The Virginian-Pilot
©
DENVER
The DNC blew it. In fact, blew it all week.
Security everywhere. No one in charge.
Behind the scenes at Invesco Field on Thursday, it was chaos.
Sure, the speeches were great. The crowds were impressive. The show made for terrific television, no doubt. But for those in the stadium and trying to get in, this was a peculiar kind of political purgatory.
Someone should tell the DNC - heck, I will - that when you decide to stage an extravaganza for nearly 80,000, you better have an army of people on hand with basic knowledge of how the event is supposed to work.
That didn't happen.
Oh, there were scores of "green" volunteers on hand to shepherd trash into the proper receptacles. But no one seemed to know where the press was supposed to go once inside. Some electrical outlets didn't work and many Internet cables were dead. Wireless was a joke.
But the all-important plastic bottles and aluminum cans were nestled in the right bins.
Sheesh. It felt like an event run by aging hippies.
There were signs all week that things were going badly. On the first night, there was a mob outside the Pepsi Center waiting more than an hour to get in. Some folks with credentials were reportedly barred from entry altogether.
By Tuesday, it was obvious that the DNC had passed out too many credentials. On the night of Hillary Clinton's speech, the convention floor was so packed that delegates who dared leave for a bathroom break or a sip of water couldn't return.
On Wednesday morning, Richard Cranwell, chairman of the Virginia delegation, warned his folks not to leave the convention floor that night.
"The fire marshals won't let you back," he cautioned.
Terrific. No refreshments and no restrooms from the 3 p.m. roll call till the end of Joe Biden's speech.
No wonder some skipped the spectacle.
Not to say the delegates didn't enjoy themselves. They did. With all the free food and booze and the euphoria that came with a historic nominating convention, most seemed happy.
Until Thursday.
Early in the afternoon, queues formed on corners as eager delegates hitched rides on shuttle buses for the short trip to the stadium. Instead, it took nearly two hours to get in.
Dropped off in parking lots, the delegates discovered daunting lines that snaked toward the football field.
Geriatric delegates were left huffing and limping by the ordeal. Once inside, these parched folks - who'd been forbidden to bring in food or beverages - faced Denver Broncos prices at the concession stands.
It would've been nice if the "party of the people" could have ensured that there were portable drinks available for the faithful on a day of unrelenting sunshine.
"It's ridiculous," groaned Alexis Ralston of Colorado when the cashier told her that two hot dogs, a tiny order of nachos and a bottle of water would cost $17.50.
"Parking was 50 bucks and it was miles away," she griped. "We took pictures of the signs because we didn't think anyone would believe us."
I did. After what I saw Thursday in Denver, I'd believe anything.
Kerry Dougherty, (757) 446-2306, kerry.dougherty@cox.net
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A Little Cranky, Kerry?
Apparently you've not been to a big league or NFL game lately, or you would have encountered "stadium pricing." Prices are set by the contract consessionaires at the stadium and arena, not by the convention (Dem or GOP). You'll see the same thing at the GOP show.
BTW, they're doing the same abusive, captive audience pricing up the road in Williamsburg at Busch Gardens, which is the reason we seldom go anymore, just when we have out of town guests with kids. On our last visit during the first week of August, in the Fest Haus at noon, our average tray of mediocre faux German food averaged nearly $25 per person.
Presidential Campaigns Have Always...
Been an exercise in political theater, partly acted out by the grass-roots supporters of a given candidate & partly acted out by the political parties themselves. It’s a function of “selling” the candidates to the broader electorate. Ever since JFK/Nixon in 1960, the parties have used an increasing arsenal of psychologically sophisticated tools to vet, groom, package & market their candidates. Leadership conventions & the mass media coverage they generate, are an extension of that party controlled process.
The notion that the DNC convention was about grass-roots “average Americans” asserting their preference for Obama’s candidacy, is naive. The reality is, that the DNC’s money & power brokers are using the process, & Obama’s candidacy, as a means to achieve an end.
Follow the money - the attainment power is only the goal.
Treated equally...
I think it's wonderful that there was no "special treatment" for the delegates or the press. It must have been a shock for people who are used to throwing titles around to have to wait in line like everyone else.
What we've learned from Kerry.....
We saw pics of water bottles, of plates of food and police officers.... even a picture of Kaine's knees.
We heard complaint after complaint but never any "real" convention news....
Gotta love the person whose idea it was to send her...... What a joke!!
Using
logic of some posters, the 15,000, picked up by bus, for McCain's appearance in Dayton today, was made up of, oh let's say, maybe 150-250 at the most, of actual McCain supporters. If you feel that's not so, then how can you say so few of the 80,000 + at Invesco were there to actually support Obama? You don't agree with Obama, fine; just stop using WAGS & misinformation.
Re: Substance Over Staging...
Mike your comments are usually fairly astute, but you’ve missed it big-time on this one. What Kerry & most other American journalists saw, was exactly what the DNC wanted them to see, i.e., the staged pomp & circumstance.
Yes, the local organizers blew some of the logistics, but the DNC was firmly controlling the imagery & the message.
There were about 4,500 accredited grass-roots delegates, plus 15,000 accredited Media, including foreign press. So who were the other 60,000 who filled the stadium to to hear Obama’s speech? Spouses & kids of the delegates & key speakers? A few thousand, maybe. Locals connected with the convention? Another few thousand, perhaps.
Or were they overwhelmingly the hard-core DNC aparatchicks; the Strategists, Media Handlers, Spin Doctors, Bag Men, Elite Contributors, etc.?
Hardly Grass-Roots, I’d say.
Substance over staging.
Leave it to Kerry to miss the real show; that is, the process of regular americans taking back this nation from the grip of Karl Rove and George Bush. Kerry of course has a preference for well orchestrated and perfectly planned events like Rove and Bush staged during the last election cycle. Don't like the real facts: make up a story and pass it off as the truth. Don't want any real questions: make sure only scripted questions are posed to the candidate by carefully selected party hacks with perfectly coiffed hair and the correct clothing to impress the TV audience. Kerry would be much more comfortable in that environment; they probably would issue a restroom pass if your pledged to support the republican nominee.
Thanks
Thanks for the -- um -- ground-breaking reporting from Denver, Kerry.
Who's covering the Republican convention? Mike Gruss?
This is indeed an affirmation
Press comes second or third and envirionmentalism first. Go Obama; even in what you call chaos there is sheer ethics. I love it!!!!!
Ha Ha Ha
It wasn't for you or about you and your press cohorts, it is the example
Yes!!!
unbelievable
I hope the Pilot is proud of Kerry's reporting of the DNC. So far all she has done is complain, and not a word about anything else. Heck of a good job Kerry!