Obama May Cut Dem Convention Short

According to the LA Times, Obama's campaign could slice a day off the Denver convention to improve his poll numbers:

Barack Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee are toying with a convention scheduling change that has been broached before in theory but never seriously considered: cutting the party's conclave in Denver short by one day to give Obama an extra day of post-nomination bounce in the crowded August calendar.

For the last several decades -- when conventions became forums that merely rubber-stamp a presumptive nominee -- they have traditionally run from Monday through Thursday.

Increasingly, both parties have struggled to offer something of interest during the first couple of convention nights, and the television networks have responded by dramatically reducing live coverage. The only truly significant event has been the nominee's acceptance speech, delivered during prime time on Thursday evening.

But Obama aides have floated the idea of ending the Denver convention on Wednesday, Aug. 27, instead of Thursday, Aug. 28.

But officials, as well as an Obama spokesman, say it isn't so:

Denver officials shrugged off a report Wednesday in the Los Angeles Times' political blog that claimed aides with the Barack Obama campaign and officials at the Democratic National Committee "are toying with" cutting the Democratic National Convention short by one day.

"I can guarantee you that's not happening," Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper said, adding that, unless he hasn't been told about it, discussions Wednesday with officials from the Democratic National Convention Committee and the Obama campaign indicated both camps were planning for a full convention Aug. 25-28.

Shannon Gilson, a spokeswoman for the Obama campaign, told The Denver Post there were no plans to cut a day.

"Absolutely not. We think Thursday night in Denver will be very special," she said in an e-mail.

Comments

[InfinteShibumi]

This is a non-story. The LA Times (or rather the journalist who wrote the piece) must be reaching here.

No way would Obama & Company miss the opportunity to address the promise of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech on the 45th anniversary of the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial. No Way.

[yallerdog]

just gimme the crown, you closet racists!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ingres%2C_Napoleon_on_his_Imperial_throne.jpg

[qdog112]

Jesse Helms on his way to He**!

[DavidHeart]

Careful now brother.

Folks who say He** end up in Heck.

[Roci]

When will politics in this poor, sad country be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century?
We Democrats have no business whatsoever wasting time, money and resources on the continuation of a throwback from the 19th century.

You want to signal that politics in American has REALLY come to a sea change?

Here's what you do. in short, simple words so people who watch sitcoms can understand it.

TWO DAYS
Day one: speeches. HRC, and everyone else 8 hours, including Prime time. Day ends with Nominating speeches. Lots of Prime time TV, but more important, gavel to gavel OVER THE NET.

Day two: Convention Ballots. Candidates nominated. Acceptance speeches, balloons, music, energy, and then fade to black.. Again, every second of it over the Internet as well as whatever the TV Nets want to do.Podcast­s, U-Tube, the whole nine yards. Everyone who knows the Net gets to watch, and maybe contribute a few bucks too.

Two days of security rather than four, a short convention so no one gets bored to tears and goes back to watching game show re-runs. Less expense. More money to campaign with. More people involved, young and old alike.

We used to elect presidents in November. and inaugurate them in March, because horses and telegraph were the main modes of transport and news. The world has become much smaller, and shrinks more every day.

We need the Networks, yes, but we have the Net that Works, too.

Roci

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Great points. Most business have shorten their conventions for economic reasons. I think if a political party shortened their convention it would be a responsible thing to do. I also wish they could make it smaller to have a much smaller environmental effect, but you need the crowds for show. No way could they shorten the convention for grandpa. He might take two days to give his speech.

[jeanrenoir]

Great point! Yes, intelligent Americans do indeed finally have the Net that works. Obama has used it for the greatest de facto campaign financing reform in history, and it's the greatest medium for rebellion against political business as usual imaginable. (Bush and Israel: TAKE NOTE. Bomb Iran and give us $15 gas at the pump and you're dead meat.) What a take charge, Gen-X dude Obama is, and has been all along. He substitutes the effectiveness of sheer relentless planning and strategy for the endless, poll-driven, triangulating smoozing the the Clintons, not to mention the clueless ideology of Bush's equally lost neocons. Real, reality-based American pragmatism, such as Obama's from start to finish, is the best thing this country's got going for it. Hell yes, apply it to the convention, the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and, above all, dealing with Iran, the way Bush finally dealt with N. Korea, with tough diplomacy, not bombs which will throw the world into Depression.

[CalGoldenBear]

Gen Xers were born between 1965 and to approximately 1979. (Experts disagree on the date separating Gen X from Gen Y.

Sen. Obama was born on August 4, 1961, so he is a late Baby Boomer (1946-1964).

Hillary ((10/26/47), Bill (8/19/46), and The Shrub (7/6/46) are all early Baby Boomers.

[MissingAmerica]

Right on!

[midknightryder13]

Considering there is talk about moving Senator O's acceptance speech from Pepsi Center (where the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche play) to Invesco Field at Mile High (where the Denver Broncos play -- cap. about 70,000) -- I don't think there is much chance of this being 'cut short.

[CalGoldenBear]

The people at the LA TImes are just as stupid, incompetent or lazy as the "journalists" on TV, cable or otherwise.

Their memories are like cheap pocket calculators -- turn them off and the "volatile memory" is erased.
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., a spell-binding Baptist minister (and orator), gave his "I have a dream" speech during the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom."  Tens of thousands of all races heard Dr. King deliver his speech from the steps of the Lincolm Memorial.  He gave the speech on August 28, 1963, folks. 
Thursday, August 28, 2008, is therefore the 45th anniversary of Dr. King's speech!

So Barack Obama, himself no slouch as an orator, is going to cut the Dem National Convention short and give his speech on Wednesday, August 27?   No way, Jose!
Only a bunch of idiots (or so-called, but delusional pundits) from the mainstream media could come up with a non-starter notion like lopping August 28 off the Dem schedule.

(A tribute to Dr. King and those who died -- including several Jewish college students -- in 1960s civil rights movement would be part of the lead-in for the nominee's acceptance speech. And remember that Sen. Obama only a few days ago called on Americans, particularly the thousands of Gen Y/Millennial/"echo boomers" who he has inspired to register to vote and assist in his campaign, to do public service).

[mergina]

Whatever Obama wants
Obama gets

[notthistime]

nonsense. He wanted an involved father and he didn't get that.

[pleeezzze]

I think he hates his mother for choosing his father !

[nyc4obama123]

why do they even bother posting this story and why do people bother believing it i just heard on cnn and msnbc that there will be a 4th day with a 70somthing thousand audience

[WhiteDelyte]

sure why not cut it short??
Im been feeling a little cut short by Obama lately too!!

Faith based initiatives?!! Jesus Christ.

New policy for Obama.
If Bush or McCain do something, do the complete opposite.
McCain sleeps at night, you sleep during the day.
McCain eats with a fork, you eat with a spoon.
McCain is old, you be young.
etc.......­.....

[doctorwang]

Your name says it all, WhiteDelight.

Gee, I wonder what your "etc." would have been......

[LettuceB1]

Cutting off your nose to spite your face, I see....

[kelzk]

Oh yeah, there's no way they're going to pass up the opportunity to speak on the 40th anniversary of the "I Have A Dream" speech. That would just be a completely missed golden opportunity.

I don't buy it.

[XME]

ABSOLUTELY­...there's no way he WON'T accept on the 28th. That's all the press has been talking about!

[chitown8]

45 years not 40 the March was August 1963.

[lboucher]

Obama on Thursday backed off his firm promise to withdraw combat forces from Iraq immediately and instead said he could “refine” his plan after his trip to Baghdad later this month.

Earlier, a top Obama adviser had said that the senator is not “wedded” to a specific timeline.

ONE MORE PROMISE BROKEN

IRAQ
FISA
GUN CONTROL

[trubluelefty]

This is really not accurate. You can't complain if you are not paying attention. Read Senator Obama's statemnts about FISA posted here and no one hates the Iraq war more than I do yet I am sensible enough to understand that he knows what he is doing and will do the right thing. If we want Mc Cain as President we can buy into all of the above points of the MSM.

MSNBC today said that perhaps they will have the Thursday night end of the convention speech at the Bronco Statdium, seating 75,000 seats. Hope so!

I believe in you Senator Obama and hpe that others wll not miss this chance.

[notthistime]

Iboucher - dont be ridiculous. Obama has been consistent on his stance on withdrawing from Iraq in ALL of his speeches. Go to youtube and listen for yourself or google Obama on withdrawing troops from Iraq. He says the same thing ALWAYS. Look it up.

[BARRISTER]

iboucher is a Repub Troll. He comments negatively on EVERY HuffPost Article. Ban him/her/it!!

[qdog112]

WRONG.

[LettuceB1]

Do the words "we have to be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in" sound familiar? Obama has consistently said that through his WHOLE campaign. He has said all along that he was going to use commanders on the ground to help figure out the best way to get out.

Please pay attention to EVERYTHING he says, not just bits and pieces. It stops the whole "he broke his promise" rant.

[ChristopherLib]

Won't happen. Any change like this would of had to be made way before now. And there's absolutely no benefit I see. An extra day of bounce, what the hell is that supposed to mean?

[Call me Sweety]

Oh Pleeeeeeee­eeaaaaaaaa­ssssseeeee­ee......Hi­llary and her own campaign managers lost this nomination. Bad planning and bad money management were the two main causes...n­obody took this nomination away from her.....sh­e gave it away.

[dajay]

Still talking about Hillary?

[oscartucker]

Obama Supporters, please settle down. There are some people posting here who are trying to get everyone supporting Obama all stirred up, and I believe some people are falling for it. There are several posts that are suspect under several of the articles. You can tell someone is up to something. People sound as if they are "jumping ship".

[tbone99]

It seems like the capitain's already jumped.

[WhiteDelyte]

Im still on the ship.
Its Obama who is jumping off.

[rosal]

You are right. We can smell tr0lls from miles. Hey Dems, don't fall for it. Ignore.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

They're called tr0lls.

[YRM]

How is that Mr. Clean Politics has managed to have the entire party leadership throw the election for him? Dean and company rigged the caucuses (with plenty of G.O.P. help in the way of recruiting caucus-goers), chopped up the Florida/Michigan votes, and (for their grand finale) let superdelegates "vote" in June so they could declare him the winner. You know, they call those people delegates for a reason, folks. So, if he's the guy who, as he says in his own words, was having "all the hope boiled and stewed out of me" by Washington insiders, how is that same insiders boiled and stewed all the delegates away from Clinton, then browbeat her to death until she cried uncle before doing what any other candidate in U.S. history has had a right to do - make their case at the convention? It makes no sense. Unless...

http://www.thecityedition.com/Pages/Archive/Summer08/BushThirdTerm.html

[yhgtup]

It's so sad. You're STILL making excuses for Hillary's loss. Hillary lost because she had a disorganized campaign, bickering among her strategist, and only planned to campaign til Super Tuesday. Her campaign wasn't smart about the caucus states. Barack won, fair & square. Who's got time to read your site?? Hillary's loss is old news.

[afgail]

Lest you start drinking your own Kool Aid. Hear this. The super delegates declared for Obama BEFORE the conventions via press release. They have NOT VOTED yet. And he doesn't have enough pledged delegates to put him over the top. Some of the super delgates declared for Obama even though their states voted for Hillary so don't get so snotty. I still haven't climbed on board the Obama wagon yet though seriously considering it. Every time you Obamabots diss Hillary it postpones the getting on board. So keep a civil tongue in your head.

[happypup]

Sounds to me like we have a a Republican foot soldier here on a mission to divide the Democratic party!

[closetodemfection]

PUMAs are longtime, loyal Dems. If you're so doubtful, go to one of the hundreds of coalition sites and read the comments rather than making assumptions about a movement you know nothing about.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Go back to PUMA and shut up.

[pleeezzze]

SHUT UP ??? I don't think so !
Those are FACTS , face reality just this once .

[tbone99]

Bullsxxt..­. one extra day for Obama to campaign , or one day less to for the little people to mess up the DNC scheduled theatre of pomposity?

[hopeforchange]

He's scared-every day of the convention is another day protestors will show just how much true democrats don't want him forced down out throats.

Baaaawk, baaaaawk, the chickens are coming home to roost for Senator Obama.

[NotBeatenYet]

Not as scared as the neocons are of passing the mens room at the Minneapolis airport for their convention!

[rosal]

Hey resident of Bitterville, stop the drama. She lost, she is done, period.

[happypup]

Scared of who? The PUMAS? The Republicans pretending to be PUMAS while they try to divide and conquer? Wonder which category you fit into?

[notthistime]

if the chickens are coming home to roost for Obama that means he will get nothing but BLESSINGS.