Democratic Convention Notes
Photo by Chris Casteel
With relatively few delegates, and a not-so-good track record of voting for Democrats for president, Oklahoma Democrats usually get put in the upper reaches of the arenas that host the national conventions every four years. This year will be no exception.
The Oklahoma delegation will be seated well off the floor and up in the bowl of the Pepsi Center in Denver, where the Democratic National Convention begins on Monday. Not a bad view, even though it’s not close to the “action.”
The bigger problem on Sunday was that the section was 10 seats short of the 48 needed for the Oklahoma delegates. During a practice run on Sunday for the traditional roll call of the states _ which will occur on Wednesday when Sen. Barack Obama is formally nominated as the party’s presidential candidate _ Holmes made note of the seat shortage when Oklahoma was called on for a microphone check.
A convention organizer for the party went up to the section and assured Holmes that room will be made for the entire delegation.
Holmes and others had a long and unexpected wait to get into the Pepsi Center on Sunday because of a protest march that snaked through downtown Denver to the center.
Photo by Associated Press
The protesters had a lot on their minds and signs including the war in Iraq (against) and world trade (also against) and corporate media (again, against).
A huge line of delegates and media representatives (including this blog’s author) were forced to wait until the procession passed before the police _ and there’s a small army of them around the center _ were allowed through security and into the center.
Holmes said Sunday that he has been given only 35 extra tickets for Obama’s speech on Thursday at the football stadium. And this for a place that holds more than 75,000. He had requested 200 since a lot of Oklahomans who aren’t delegates want to attend the speech.
A lot of people are going to be very disappointed, he understated.
Many of the Oklahoma delegated used Sunday to shop or go sightseeing around Denver or attend activities related to the convention, including an Interfaith gathering. Sunday night, some of the delegates went to an event honoring New Orleans hosted by Democratic Party chief Howard Dean.
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