Convention: Day 1

by: IrvingForObama

Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 08:44 AM CDT

Later, we signed in for our credentials for the day as well as our Texas Delegation Care Package. Some notable items include a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese with the Dem. Donkey on the cover and a t-shirt that says "Every Child Matters, Education Fund."

After breakfast, I joined my friends from the Texas Muslim Caucus, and we hopped the light rail to the AAIP Caucus (Asian American and Pacific Islander). We saw a lot of diversity and spirit at this Caucus.

Then we walked over to the Sheraton to attend the first-ever American Muslim Caucus held during the Dem. National Convention. The speakers were very impressive including Rep. Keith Ellison, our very own Eddie Bernice Johnson, and Gov. Patrick Duvall.  A troop of young Muslim boy scouts with their dads in den leader uniforms performed the flag ceremony. Keith Ellison took the time to mingle with these young boys - it was great to see!  

Clinton to Hispanic Caucus: "Work As Hard for Barack Obama As You Worked for Me"

by: David Mauro

Mon Aug 25, 2008 at 09:00 AM CDT

On Monday, at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Hillary Clinton made it clear in her speech to the Hispanic Caucus that the stakes were far too high in this election to not work tirelessly to elect Barack Obama.

Clinton accurately stated that Republicans would try to divide us and distract Democrats from the ultimate goal by trying to rehash the battles of the primaries.

She is exactly right. That is John McCain's strategy. He has several new ads that solely aim to persuade disgruntled Clinton supporters.

I believe Hillary Clinton's speech on Tuesday night will go a long way towards slamming the door on McCain's hopes to attract past Clinton supporters, which is a good thing not just for us here in Texas, but all across the nation.

For anyone who has the same mindset as Paul Moreno, think long and hard about these words:

“Every one of us could stand up and recite all the reasons why we must elect Barack. The Supreme Court is at stake; our educational system needs the right kind of change. We’ve got to become energy independent; we have to create millions of new green collar jobs. We’ve got so much work to do around the world. 

“None of that will happen if John McCain is in the White House. I just want to make it absolutely clear we cannot afford four more years of George W. Bush’s failed policies in America, and that’s what we would get with John McCain. 

"Now I understand that the McCain campaign is running ads trying to divide us, and let me state what I think about their tactics and these ads: I am Hillary Clinton, and I do not approve that message. 

“So let there be no mistake about it, we are united. We are united for change.”

Convention blogging from SD 9 Obama Delegate Coming Soon!

by: IrvingForObama

Sun Aug 24, 2008 at 00:45 AM CDT

Teri Pell
Irving for Obama
http://www.irvingforobama.com

Convening a National Conversation about Democracy & America in Denver

by: Mayor John Hickenlooper-Denver Host Committee

Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 02:49 PM CDT

Now that one of the most remarkable primaries in our nation's history has concluded, attention is turning to the Democratic National Convention in Denver.  In less than three months, the Mile High City and the Rocky Mountain West will host this historic event for the first time since 1908.

The Convention also coincides with Denver's 150th birthday - a
century-and-a-half of progress and innovation since its birth at the height of the Colorado gold rush.  A hub of opportunity for people seeking new frontiers, people come to Colorado seeking much more than gold these days.  The spirit of visionary zeal and limitless possibility is as strong as ever in the New West.  So it's fitting that as the Democratic Party marches toward its own new frontier, it will do so through Denver.

A message to all of you in Texas: you don't have to be in Denver - or on the Convention floor - to get in on the action though.  The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee has organized two interactive ways for people anywhere in America to get involved.  We're convening a national conversation about democracy and community and invite everyone to participate.

Wanna Go to Denver? Here's a Roadmap!

by: Glen Maxey

Fri Apr 04, 2008 at 01:00 AM CDT

Here's the handy guide to everything you need to know.

The Future of the Presidential Race

by: Glenn Smith

Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 07:14 PM CST

Clinton is counting on wins of any size to spin up her ultimate strategy, and it's this ultimate strategy that should concern all Democrats, not just Obama supporters, but Clinton supporters, too.

Suppose Clinton wins small popular vote victories in Texas and Ohio, but either falls further behind in delegates or breaks even. She'll trail Obama by 100-150  delegates (depending on whose count one uses) under the very best of circumstances. Spinning popular vote outcomes, Clinton wants to stretch the race out -- all the way to the Democratic Convention in Denver.

Should the Clinton campaign somehow prevail in seating delegates from Florida and Michigan, despite the fact that those states broke the rules and her opponent either did not campaign or was not even on the ballot there, the situation doesn't really change. That'll just smack of another back-room, dirty deal.

At the convention, Clinton will have to reverse the delegate vote that arrives in Denver. In other words, through some combination of super delegates and pledged delegate reversal, Clinton will have to take the nomination away from Obama at the convention.

And what will the effect of such a strategy be? Does anyone really believe Obama's supporters will return to vote for Clinton in November. Not in great numbers. It will split the Democratic party in half. And it will likely dramatically set back efforts in places like Texas to rebuild the Party.

In other words, this strategy, in the extremely remote chance that it is successful, dooms Democrats' hopes for November.

Now there's a rule in politics that you fight the war you're in and worry about the consequences tomorrow. Well, that's an awful lot like what's happened with the Bush policy in Iraq. Failing to account for the consequences has proved a human and political tragedy of hellish proportions.

A Democratic convention meltdown will not be a tragedy of that magnitude, of course. Except that a McCain victory will continue the human and political tragedy of hellish proportions that already is Iraq.

This is why the Clinton team wants to cast a cloud over the Texas caucuses. Reporting the caucus outcome will very likely make the stark reality of her circumstance a stark reality in public understanding. And that will reveal the endgame she has in mind.

Of course, a popular vote loss in Texas or honest press accounts of the delegate situation, especially if Obama performs in the Texas caucuses as he has in other states, will stop such a strategy in its tracks.