Country music singer John Denver said he was “leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again.” Well, I’m leaving for the Mile High City, but I know when I’ll be back again. Between now and next Friday, I will be reporting from inside the Pepsi Center and the Big Tent.
The sudden death of Rep. Stephanie Jones Tubbs casts a pall over the Democratic National Convention. While Tubbs Jones was a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton, she was also a powerful speaker and fearless warrior who could connect with African Americans and white women.
The celebration will also be tempered by polls that show the presidential race is a statistical dead heat. On the eve of the convention, Barack Obama has lost his mojo. John McCain is surging and Obama is slipping.
Still, history will be made when Obama accepts the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Leah H. Daughtry, CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee, said:
Opening the door of the political process to people who have never taken part in the past has been the bedrock of our planning for this Convention since we arrived in Denver one year ago. Twelve months and 56 primaries and caucuses later, it’s only fitting that our delegates represent that same core value and Barack Obama’s unparalleled ability to bring more new people in to the electoral process than ever before. Young and old, first-timers and Convention veterans, all representing a broad spectrum of backgrounds and communities, this is a delegation that will bring America’s voices to Denver.
The Democratic convention by the numbers:
- 50.1 percent of the delegates are women
- 44.3 percent represent minority communities
- 16.9 percent are seniors, age 65 or older
- 14.4 percent are age 36 or younger
Gavel-to-gavel coverage of presidential nominating conventions by the broadcast and cable networks has gone the way of analog TV sets. So, thank you C-Span.
The DNCC will offer live, gavel-to-gavel, streaming here. You can even pretend you’re Spike Lee and select your camera angles.
In the meantime, you can submit video or text questions about what you would do to get the country back on the right track. Elected officials and policy experts will respond directly to voters’ questions live from the Convention floor and online.
