turnaround with a more agressive and modern campaign suits me just fine.
Step 1: Crush the Republicans
Step 2: Subvert the Democrats
Step 3: I'm working on it. Something nice, with flowers.
Thank you
I will update appropriately. :)
Will look something like this?
http://tinyurl.com/6kgy3k
The view will be more like this
Jack Brauer Gallery
And the uniforms will be taupe, not brown; that would be so out of style.
Oh....
I was so hoping for somewhat more of a martial look. The taupe just won't do.
>that would be so out of style
Everything old is new again.
Gray
They'll be gray to represent the color of the mighty opossum and also to blend in well with sky blue opposum strike force patches we'll all receive.
Opossum Strike Force
Australian Brushtail Division:
I thought the food thing was great
Buy local! That's the goal of it, which, of course, the Times coverage ignored.
Too bad the DNC is screwing up a great policy. It would be very disappointing if they just went with the usual catered crap, instead of solving the problem in whatever new, original way is required.
[x] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
hehe
I thought the color requirements were odd. I like the buy local an the organic requirements. That said, no fried foods? That hurts my heart.
Oh and bringiton the australian strike force is adorable.
I'm guessing the color is not for aesthetics...
... but has to do with nutrition or gastronomy. Not the look of the plate. Someone who's a bigger foodie than I can tell.
[x] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
You're probably right
...that sounds like one of those obscure memory guides to make sure you have a balanced plate or meet other religious/social restrictions. Still, it shouldn't make caterers shy away, should it?