2008 Democratic National Convention
Official Logo of the 2008 Democratic National Convention
Date	August 25 - August 28
Venue	Pepsi Center
City	Denver, Colorado
Presidential Nominee	TBD of TBD of
Vice Presidential Nominee	TBD of TBD

The 2008 Democratic National Convention will be held from August 25 to August 28 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The convention, sponsored by the United States Democratic Party, will nominate a candidate for the presidency. is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Pepsi Center is an arena located in Denver, Colorado, USA. The building is home to the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Mammoth and Colorado Crush. ... Nickname: Location of Denver in the State of Colorado Location of Colorado in the United States Coordinates: , Country United States State State of Colorado City and County Denver[1] Founded 1858-11-22, as Denver City, K.T.[2] Incorporated 1861-11-07, as Denver City, C.T.[3] Consolidated... Featured at the Democratic National Convention are speeches by prominent party figures. ... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Pepsi Center is an arena located in Denver, Colorado, USA. The building is home to the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Mammoth and Colorado Crush. ... Nickname: Location of Denver in the State of Colorado Location of Colorado in the United States Coordinates: , Country United States State State of Colorado City and County Denver[1] Founded 1858-11-22, as Denver City, K.T.[2] Incorporated 1861-11-07, as Denver City, C.T.[3] Consolidated... Official language(s) English Demonym Coloradan Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th in the US  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... Speeches by important party figures are key features of the convention; here, former President Jimmy Carter addresses the 2004 Democratic National Convention. ...

In the past when the Republican party held the White House, the Democrats held their convention in July, and vice versa. This convention is held later than normal because the Democrats want to hold the convention after the 2008 Summer Olympics and to "maximize momentum for our Democratic Ticket in the final months of the Presidential election".^[1] The 2008 Summer Olympics (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be celebrated from August 8, 2008, to August 24, 2008, with the opening ceremony commencing at 08:08:08 pm CST (12:08:08 UTC) at the Beijing National Stadium in...

Formal leadership

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will be nominated to serve as Permanent Chair of the Convention. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, will be nominated as Permanent Convention Co-Chairs. ^[2] The CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee is Leah D. Daughtry.^[3] The term Speaker is usually the title given to the presiding officer of a countrys lower house of parliament or congress (ie: the House of Commons or House of Representatives). ... Nancy Patricia DAlesandro Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is currently the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For other uses, see Governor (disambiguation). ... Kathleen Gilligan Sebelius (born May 15, 1948 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American Democratic politician who currently serves as the 44th Governor of Kansas. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Leticia R. San Miguel Van de Putte[1] (born 6 December 1954)[2] is a Democratic member of the Texas Senate representing the 26th District. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Shirley Clarke Franklin (born May 10, 1945) is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and the current mayor of Atlanta, Georgia since January 7, 2002. ...

Rules

On February 2, 2007, the Democratic Party published 'Call for the 2008 Democratic National Convention'^[4], the rules governing the convention. There will be 3,253 pledged delegates, those committed to vote for a particular candidate, selected by primary voters and caucus participants. There will be about 795 unpledged delegates, those free to vote for any candidate, colloquially known as superdelegates, for a total of about 4,048 delegates, requiring 2,024.5 votes to constitute a majority of the convention. (This figure includes zero pledged delegates for Michigan and Florida, which would have 313 pledged delegates and about 54 unpledged delegates, so if pledged delegates from those states are seated before the first ballot, the total number of delegates to achieve a majority will be greater than 2,025. The 54 superdelegates from Florida and Michigan have been counted in the 4048 total.^[5]) The superdelegates consist of DNC members, Democratic Congress members and Governors, and other prominent Democrats.^[6] The final number of superdelegates will not be known until the convention. ^[7] is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... A colloquialism is an informal expression, that is, an expression not used in formal speech or writing. ... The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. ...

The pledged delegates are allocated among the states according to two main criteria: 1) proportion of votes each state gave the candidate in the last three Presidential elections; and 2) percentage of votes each state has in the Electoral College. Fixed numbers of delegates are allocated for Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Democrats Abroad. Under the party's Delegate Selection Rules for the 2008 Democratic National Convention^[8], delegates are awarded via proportional representation with a minimum threshold of 15% of votes in a state or congressional district to receive delegates. The delegate population must reflect the state's ethnic distribution; and at least 50% of the delegates must be women. This article is about Electoral Colleges in general. ... The United States Virgin Islands is a group of islands in the Caribbean that is a dependency of the United States. ... Democrats Abroad Democrats Abroad is the official organization of the Democratic Party of the United States for expatriates, representing Democrats that are citizens of the U.S. but live outside the United States. ... Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation, or PR), is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates (grouped by a certain measure) obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive (usually in legislative assemblies). ...

Venue

The convention is to be held at Denver's Pepsi Center and will be the 100th anniversary of Denver's 1908 Democratic National Convention. William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska, who would go on to lose the election against Republican William Howard Taft, was nominated as the 1908 Democratic Presidential candidate. Pepsi Center is an arena located in Denver, Colorado, USA. The building is home to the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Mammoth and Colorado Crush. ... The 1908 Democratic National Convention was the official political convention of the U.S. Democratic Party in the year 1908. ... For other persons of the same name, see William Bryan. ... For other uses, see Nebraska (disambiguation). ... For other persons named William Howard Taft, see William Howard Taft (disambiguation). ... Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Site selection

In late November 2005, 35 cities were invited by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to bid for the right to host the 2008 convention: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Miami-Dade County, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, St Louis, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. ^[9] Ongoing events • Abramoff-Reed gambling scandal • Al Jazeera bombing memo • Avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak • Black sites scandal • Conservative leadership race (UK) • Fuel prices • Irans nuclear program • Jilin chemical plant explosions • Kashmir earthquake • Malawi food crisis • Malaysian prisoner abuse scandal • New Delhi bombings investigation • Niger food crisis • North Indian cyclone... The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more Motto: Get In On It (formerly The City That Reads and The Greatest City in America; BELIEVE is not the official motto but rather a specific campaign) Location Location of Baltimore in Maryland Coordinates , Government Country State County United... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Charlotte (also known as candle stick) is a figure skating grace move - one of the spirals, where the skater is bended and glides on its one leg with the other one lifted to the air. ... For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation). ... Cleveland redirects here. ... Dallas redirects here. ... This article refers to the state capital of Colorado. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Houston redirects here. ... The Indianapolis skyline Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana. ... Nickname: Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... For other uses, see Memphis (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city in Florida. ... County slogan: Delivering Excellence Every Day Location of county in the state of Florida County Seat Miami, Florida Area  - Total  - Water 6,297 km² (2,431 mi²) 1,257 km² (485 mi²) 19. ... This article is about Milwaukee in Wisconsin. ... This article is about the city in Minnesota. ... State capitol building in Saint Paul Saint Paul is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Minnesota in the United States of America. ... For other cities named Nashville, see Nashville (disambiguation). ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Orlando redirects here. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country State County Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area  - City  515. ... Pittsburgh redirects here. ... Nickname: Location of Portland in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: , Country State Counties Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas Incorporated February 8, 1851 Government  - Type Commission  - Mayor Tom Potter[1]  - Commissioners Sam Adams Randy Leonard Dan Saltzman Erik Sten  - Auditor Gary Blackmer Area  - City 376. ... The Gateway Arch, shown here behind the Old Courthouse, is the most recognizable part of the St. ... Sacramento redirects here. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Counties Bexar County Government  - Mayor Phil Hardberger Area  - City  412. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Americas Finest City Location Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates , Government County San Diego Mayor City Attorney         City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Jerry Sanders (R) Michael Aguirre Scott Peters Kevin... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United...

Eleven cities originally accepted the invitation to bid for the convention in January 2006: Anaheim, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, and San Antonio. ^[10] A formal Request for Proposal was mailed to participating cities on February 27 and the deadline for cities to respond was May 19, 2006. January 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accuses European nations of trying to complete the Holocaust by creating a Jewish camp Israel in the Middle East. ... Anaheim is a city in Orange County, south_west California, a part of the greater Los Angeles conurbation to the east of Long Beach. ... Dallas redirects here. ... This article refers to the state capital of Colorado. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... This article is about the city in Minnesota. ... State capitol building in Saint Paul Saint Paul is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Minnesota in the United States of America. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Orlando redirects here. ... Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country State County Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area  - City  515. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Counties Bexar County Government  - Mayor Phil Hardberger Area  - City  412. ... is the 139th day of the year (140th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Only three cities submitted proposals to host the convention: Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul and New York. On July 12, New Orleans dropped out. The cities were visited by a 10-member Technical Advisory Committee in June 2006. On September 27, the Republicans announced they would have their 2008 convention in St. Paul, removing St. Paul from consideration; leaving Denver and New York as potential hosts. Despite hard lobbying by New York party boosters, then-Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg dealt the campaign a major blow when he announced the city lacked the financial means to support a convention. ^[11] Denver was chosen as the host on January 11, 2007, as Democrats looked to make gains in the "Purple West" states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The 2008 Republican National Convention will take place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota from September 1 until September 4, 2008. ... Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born 14 February 1942) is an American businessman, founder of Bloomberg L.P., and the current Mayor of New York City. ...

Preparations

The work to prepare Pepsi Center for the Democratic National Convention is expected to cost $15 million. In addition, a 220,000 sq. ft. temporary building to be used by the media will be built adjacent to Pepsi Center. ^[12]

Convention organizers expect 35,000 attendees, out of which 5,000 will be delegates, and 15,000 media personnel.^[13]

Labor issues

The head of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local No. 7, Jim Taylor, refused to sign a no-strike agreement for the convention. Pepsi Center normally uses non-union labor, but will use Taylor's union during the convention, and Taylor wants Pepsi Center to use his union for all events.^[14] The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, or I.A.T.S.E., (Full name: International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada) is a labor union. ...

Lawsuit by Protesters

The American Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of itself, several anti-war and other organizations, has filed a lawsuit requesting that the Secret Service and Denver officials release information regarding security arrangements at the convention.[1] The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American organization consisting of two separate entities: the ACLU Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on litigation and communication efforts, and the American Civil Liberties Union which focuses on legislative lobbying and does not have non-profit status. ...

Brokered convention

Because of the close delegate count between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the possibility has arisen that this may be the first brokered convention in more than half a century, something DNC chairman Howard Dean is seeking to avoid.^[15] The hypothetical situation of a brokered convention and a dispute over seating the delegates from two states has led some to compare it with the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which ended in a divided party and unhappiness over the outcome.^[16] Another possibility is that the race could be decided by the first vote at the convention, as was the 1976 Republican convention. Barack Obama, the junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. ... New York Senator and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton had expressed interest in the 2008 United States presidential race[1] since at least October 2002, drawing media speculation on whether or not she would become a candidate. ... The 1952 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois. ... Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and physician from the U.S. state of Vermont, and currently the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, the central organ of the Democratic Party at the national level. ... The 1968 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1968, for the purposes of choosing the Democratic nominee for the 1968 U.S. presidential election. ... The 1976 Republican National Convention was held in Kansas City, Missouri at Kemper Arena from August 16 to August 19. ...

Delegates from Florida and Michigan

The Florida and Michigan legislatures pushed forward their primaries to January^[17] in contravention of party rules and were stripped of their delegates.^[18] The Clinton campaign initially opposed their seating but after winning the Michigan primary, Senator Clinton spoke in favour of seating the states' delegates.^{[citation needed]} DNC Chairman Howard Dean asked Florida and Michigan to submit a new plan for a process to choose the delegates, such as holding primaries again, or let the matter be referred to the Credentials Committee.^[19]

Convention Credentials Committee

The DNC Credentials Committee is charged with deciding which delegates should be seated at the Convention. With 186 members, the committee includes 161 members distributed based on how candidates do in the primary; assuming those members are relatively evenly split, the fate of the decision whether to seat Florida and Michigan could come down to the 25 members hand-picked by Chairman Dean. ^[20]

Program

Acceptance Speech

The nominee will give his or her acceptance speech on August 28. This will coincide with the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech.^{[citation needed]} “Martin Luther King” redirects here. ... Martin Luther King, Jr. ...

See also

• 2008 Republican National Convention
• Democratic Party (United States) superdelegates, 2008

The 2008 Republican National Convention will take place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota from September 1 until September 4, 2008. ...

Notes

is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official Convention Website
• Denver 2008 Host Committee (official)
• 2008 Democratic Convention Watch (unofficial)
• DenverDNC2008.com (unofficial)