Minnesota Independent

DNC day three: Photos from the floor

By Paul Demko | 08.27.08 | 10:55 pm

I spent the evening in the scrum of the floor. Strangely it’s not the best vantage point from which to come up with a coherent analysis of the evening. Did Bill Clinton stick a shiv in Barack Obama or anoint him the next black president? Did Joe Biden’s tale of growing up a stuttering outsider in Scranton, Pennsylvania come off as hokum or populist humility? You’re so close to the action that it’s difficult to determine. And the true believers in the Pepsi Center treat every uttered word as if it came directly from God. So I offer up instead a gallery of photos from the evening.

DNC day three: PUMA sighting!

By Paul Demko | 08.27.08 | 2:47 pm

The elusive, but powerful PUMA has become a mythic figure at the Democratic National Convention. By reading the media coverage, you’d think these beasts are prowling every street corner in downtown Denver, threatening to overpower Barack Obama with a cloud of estrogen. But strange…

DNC day three: Minnesota delegation united in backing Obama

By Paul Demko | 08.27.08 | 10:35 am

Last night Hillary Clinton forcefully endorsed Barack Obama for president and implored her backers to follow suit. This morning the Minnesota delegation’s Clinton supporters declared that they are united in heeding her advice.
“We’ve all spent a lot…

Hillary’s speech: Will it be enough?

By Paul Demko | 08.26.08 | 10:56 pm

The subtext of the convention so far has been whether Hillary Clinton’s supporters will ultimately back Barack Obama in overwhelming numbers. Whether that conflict is truly significant — or trumped up by the media — is an open…

DNC day two: Bring on Hillary

By Paul Demko | 08.26.08 | 9:43 pm

The convention floor is much more of a sweaty scrum tonight. Every time you stop to gape at Wolf Blitzer or shoot a photograph of some stray senator, there’s seemingly three people demanding that you keep moving. It makes…

DNC day two: Sir Charles

By Paul Demko | 08.26.08 | 8:36 pm

I just ran into Charles Barkley in the bowels of the Pepsi Center. “He’s skinnier than I thought,” said one of the gawking police officers. Photos after the jump.

DNC day two: Madia, Klobuchar hit the stage

By Paul Demko | 08.26.08 | 6:42 pm

A couple of Minnesota politicians just made cameos at the Democratic National Convention. Ashwin Madia joined a slew of House challengers on stage and was introduced by Democratic National Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen. Madia didn’t get the…

DNC day two: the selling of the presidency

By Paul Demko | 08.26.08 | 3:25 pm

The epicenter of Obama-related merchandise is the 1500 block of California Street in downtown Denver. Vendors hawking all manner of t-shirts, buttons and original artwork line the street. There are “Obamanator” buttons, “Born 2 Lead” t-shirts and pencil drawings of…

DNC day two: Minneapolis City Council member Ralph Remington

By Paul Demko | 08.26.08 | 12:00 pm

I spoke with Minneapolis City Council member Ralph Remington this morning about his initial experience as a first-time delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Remington is a longtime Barack Obama supporter and was the first city council member to…

DNC day one: Barack Obama is an American

By Paul Demko | 08.25.08 | 10:39 pm

And he loves America. And so does Michelle Obama. That seemed to be the theme of the night. In an often stirring speech Michelle paid loving tribute to her parents and credited the civil rights and feminist movements for guiding her…