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.