Slapstick Politics: Democratic National Convention Countdown, No. 3

Democratic National Convention Daily Digest and Open Thread
Friday August 22, 2008--No. 3

•Denver Mayor "Teflon" John Hickenlooper finally delivers on DNC fundraising of $40.6 million

•More "hope and change"--a lot of change--Obama campaign selling tickets to Invesco Field speech for a cool $1000:

Two known Democratic supporters are outraged at their own party after being solicited to buy tickets to Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field next Thursday, CBS4 reports. The seats were distributed for free to the general public.

One source directed CBS4 to an unpublicized part of the Obama campaign's Web site where Democratic supporters, reportedly with deep pockets, could buy tickets for $1,000 each. The source told CBS4 he was solicited three times to buy the tickets through the Web site.

One source said it was unethical and being kept secret from the public.
. . .
The known Democratic supporter who called CBS4 said the selling of tickets an "underground fundraising operation."

Yep, those politics, they are a-changin'. Couldn't get in and don't have 1000 bucks? Watch Obama at the Jazz & Blues Festival in Historic Five Points

•A Democratic National Convention preview (and a reminder of what happened in 1968):

•Disconnect--Mayor Hickenlooper and Denver police chief says law enforcement ready to go, rank-and-file officers say "not so much"; Hickenlooper not expecting many protesters; DPD and other law enforcement will target agitators

•Not quite '68--protesters should be on their best behavior, as ~~Big Brother~~ DPD will have live cameras, both fixed and mobile, including camera phones:

The Denver Police Department will rely on live, high tech video feeds to try to isolate and arrest potentially violent protestors at next week's Democratic National Convention.
. . .
Sources say many officers will be armed with new cell phone video cameras capable of transmitting video live back to Denver Police Headquarters at 1331 Cherokee Street. There, authorities will sift through the pictures, and help identify individuals who should be pursued for unlawful activities.

Scratch that. Big Brother is watching, as over 400 private security cameras are installed Downtown (and unlikely to go away--video).

•Sniffing out terrorism--Denver has installed air filters looking for biological weapons:

Every night and day, monitors placed on rooftops across Denver are sniffing the air for biological weapons, including anthrax, the plague and smallpox.

9Wants to Know has learned that early warning detection system, called BioWatch, will also monitor the air inside the Pepsi Center and INVESCO Field during the Democratic National Convention.

Meanwhile, Golden's city manager withdraws his BBQ invitation to Al Jazeera English

•There will be arrests at the DNC--of anti-abortion activists:

The founder of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue said Wednesday that he and other activists plan to be arrested during the Democratic National Convention while protesting Barack Obama's support for abortion rights.

Randall Terry said the protest would be a sit-in but he declined to give details of exactly when and where the protest would occur following a closed-door meeting with police about his plans. He estimated that between 10 and 30 people would be arrested.

Terry said he and volunteers would also leave thousands of pamphlets on cars parked at shopping centers and churches around the Denver area.

One targeted at evangelicals is entitled "Real Solutions for the 'Negro Problem"', which asks voters if they would support a fictional candidate who was right on all the issues but also supported slavery. It states that murder is worse than slavery and Christians can't vote for any candidate that supports abortion.

"Our intention is to jolt the evangelical and Catholic churches back to reality. They're being seduced by this Obama mania," Terry said at a press conference outside police headquarters. He said he promised not to discuss his meeting with police.

Read the rest. Inmates in Denver are already being moved to air-conditioned tents in advance of the expected protester arrests.

•Recreate '68 issued a statement after Public Enemy denied being scheduled to appear during the DNC:

"We have received many media inquiries into the performance planned by Public Enemy during the DNC. Recreate 68 was informed by Mad Society Productions that Public Enemy was planning a concert for our organization. We have been assured by Mad Society Productions that a contract is signed, financial arraignments have been made, and airline tickets have been purchased for Public Enemy. At this point, we have not been told anything other than a possible change in the scheduled time."

Either someone lied or someone is getting sued for breach of contract. Or both.

•Tinfoil hat alert--more military helicopters above Downtown Denver on "standard" training mission

•So what else is new--DPD flyer on potential disruptive "caches of objects" from bikes to bricks draws the ire of the ACLU; more behind-the-scenes views of "Gitmo on the Platte"; protester offers advice to other protesters--"demonstrators will need to catch the various law enforcement agents trying to entrap participants and incite riots"; resources for protesters via ACLU and People's Law Project

•2 DPD officers involved in videotaped beating will not be on the front lines at the DNC

•Group wants DPD to ignore pot violations during DNC; DNC THC convention a bust

•Inside the Big Tent "blogger circus"

•Did someone say beer?

•Sen. Ken Salazar promises his speech won't be a snoozzzzzzzzzzzzzzz:

Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar has just started making notes for his speech before the Democratic convention next week, but he knows what he won't say.

"I anticipate that I will give a very short speech," Salazar joked Wednesday when asked about then-Gov. Bill Clinton's famous marathon snoozer at the 1988 convention in Atlanta.

"I will not give a 41-minute speech," Salazar said with a laugh.