Dem Con 08… it “could” be fun. Emphasis on “could”…
The prospect of Den Con 08 is about as exciting as the grand opening of a Bed Bath and Beyond.
In the past I’ve maintained that major political conventions are so coma-inducing that it would be more efficient to recruit a phalanx of Civil War reenactors to stage the usual circus of cheerleading and nondebate.
Wasn’t it Dan Rather who cut his network’s coverage short in 2000 citing a lack of actual news?
Maybe it’s just me, but wading through days of platitudes for the final moment that is John Kerry telling us he’s “Reporting for Duty” doesn’t motivate me to do anything besides flip the channel. I’m sure Team Hillary will come up with something even more banal, if that’s possible…
The lack of actual news is even more true this time around since with California’s primary moved up, nominees will be in place by February. That’s six months of everyone knowing who the candidate is. Hell, that’s six months of straight up campaigning. Seriously, by the time the circus hits the Pepsi Center the national mood will be as follows: Shut the fuck up, please.
It seems, however, with Governor Ritter’s dissing of organized labor there “could” be a legitimate protest next year. The Denver Post has it here.
Apparently Jimmy Hoffa Jr, an old guard labor boss who if I’m not mistaken, backed Bush in 2000, gave Ritter lip at a recent DC confab.
Gotta love the canned statements from both Hickenlooper and the Democratic National Committee.
Hickenlooper:
“We continue to work with diverse interests including labor communities, citizens and businesses to prepare for a successful event.”
DNC:
“Labor is an important partner. We will continue to address concerns and work with all of our partners toward a mutually acceptable agreement and successful convention.”
Translation: Suck it Hoffa.
In all seriousness, I’m sure a deal will be cut to pacify any union unrest at Den Con 08. That said, with Andy Stern at the helm of a newly insurgent AFL offshoot, there could be some interesting sparks between now and then.
It’s possible, with the February 5 Super Primary that’s shaping up, that we could have had six months of knowing who the candidate is. But with so many large states on that one day, it’s also possible that there won’t be a clear winner until very close to the convention, or even that we find ourselves with a broken convention. This is especially true if there’s no clear leader after the four (or five, if Florida decides to be a pain) early contests
Personally, I sometimes hope that we don’t know who the candidate is until the convention is under way. Some suspense, and an actual debate about what the party and candidates stand for when someone other than the hard core junkies like me are watching, could be a good thing.