Archive for the ‘Denver’ Category

Rockstar Politics (Thursday, August 28, 2008)

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

(Note: This post has been patiently waiting on my desktop until I got back to New York City!)

What a day it has been.

For the 75,000 people who had to get into the Invesco stadium, just getting in was a long process.invesco-fireworks-300.jpg

One man told me the wait in line was a good three hours; and I believe him.

I picked up the bus from Pepsi Center for the short trip over, and instead of dropping us off in the normal area we were told to cross two parking lots and walk over to the main entrance.

Once I got inside, I looked over the edges and saw the crowds had swelled tremendously and they were coming at us from all angles.

The pumped up attitude wasn’t just found amidst the stadium seats, the walk-ways circling the stadium were filled with folks from all over excited to see Senator Obama speak.

And what a performance.

The roar of the crowd as Obama walked down the catwalk and the trembling beneath my feet as people stomped to make extra noise made me think for a second we were about to see the Rolling Stones.

Shifting Over to Invesco

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

It is Thursday morning in Denver, and I am getting ready to tackle what is sure to be a long day at Invesco at Mile High.

Senator Obama wanting to make his speech as the Democratic Presidential Nominee at a stadium that can hold 75,000 instead of where the delegates were previously has everyone a little more than concerned about the process.

The only way we are allowed to get into Invesco is by bus (even though it’s less than a mile away from the Pepsi Center).

Busing for the media began at 8a.m. and will continue throughout the day. Buses carrying delegates and other folks are available starting at 2p.m.

We have been given fair warning to that earlier rather than later would be a good idea.

Once we get in there, we will be in our designated areas for hours. At least until 10p.m.

It was a mad rush last night for all the TV networks and channels to break down their sets and pack up to set everything back up in time for today. It looked like CBS News had theirs broken down first.

After the arrests of a couple people earlier this week for plotting to shoot Sen. Obama with a long-range rifle, no doubt the Secret Service will be busy getting tens of thousands of people in.

You’ll Never Guess Who Showed Up

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

The man of the moment…Sen. Barack Obama.

Less than two minutes after Senator Biden gave his speech, Obama walked out on stage with Mrs. Biden.

He mentioned Mrs. Obama’s opening speech, acknowledged Sen. Clinton “rocked the house”, gave a shout out to President Clinton’s work for the country.

Now the Biden family is on stage being greeted by Sen. Obama.

The stadium is signing and clapping along to ‘We Are Family’.

President Clinton Speaks

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

Thousands of flags are waving as President Clinton steps up to the podium.

Everyone is on their feet cheering and chanting “Bill Bill Bill!”Funny Hat at DNC

The first words that he says are “I am here to support Barack Obama”.

The crowd cheers as Clinton says he too will do everything he can to support Obama… “actually that makes 18 million of us”.

“Barack Obama IS the man for THIS job”

Clinton’s speech starts off by talking about “the next challenge, rebuilding the American dream”.

As a Senator Biden’s “warm-up guy”, Clinton outlines why Biden was a great choice to be Obama’s running mate. His military service and years of service in Congress are a perfect combination for the national security angle.

We may have seen Clinton campaigning for Sen. Clinton this primary season, but it has been a while since we have seen a speech quite like the one we’re seeing tonight

There has never been any doubt to Clinton’s skill to reach out to people in the crowds and affect them, and that is what we is happening tonight.

Political pundits questioned whether President Clinton would be able to get both Clinton and Obama supporters on the same page. And he will with a speech like this.

Without taking shots at any Republicans in particular, he is cutting them down as a whole.

Getting onto the Floor

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

Counting down the minutes until I get a chance to get onto the floor for a 30 minute section.

Peter Haskell and I are seated in one of the press areas a.k.a. the rafters. As I peer over the edge, I notice at least half are on the Blackberrys, Sidekicks and other devices.

On the FloorWell, I just got back from my stint on the floor. Just as I was leaving, Melissa Ethredge began her set. Things got pretty crowded pretty quickly.

I was down there to get some shots of interesting faces, and scenes but was started getting pushed out of the way as soon as Ethredge got on stage.

Not as Hot, But Just as Busy…

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

Today is shaping up to be another busy day!Just spoke with MySpace’s Citizen Journalist, Mitt Britten, about what he’s doing here in Denver. I’ll post the full interview up later in the day.

Up next, I’m heading over to Rep. Weiner and Rep. Israel talk about the their bill proposal in Congress to help alleviate some stresses on the American middle class.

At 11:30, I’ll be chatting with Yelp! on what to do in Denver and what makes it an interesting city.

A little after noon, I’ll be calling in to the station to chat with Debbie Rodriguez about some of my adventures out here…and again at 1:50.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to grab a bite before my interview with MySpace’s IMPACT guru Lee Brenner about their presence in politics.

You’ll see all my interviews later tonight!

Senator Clinton’s “Night”

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Senator Clinton may not be the Keynote speaker tonight but there is no doubt that she is the one that people have come to see.

The video tribute of Clinton is playing and the floor is standing room only, shoulder to shoulder and ready to cheer.

We are getting word that the fire marshall has shut the doors and I believe it. On the floor wheere the aisles usually are, the people have packed in to get a closer look.

I can see “Hillary”  signs being passed up the rows of people and there are thousands waving.

Her daughter, Chelsea Clinton briefly introduced her as “her hero”

There are many cheers from Clinton’s first statements, “Proud to be an American, proud to be a New York Senator” but the biggest cheer came after “proud to be an Obama supporter”

Mixed in with Clinton posters are many tall blue “unity” signs.

As she is speaking, I wonder if she will be able to accomplish what the Democratic Party is looking for her to get done… convince her delegates and supporters to throw their weight behind Senator Obama for the national election.

Getting Online…

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Just a quick post this morning…

Wanted to share with you all the trouble I’ve had with actually getting online in Denver.

Before I came out here, I called a few people and asked them about the WiFi service because I know from experience during big events it tends to shut down frequently.MySpace at Leela’s

After assurances that Denver’s technological infrastructure was going to be supported by the DNCC I still find myself struggling to get online.

However; there is a diamond in the rough. MySpace has set up a solid internet station in Leela’s Cafe right off 16th St.

The MySpace Cafe is open 24 hours and has free internet service. Plus, the coffee isn’t too bad here…

I’ll have the full ‘Tech’ post later on and I’ll be talking with MySpace’s Lee Brenner about their presence here at the DNC