Slapstick Politics: Democratic National Convention Countdown, No. 29-27

**Tons of links, scroll for updates . . .

Democratic National Convention Daily Digest and Open Thread
Sunday July 27, Monday July 28 and Tuesday July 29, 2008--No. 29-27

DNC:

No, but Glenn Spagnuolo of Recreate '68 should feel right at home

•DNC protestors, including Recreate '68, pledge in court that they will be non-violent and don't need to be caged--the city argues that a manual of "street tactics" indicates that violence may be a foregone conclusion (witness list); the protestors entering the Public Demonstration Area (the cage) will not be searched, and the new parade route to Invesco Field has been revealed

•Anarchists from Unconventional Action issue "sincere" ultimatum to Denver--use the $50 million for security to "invest" in the community, and they'll avoid shutting down the city (w/video):

"As anarchists, we feel the greatest problem with government is how its primary interest is to protect the profits of those in power, even when it comes at the expense of the general public," Clayton Dewey, an organizer with Unconventional Denver, said in a statement.

"Spending $50 million on weaponry to attack people voicing their opinion and flooding the streets with riot police while schools close down, children go without health care and people lose their homes is exactly the problem with the corrupt two-party system we're opposing this August," he said.

I'm guessing this "offer"--extortion, in my opinion--will be ignored by the rest of the MSM, and UA will get to say "we warned you" should things go bad during the convention; UA/DNC Disruption's latest DNC "plans"

•**Update--threat of sprinklers made "in jest" but curfew still applies, Adam Jung of Tent State says that protestors may camp elsewhere--Rocky says Tent State should have permit yanked if it can't meet conditions; Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper to Tent State--Denver will use sprinklers to enforce the no camping policy after 11pm; a surplus of protestors arrested (not necessarily from Tent State) during the DNC could spend some time in tents if there is no room; more info here, and an update on the Civic Center profile series (today's segment); more observations and analysis from Drunkablog

•Denver still in a mere $10 million DNC fundraising hole--and criticism is pouring in, including Mayor Hickenlooper's love/hate relationship with the convention:

The host committee is as much as $10 million short in fundraising, and financial difficulties have forced it to cancel two dozen parties for delegates. Denver officials are scrambling to deal with the logistical challenges of Barack Obama's acceptance speech being held at an outdoor stadium instead of in the arena where the rest of the convention will take place. Even special daisies that the city bred partly to show off for the convention are failing to sprout.

Criticism has been so harsh that this month the host committee felt compelled to issue a news release defending its much-mocked catering guidelines, which recommend organic produce and color-coordinated meals and discourage fried food.

"It's an embarrassment, particularly for the political class," said Floyd Ciruli, a former chairman of the state Democratic Party who is now an independent pollster unaffiliated with the convention effort. "At this point, everybody's thinking about the burdens rather than the benefits."

Local political leaders and the host committee insist everything is fine, and that any bumps along the way will be overshadowed by the attention showered on the city next month.

"That's a little bit of white noise around the perimeter," said Mayor John Hickenlooper. "Did we ever dream we'd have a candidate of this historic magnitude? Did we ever dream we'd have a candidate who'd make his acceptance speech in front of 80,000 people and have to turn away another 80,000?"

Nonetheless, at a conference on Western issues last week, Hickenlooper referred to the event as the "blasted convention" and compared it to a summer he spent painting a house for which he was never paid. "If we'd known back then what we know now, we'd never have done it," he said, before quickly adding, "and what an incredible shame that would have been."

Yes, what a shame. It's called denial, Mayor Hickenlooper.

•Just bizarre--a beaver and a cat (hand puppets) explain protest plans for the RNC and DNC in a fake news conference, via the Unconventional Action "audio-visual cell":