Convention Preview from Colorado

Gearing Up in Colorado

I am in Manitou Springs and my vista is peaceful and beautiful. On the internet, I see this scene of the 1968 Democratic Convention that some conservative talk show hosts (and liberal nostalgics) wish upon the upcoming DNC Convention in Denver. There is even a group to "Recreate '68."

I'm here to say it probably won't happen. There is a peace rally in Denver tonight with Cindy Sheehan and many others. They have a permit, which the protesters in 1968 did not, and it is for a time slot that is essentially BEFORE the convention, which should keep things relatively quiet. Trouble was predicted for Boston in 2004. What we actually saw was a lot of overlap between delegates and protesters and a handful of rightwing protesters. I expect it will be much the same, despite the speculation of the punditry.

Now we have the internet, and in so many ways, 1968 and 2008 are not comparable. I did hear that Colorado Springs cancelled an Al-Jazeera picnic, so there is still alot of potential for craziness. I will be in the Big Tent (pictured below, in final stage of construction) for "new media" (the new buzzword) and report from there. The "money collecting" shot with McCain, Clinton and Obama is posted below because I read that there will be over 400 corporate parties at the convention, and I'm sure the RNC is the same!

We have interspersed nature walks with political television, which I generally avoid, but most of it has been a hashing and rehashing of the implications of the DNC. Finally though, they are discussing the new role of the interior west. Colorado only has nine electoral votes, but may be a new "bellwether" and I have certainly seen alot of sprawl and spread across the spectrum just in my weekend - from the exurbs surrounding the headquarters from Focus on the Family to the woman I met today who practically wallpapered her house with Democratic souvenirs.

more photos

DNC panel from Huffington Post on the "New Media"

PBS article about political circus predicted

DailyKos story about Big Tent

Amnesty Inernational virtual torture cell to be on display