DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION: The Republicans:

Outside the arena, the tribes clamor

Opposition’s goal is well defined this convention season: Divert and distract

Leila Navidi

Republicans, from left, Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, share a laugh during a news conference Tuesday in Denver. The party scheduled press events such as this one on Democrats’ turf this week to steal some of the media coverage.

By Lisa Mascaro (contact)

Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Leila Navidi

Beck Gudmundson, left, of Salt Lake City and Mark Streeter of Bountiful, Utah, hold up political signs Tuesday in Denver.

Denver — Intentionally or not, the Republicans pulled off a fairly brilliant political move that probably can’t be used again: Invite the press corps to hear potential Republican presidential running mate Mitt Romney speak a mile or so away from the core of the Democratic convention activities downtown.

Of course the press would come.

But how they would get back to the Democratic activities downtown was less clear.

No taxis in sight. No bus. No shuttle service.

Just dozens of reporters stranded in a semi-industrial outpost trying to return to the Democratic National Convention on a very hot summer afternoon.

They were away from the action a good two hours.

Republicans have set up a war room here, unwilling to cede any minute of convention coverage to the Democrats. Fortified with an army of two dozen staffers, they’re trying to steer the conversation away from Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic hopeful whose name and image are everywhere here, and toward Republican contender Sen. John McCain.

Republicans are holding press events and putting party leaders on the phone in conference calls, as they did Tuesday afternoon in one with Nevada reporters. They’re pumping up the McCain supporters, those spoilers who are walking around wearing “Nobama” shirts and whatnot in a town full of Democrats.

Next week in St. Paul, Minn., Democrats will do the same.

In fact, they’re already there, getting ready.

Historians say it wasn’t always like this.

Back when political conventions were true presidential nominating contests, each party would pause while the other was holding its event, allowing a break in the mudslinging before the campaigns began in earnest.

Now, parties use the conventions as the opening ad in the fall race, said Julian Zelizer, a professor at Princeton who writes extensively on American politics.

The result is an extension of the partisan atmosphere that many voters believe is part of the problem with Washington.

Zelizer can’t pinpoint it exactly — or say which party went first — but opposition party appearances at conventions have been standard for the past several cycles.

“It is partisanship reaching into one more aspect of our political system,” Zelizer said.

“It builds on itself, moreover, as it will only intensify partisan rhetoric to come out of conventions.”

As prime time coverage was about to get under way Tuesday, former Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani was ducking into an elevator at the Pepsi Center.

The Republican war room announced he will be the party’s guest speaker today.

Maybe reporters won’t make a journey of that kind again. The Giuliani news conference is being held at a location even farther from the one Tuesday. The Republicans announced shuttles will be provided — from the war room.

Discussion: 4 comments so far…

By cignetti

8/27/08 at 7:56 a.m.

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Label this 3 ring circus LIBERALS GONE WILD plus a lot of empty promises.
By drtiff

8/27/08 at 11 a.m.

Suggest removal

I LOVE IT THAT THE REPUBLICANS HAVE GONE TO DENVER AND TRIED TO TAKE AWAY ATTENTION FROM THE DEMOCRATS. (LOOK AT ME.. LOOK AT ME).. VERY IMMATURE AND WHAT A WASTE OF ENERGY. SAYS A LOT ABOUT HOW DESPERATE THEY ARE.... AND STILL WITHOUT A MESSAGE.
By RunningonEmpty

8/27/08 at 7:35 p.m.

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The exorbitant price of fuel has driven up the price of everything from the increased production and shipping costs. I have yet to hear more than a sugar coated one liner from either candidates as to their plans to bring Americans relief. Does either candidate even have a plan other than to support new off shore drilling. It is easy to say we need to decrease our dependence of foreign oil and seek out alternative fuel sources, but where's the beef...where's the plan?

site to share if you should be interested...

www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com
By Future2012

8/27/08 at 10:22 p.m.

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At Biden’s acceptance speech, Obama praised Clinton for putting people first.

Obama and Biden going back to Clinton for an economic model is a failure.

Here is what I know:

My 401K value dropped by 50% under Clinton and has never recovered.

From March 24, 2000 to October 9, 2002 the S&P 500 Index dropped 49.1%

This was Clinton's recession (that nobody will talk about) which was due to Clinton's tax increase. This amount of money taken out of the consuming and investing public resulted in a precipitate decline in sales by and investments in the manufacturing sector.

This is evident by:
• The long 17-month contraction in the ISM manufacturing index starting in July of 2000, causing the lost of millions of manufacturing jobs, which helped drive the country into recession.
• The March 24, 2000 to October 9, 2002 S&P 500 Index drop of 49.1% was caused in part by a need by people to sell stock to pay increased taxes.
• Median Household income crest at $42,000 in 1999, and dropped in 2000 and 2001.
• Corporate debt increased by 125% between 1995 and 1999 to $2.6 trillion; and corporate tax shelter trickery (Enron, Global Crossing, and Tyco) took off.
• Real GDP was just 0.5% in 2001.