Redstate

Posted at 12:02pm on Jul. 3, 2008 Democratic Party contemplating cutting a day off of convention schedule.

For a Party so supposedly loaded down with cash, they're doing a lot of austerity programs.

By Moe Lane

I can't seem to avoid the front page today. Via Hot Air:

A short but sweet gathering
July 3, 2008

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.

You'll notice - although the LA Times didn't - that the aforementioned Obama aides completely overlooked the fact that their blithe suggestion would muck up network lineup schedules. The time to do that was four months ago, guys. Springing it on them seven weeks out isn't very nice.

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | DNC | Obamafiles | Things to Do In Denver When You're Broke — Comments (46)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:33pm on Jun. 18, 2008 Denver Post calls for Barack Obama to help fund DNC convention shortfall.

More money than God, remember?

By Moe Lane

Their editorial position is one of faint alarm at the current state of affairs with the convention committee, coupled with a certain worry that somehow Coloradans will be stuck with the bill. After noting the - yeah, "litany" is fair - of failures, the DP addresses the future:

Right now, the only back-up plan is to continue raising money. And considering how difficult it's already been, that gives us pause. However, Kelly Jean Brough, the mayor's chief of staff, was quoted as saying that other cities who have hosted political conventions report that fundraising "always picks up in the final months before the event, with nominees assisting in the process."

We can only hope. We've heard for some months now that the Democrats' protracted battle for the presidential nomination hurt fundraising. Well, there's now just one nominee, and he just so happens to have an astonishing ability to raise money.

As we've said before, an e-mail from Barack Obama to his donor list, asking for support for the convention, would put the host committee much closer to meeting its needs.

The failure of the Obama campaign to do even this (let alone simply funding the shortfall directly) continues to be startling, given that as the assumed nominee he would be the primary beneficiary of a lavish Denver convention (and one that would be better covered than usual). Financial considerations should not be a concern, given his reputation for fund-raising (although - unlike McCain - Obama has not yet announced his May totals)... which leads to the interesting question: why is the DNC being left in limbo like this?

Moe Lane

PS: I have noticed that very few reports have been made about Obama's May fundraising, and most of the ones that have been made usually seem to be uncritically accepting of that Hill story of his likely $100 million June. But "very few" does not equal "none".

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | DNC | Things to Do In Denver When You're Broke — Comments (8)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:38pm on Jun. 17, 2008 DNC Default Update: "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Nice shootin', Tex! "

What do you mean, "No comment?" You *own* this incontinent little puppy now, Barry.

By Moe Lane

Or so we keep getting told.

Here's some of the background: the short version is that the host committee for this thing is on the hook (as in, within a week) for any shortfalls from expenditures. The article indicates that the city's not liable under the contract, although the quoted Wyeth below doesn't seem to be quite hearing that. This has all the signs of being a truly epic-level spat:

"The responsibilities of the host committee, as detailed in the master contract, are all important to ensuring the success of the convention," DNCC spokeswoman Natalie Wyeth said in a statement. "The host committee and the city committed to meeting these requirements, and we fully expect that they will do so."

The contract specifies that the city of Denver isn't responsible for financing the convention, and Hickenlooper spokeswoman Sue Cobb reiterated Monday the mayor's promise that no city money would be used to finance the convention.

[snip]

Wyeth declined to comment on whether there would be any consequences if the city did not provide for a line of credit, adding that the contract speaks for itself.

Still, easily fixed, right? You can't have a chintzy, strapped-for-cash convention. God knows the DNC can't pony up, so you go to the nominee...

With less than 70 days to the convention, host-committee officials say they are reaching out to the campaign of Barack Obama, the Democrat's presumptive nominee and a proven fundraising powerhouse, to help fill the difference. Host-committee officials have blamed the long primary season for the slow pace of fundraising.

Officials at Obama's campaign headquarters in Chicago declined to comment.

...and that's where you insert the "needle skips on the record" sound effect. This should be a no-brainer: the Democrats are in Denver because it's in Colorado, and they'd like to win Colorado, and one prerequisite to winning Colorado is not ticking off the state by throwing a party and stiffing Colorado with the tab. The DNC doesn't have the money, the DCCC and the DSCC need all their money (because they sure aren't getting anything from the DNC this go-round), and if the private donors were going to make up the difference on their own they would have done so by now. It's you or nobody, Senator Obama - and you're supposed to be the man with the cash, on the verge of having your best month yet.

So why no commitment, or even comment?

Moe Lane

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | DNC | Things to Do In Denver When You're Broke — Comments (14)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:06am on Jun. 17, 2008 Breaking: DNC's, ah, *miserable failure* at raising convention cash confirmed.

I seem to have seriously underestimated Chairman Dean's desire for self-immolation.

By Moe Lane

I was certain that he would have been able to avoid the embarrassment. Well, it's not the first time that I've been wrong.

Denver $11.6M short of DNC fundraising goal

DENVER (AP) — Denver's host committee for the Democratic National Convention fell $11.6 million short of a $40.6 million fundraising goal set by the Democratic National Committee.

The $40.6 million was to be raised by a Monday midnight deadline. The host committee reported Monday it had raised $29 million.

Well, time to write that check, Senator Obama. Quickly: the City of Denver is not going to appreciate having to pick up the tab for your party. Whoops! Hold on. Not 11.6 million. $21.6 million: they actually need $50 million total, and it's for darn sure by now that you can't count on Dean to get the rest of the cash...

Moe Lane

PS: You're good for it, right? I only ask because you haven't released your May numbers yet.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | DNC | Howard Dean — Comments (21)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 7:26pm on Jun. 15, 2008 Annnnnd let the DNC's unseemly last minute scramble for money commence.

Please note: I fully expect them to scrape the money together by tomorrow. *Somehow.*

By Moe Lane

I mean, really: Howard Dean may be the most incompetent DNC chair in his Party's history, but surely even he can display a certain raw animal cunning when his back's to the wall like this.

DNC convention committee faces $15 million shortfall

DENVER (AP) — The host committee for the Democratic National Convention faces a possible shortfall of $15 million, complicating logistics for the August event and forcing it to abruptly postpone a media walkthrough of the site scheduled for next week.

The Democratic National Committee has asked the cash-strapped panel to raise $40.6 million by Monday to finance the event. Last month, the committee said it had just $25 million in cash, and it has failed to meet each of several fundraising deadlines since signing a contract with the DNC last year.

Via Ed Morrissey. If you were wondering why the Obama campaign is transplanting the DNC to Chicago, I suggest that the article might give you a hint as to why. If you were wondering why this would even be an issue, since Obama's going to have more money than Croesus by the end of June, I suggest... I suggest that you don't worry about it. Of course Obama will be able to make Howard Dean's problems go away, all with One Big Check.

Moe Lane

PS: What? Oh, apparently we're good. But thanks for asking.

PPS: Yes, I understand that there's often problems with putting money together for Presidential conventions. It's just that Howard Dean has been a really, really, really bad DNC Chair.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | DNC | Howard Dean | Things to Do In Denver When You're Broke — Comments (28)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:14pm on Jun. 12, 2008 Frightened Dems pull party apparatus back to Chicago

DNC to be near Barry's freinds and mentors.

By Mark Kilmer

I think, deep down, quite a few of us all liked Howard Dean, insofar that his rhetoric was over-the-top funny and his instincts were… well, "YEAAARRRRGH!" And, as Rush Limbaugh reports, Howard knows the score so far. Spake Limbaugh into his Golden EIB Microphone on Wednesday:

I had a plant today in a Howard Dean breakfast with reporters, and I just got the report from the plant who attended the Howard Dean breakfast, and this is what he said. He said, "Democrats are nervous about Obama's chances in November, but Howard Dean called such unease healthy." I know they're nervous. They have been nervous when the guy started losing primary after primary after primary in major states to the witch [Hillary?]. They were bugged by this. They were troubled by it. He did not get votes from traditional Democrat constituencies. You know they're worried! So my plant at the Howard Dean breakfast confirms this. Dean says, "I'm actually thrilled that they're nervous. I think it's about time. Last spring there was this feeling of confidence, that we're just going to roll through everything, and that's how you lose elections. So I'm delighted that Democrats are really worried about whether they can win or not. I'm just delighted about this! It's absolutely going to be close."

There is no way that Howard Dean is excited that they are worried.

Obama's nervous, as evidenced by the fact that he is moving Howie and the party apparatus from DC to Chicago. Ben Smith at Politico.com tells us:

Read On…

Posted in Chicago | Democrats | DNC | Emil Jones | Obama | Pflager | Rezko | wright — Comments (26)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:02am on Jun. 6, 2008 So I'm putting together a story about May 2008 fundraising.

Just a sort of snapshot.

By Moe Lane

The AP notes that McCain has raised $21.5 million in May, with $31.5 million in the bank; while the RNC has raised $23.5 million, with $53.6 in the bank. So I thought that it might be interesting to see what everybody else's numbers were.

I won't go over the gory details of the telephone calls: suffice it to say that you should reasonably expect the Democratic and Republican legislative groups to reveal their numbers somewhere around the filing deadline. And if the DNC ever gets back to me, they'll probably tell me about the same thing. Not bad phone service from any of the groups that I called up, by the way...

Except for the Obama Presidential campaign, oddly enough. You start with a automated voice messaging system (the Congressional/Senatorial groups have actual people taking the calls; that may be a volume thing, of course); followed up by the standard directory. The oddity, however, is that in five minutes of steadily-bemused calling I couldn't actually get a live person on the phone. The "leave-a-message" canned answers were always followed by a "Messages cannot be recorded," followed by a dial-zero-for-attendant, which led right back to "leave-a-message" - while trying to back into the system by hitting other options led to the all-operators-are-busy-please-call-back-later. The one exception I found to this was their contributions line, which gave the option to leave a message, which did work - or, at least, I got a beep. And, of course, the system took every opportunity to send people to the website, which (to me, at least) is corporate shorthand for "We don't actually want to talk to you." By contrast, John McCain 2008 connected me to an actual human being within one minute.

Not to be mean or anything, but I'm guessing that there's a certain difference in priority levels there.

Moe Lane

PS: I'm going to guess that the DNC / Obama folks release their numbers in a few weeks. Whether or it's going to be on a day with a natural disaster going on somewhere else is a question that each person must ask him- or herself.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | DCCC | DNC | DSCC | John McCain | NRCC | NRSC | RNC — Comments (6)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 7:53pm on May 31, 2008 Now that there's been a tentative understanding on Michigan & Florida...

...and, more importantly, now that The Green Papers has noticed it...

By Moe Lane

(H/T AoSHQ)

...let us look at the last set of numbers.

As per TGP, there are 4,234 "votes" (there are too many half-delegates now to ignore); either candidate will thus need 2,118 "votes" to win. Obama has 2,052 (1,723.5, not including super-delegates) "votes"; Clinton has 1,876.5 (1,586.5, not including super-delegates). There are 86 pledged "votes" left, and 191 super-delegate "votes." Obama needs 65 "votes" (or twice what Plouffe is telling everybody that he needs); Clinton needs 241.5. Obama will not get 76% of the remaining pledged votes in the next three elections, so he needs more super-delegates. Clinton needs to poach a significant portion of Obama's existing support to win at the convention. As 16% of his support is pretty much free to jump at any time, this is not actually impossible (how probable is of course the question).

So, essentially, today has: made it impossible for Obama to even claim that he's clinched the nomination after MT/SD's results without last-minute super-delegate additions; confirmed that Clinton's only real chance is in raiding Obama's existing supporters, and put the remaining uncommitted super-delegates in a position where they are going to be reviled whether they jump one way, the other, or - especially - not at all.

Conclusions?

Don't ever put the Democratic Party in charge of planning your wedding.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | DNC | Hillary Clinton | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (13)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 5:39pm on May 31, 2008 Reporting back from the DNC protest rally. [UPDATED!]

Pictures to follow.

By Moe Lane

I have just gotten back - it's probably still going on, but once the rain hit in earnest around 2 PM I figured that I had done my bit for the day - so this post will be highly amended and altered as I upload the photos and determine whether any of the audio is really usable. But before I get started, let me give the executive summary.

If the people at this rally are representative of Clinton supporters generally, the Democratic Party is going to be in serious trouble, for two reasons:

1). They aren't particularly interested in backing down on this issue;

and

2). It may have sounded like a typical Democratic rally, but it looked and smelled like one of ours. Which is to say: lots of American flags, almost no reek of patchouli.

More will be after the fold.

Posted in 2008 | DNC | Hillary Clinton | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (16)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:51pm on May 31, 2008 A Fair Reflection of the DNC

Dems being Dems being Dems being Dems.

By Mark Kilmer

A meeting of the Democratic National Committee's Rules & Bylaws Committee is not engaging television, no matter what the matter. Especially when you just don't care one way or the other.

Sort it out amongst yourselves. Yeah, right.

The real question was: Do they want to have rules? Short answer: not really.

Rules committee member Harold Ickes, Hillary's hit man, asked Congressman Mark Wexler, there from Florida for Obama, if he approved of the DNC's principle of "fair reflection." Wexler seemed unsure. Wexler seemed not to know of any principle by that name, but it has something to do with the delegate delegation reflecting the division of the popular vote.

Fair reflection is big with Ickes/Hillary, especially in Michigan. Ickes Levin went toe-toe-toe with Carl Levin on this matter, and Levin accused Ickes of desiring a "fair reflection of a flawed primary."

Some Obama people think that Barry should receive a fair reflection of those who voted non-committed. There was an unprecedented number of votes for "uncommitted," we're told, and exit polls and Ouija boards inform us that these people were really voting for Barry, who was not on the ballot.

There was a lot of talk of party unity, but it's always couched in terms of: "UNITY BEHIND MY CANDIDATE, NOT YOURS!" That doesn't work.

I watched on C-SPAN, when I wasn't out getting the groceries. It was also carried, I noticed when checking, by CNN and that other cable news network, the one with the always-outraged sportscaster. FNC carried their money shows in the AM and their general news after noon (ET).

They're going to vote after lunch, and they haven't made the case to me for why I should care. I'll be happy so long as it is a fair reflection of the State of the national Dem apparatus.

Next time I see Howard Dean, I am going to chant" FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS! …"

Posted in 2008 | Democrats | DNC | meeting — Comments (7)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:46pm on May 28, 2008 Time to go buy some stock in whoever makes Maalox.

Because the Democratic Party's about to order in bulk.

By Moe Lane

The Spring of Pain is well on its way to becoming the Summer of Weasels Gnawing on Entrails* for the Democratic Party, and may I be the first to congratulate them for it? There's a bit of lopsidedness to the general election results so far, you see:

PRINCETON, NJ -- In the 20 states where Hillary Clinton has claimed victory in the 2008 Democratic primary and caucus elections (winning the popular vote), she has led John McCain in Gallup Poll Daily trial heats for the general election over the past two weeks of Gallup Poll Daily tracking by 50% to 43%. In those same states, Barack Obama is about tied with McCain among national registered voters, 45% to 46%.

[snip of graphs]

In contrast, in the 28 states and the District of Columbia where Obama has won a higher share of the popular vote against Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries and caucuses, there is essentially no difference in how Obama and Clinton each fare against McCain. Both Democrats are statistically tied with him for the fall election.

[H/T Hot Air]

And guess what? It's all about the swing states, baby.

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | DNC | Spring of Pain | Swing States | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (9)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:35am on May 28, 2008 I don't think that this "McCain flies off the handle" meme is quite working, gentlemen. [UPDATED]

But by all means, keep trying.

By Moe Lane

In fact, like Eric of Classical Values (H/T Instapundit) I'm pretty sure that at this point he just finds it funny, if a bit sad:

Much like I do, in fact [UPDATE: And much as my colleague absentee does, as well. He has a longer, yet semantically identical, video at his site]. Now, the planned protests at the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting this Saturday; yeah, that should be just full of people flying off of the handle enthusiastically giving their collective opinion:

The Democratic National Committee is bracing itself for protests outside its Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting on Saturday in Washington, where the fates of the Florida and Michigan primaries could finally be decided.

Supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton are organizing to march and then gather on the street outside the panel’s meeting, scheduled for Saturday morning at a hotel in Northwest Washington.

“They’re coming up on buses, they’re taking the train, they’re Metro-ing, they’re coming up with friends,” said Allida Black, a professor at George Washington University and an event organizer. “We’re trying to flood it.”

I was originally going to just sleep in on Saturday - they filled up available seats to the meeting itself ten minutes after they started offering them to the public - but that was before I found out that there was going to be a free show, and everything.

Moe Lane

Posted in 2008 | DNC | Florida | Hillary Clinton | John McCain | Michigan — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:28pm on May 6, 2008 Going forward: Is Tom Maguire right?

OK, well, he often is. But is he right *now*?

By Moe Lane

He's on course for getting the first three right:

My utterly unscientific prediction follows the principle established in Pennsylvania - neither Howard Dean's luck nor the luck of the Democratic Party has changed, so the result tonight will be whatever is necessary to maximize confusion. That will mean Barack wins North Carolina, Hillary wins Indiana (and the white sub-primary in North Carolina, natch[*]), and neither margin will be viewed by anyone as decisive.

...and the fourth is a judgment call anyway. All in all, I think that we need to put the DNC on our collective Christmas card lists...

Moe Lane

*60/40 Clinton, apparently.

Posted in 2008 | Democratic Primary | DNC | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (0)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 7:48am on Apr. 30, 2008 FactCheck.org Agrees - DNC Takes Over Obama's Lies

By California Yankee

On Monday I went after Howard Dean and company for picking up Obama's lies with another less than truthful ad.

Now FactCheck.org has examined the Democrat's latest prevarications and found, once again, that the Democrats' ad "twists" what Senator McCain actually said:

The ad twists the sense of McCain's words by showing images of war, when he was really talking about a peaceful troop presence. Imagine how different the ad would seem if it showed images of, say, American troops walking the streets of Tokyo or Seoul and had included what McCain said about "Americans ... not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed."

Anyone who didn't already know the fuller version of McCain's answer could easily be fooled into thinking that McCain would be perfectly happy to see the war continue. McCain has said quite clearly that he considers Democratic proposals for a quick withdrawal from Iraq to be "surrender," and so deadly fighting could well continue longer under a President McCain than under either a President Hillary Clinton or a President Obama. But what the DNC ad conveys is the opposite of what McCain said.

Read on, there's more.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | DNC | Economy | Howard Dean | Iraq | John McCain — Comments (3)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 4:54pm on Apr. 18, 2008 Under pressure, Dean starts to come unraveled

Watching Howard Dean scream in slow motion

By Soren Dayton

Today, Howard Dean did something very silly. He demanded that John McCain apologize for something that Tom Tancredo said about immigration and the Catholic Church. For real.

Several problems with this. First, Tancredo has not endorsed McCain. Second, McCain's position is reasonably close to the Catholic Church's.

So what is going on? Dean's failures at the DNC are leading to his unraveling. Read on.

Posted in 2008 | DNC | Howard Dean — Comments (26)/ Email this page » / Read More »