Thursday's images from the DNCBy Mirissa Neff
Here was my perspective for most of the evening... there was a lot of vying for position:
I got to the stadium around 1:30pm and got in line for the security check:
It goes without saying that security was extremely tight... here's a shot of the lookout standing atop the stadium:
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American Dreamer: Man in the Middle
Steven T. Jones and Kid Beyond are driving to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, stopping by Burning Man on the way there and back, reporting on the intersection of the counterculture and the national political culture.
By Steven T. Jones
Barack Obama finally took center stage as the Democratic National Convention drew to an explosive close tonight in a packed Mile High Stadium. Most on hand thought he gave a great speech and left smiling and enthused, but I and some other progressives had a few cringing moments that left us slightly unsettled.
While Obama and the Democrats made a clear and compelling case for how much better for the country they are than McCain and the Republicans, there were also many points of concern for progressives and the alienated Left. Obama did little to address their issues while reaching out to Republicans, churchgoers, and conservatives.
“All across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don’t understand is this isn’t about me, it’s about you,” Obama said in one of his biggest applause lines of the night.
If this is really about me and my people – those in the streets protesting war and the two party system, people at Burning Man creating art and community, those of us on the coasts frustrated by the political influence of heartland voters – then it appears the election of Obama is just the beginning of the work we need to do.
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American Dreamer: Notes from Underground
Steven T. Jones and Kid Beyond are driving to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, stopping by Burning Man on the way there and back, reporting on the intersection of the counterculture and the national political culture.
By Kid Beyond
Wednesday afternoon: the nominating speeches. They’re playing against
type. Third-youngest delegate Jordan Apollo Pazell, from a 720-person
town in Utah, seconds Hillary’s nomination on behalf of his two great-
grandmothers -- both still alive and in Utah, both born before women
had the right to vote. Nominating Obama is Michael Wilson, a young
Iraq War vet and lifelong Republican.
Speaker after speaker, the talking points are the same. The failing
economy. Health care. A swift exit from Iraq. A more nuanced foreign
policy. Clean energy, and clean energy jobs. Restoring the American
Dream -- prosperity through hard work.
Conspicuously absent: Gun control. Capital punishment. Climate change.
Immigration. Gay marriage, of course. And barely a peep about
abortion. Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz offers the first
mention of Roe v. Wade I’ve heard all week; Hillary never touched it.
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American Dreamer: Newsom's party
Steven T. Jones and Kid Beyond are driving to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, stopping by Burning Man on the way there and back, reporting on the intersection of the counterculture and the national political culture.
By Steven T. Jones
Gavin Newsom threw a great party last night, drawing a mix of young hipsters, youngish politicos, and a smattering of corporate types in suit and tie. Even though he didn’t get a speaking slot at the convention, Newsom is widely seen as a rising star in the party, far cooler than most elected officials, maybe even too cool for his own good.
Comedian Sarah Silverman did a funny bit to open the program at the Manifest Hope Gallery (which featured a variety of artworks featuring Obama), then introduced Newsom by saying, “I’m honored to introduce a great public servant and a man I would like to discipline sexually, Gavin Newsom.”
Apparently Newsom liked it because he grabbed Silverman and started to grope and nuzzle into her like they were making out, then acted surprised to see the crowd there and took the microphone. It was a strange and uncomfortable moment for those who know about his past sex scandal and recent marriage to the former Jennifer Siebel, who watched the spectacle from the wings.
But it clearly shows that Newsom is his own biggest fan, someone who think he’s adorable and can do no wrong, which is a dangerous mindset in politics.
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Wednesday's images from the DNCBy Mirissa Neff
After picking up my photo credential downtown this morning I got a bicycle from one of the "Freewheeling" stations. It's a free bicycle program set up specifically for the convention. Then I rode over to grab lunch at an amazing taqueria in the Highlands:
Things were just starting up at the convention center and on the way to the security check Reverend Al Sharpton was holding court:
After making it into the building and finding a seat in the nosebleeds, Pelosi began the role call:
At that point I knew I had to get down to the floor...
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American Dreamer, at the convention: Roll Call
Steven T. Jones and Kid Beyond are driving to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, stopping by Burning Man on the way there and back, reporting on the intersection of the counterculture and the national political culture.
By Steven T. Jones
San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly was giddy when I joined him in the two-thirds full California delegation this afternoon during the nominating speeches for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It was partly because he was finally an official delegate, having gotten called up from his roll as alternate a couple hours earlier. But an even bigger reason for his joy was that he’s a serious political wonk and just loves the Roll Call, the only official business of the convention.
“This is the best part of the convention, roll call. It’s cool,” Daly, the consummate vote counter, told me as we watched the chair ask each state for their votes. “The speeches are OK, but this is what it’s about.”
And pretty soon, this kid in the candy shop was losing his mind as we watched a series of genuinely newsworthy developments in an otherwise scripted convention: California party chair Art Torres saying “California passes” rather than reporting our votes, states like New Jersey and Arkansas awarding all their votes to Obama and causing the room to go nuts, and the series of states yielding to others that culminated in Clinton herself, after a dramatic entrance into the hall, making the motion to end the count and name Obama as the nominee by acclimation of the whole convention.
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American Dreamer: Dreams Deferred
Steven T. Jones and Kid Beyond are driving to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, stopping by Burning Man on the way there and back, reporting on the intersection of the counterculture and the national political culture.
By Kid Beyond
On Tuesday afternoon, to a half-filled hall, Dennis Kucinich gives the best speech you won't see on any front page, at the top of any news hour. He has the audacity to shout from the rooftops that the Emperor Has No Clothes. "Wake up, America! The insurance companies took over health care! Multinational corporations took over our trade policies! Wake up, America! We went into Iraq for oil!"
The man is en fuego. He's a mean, green, righteous-indignation machine. In the crowd, mouths are agape. Check out the short guy! Incredulous jaws are hitting the floor. He's whipping them into a frenzy. Black folks, white folks. It's like Showtime at the Apollo, when the audience finally realizes, "Hey, that white boy can sing."
Content-wise, it's old news to most Guardian readers. But in the centrist halls of the DNC, speaking naked truth to power is a subversive act indeed. They're still cheering Kucinich 30 seconds into the next speaker, the unfortunately-slotted California Controller John Chiang.
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City Sued over Care not Cash, againby Amanda Witherell
Berkeley-based Disability Rights Advocates filed suit in US District Court today against the city of San Francisco for denying access to shelter beds for disabled homeless people. The suit alleges that Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Care not Cash program sets aside a certain amount of beds that are thus unavailable to disabled people who are banned from the program.
“There are limited resources in the shelter system and there are large numbers of beds that are set aside that people with disabilities don’t have access to as a statutory matter,” said Julia Pinover, DRA’s attorney on the case. “The city has a responsibility to provide services equally.”
Care not Cash, which was passed by voters in 2002, pools the General Assistance money that used to go to individuals into a fund for financing housing and supportive services. People still receive small portions of their $395 GA cash -- $29 checks every two weeks – and they’re guaranteed shelter beds in exchange for giving the rest of the cash to the city. Not everyone uses their allocated beds, but they still must be set aside – thus eliminating them from the pool of beds available to other people seeking shelter.
Homeless people who receive Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Disability Insurance, or veterans and disabled benefits do not get GA money and therefore cannot participate in Care not Cash. The suit alleges there are 60 to 80 Care Not Cash beds that go unfilled every night while hundreds of people seeking shelter are turned away. At least 50 percent of homeless people self-identify as disabled, though many consider that a low figure. “Because any person who is eligible for disability benefits is not able to participate in the CNC program even is there is an empty CNC bed at a shelter, a homeless person with a disability may be denied shelter solely because of his or her disabled status,” states the claim.
“Right now the shelter system for disabled people with mental illness is the equivalent to having a shelter at the top of a hill with a giant staircase and you’re in a wheelchair,” said Paul Boden of Western Regional Advocacy Project, a nonprofit homeless rights group based in San Francisco that is party to the class action suit. “It’s being run more like a capitalist venture than a social program. If it was a social program with a soul then disabled people, seniors, and women would be your priorities.”
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American Dreamer: The Big Tent's vast left-wing conspiracy
Steven T. Jones and Kid Beyond are driving to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, stopping by Burning Man on the way there and back, reporting on the intersection of the counterculture and the national political culture.
By Steven T. Jones
The Big Tent, which is the central hub for bloggers and progressive activists here in Denver, offers more than just free beer, food, massages, smoothies, and Internet access. It offers up the amplified voice of grassroots democracy, something finding an audience not just with millions of citizens on the Internet, but among Democratic Party leaders.
New media powerhouses including Daily Kos, MoveOn, and Digg (a Guardian tenant in San Francisco which sponsors the main stage in the Big Tent) have spent the last year working on the Big Tent project with progressive groups in Denver, many of whom have offices in the Alliance Building, the parking lot of which houses the Big Tent (a simple wood-framed floor, stairs, and decks above it, covered by a tent).
“This is where we have the people on the ground doing the work on progressive causes,” said Katie Fleming with Colorado Common Cause, one Alliance Building tenant. “It’s been a year in the planning. The idea was having a place for blogs to cover the convention,…It’s a way for us to all come together for the progressive line that we carry.”
But it’s really more than that. It’s a coming together disparate, ground-level forces of the left into something like an real institution, something with the power to potentially influence the positions and political dialogue of the Democratic Party.
“When we started doing this in 2001, there just wasn’t this kind of movement,” MoveOn founder Eli Pariser told me as we rode down the Alliance Building elevator together. “The left wing conspiracy is finally vast.”
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LGBT activist Del Martin slips awayRenowned LGBT activist Del Martin died today, according to a press release from State Senator Carole Migden.
Del Martin, 87and her partner Phyllis Lyons, 83, became the first gay couple in the nation to legally marry on Feb. 12, 2004, after having spent almost 50 years as a couple.
Their marriage was deemed void later that same year, but this summer, when the California Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is legal, Del and Phyllis were, once again, the first to wed.
State Senator Carole Migden’s (D-San Francisco/North Bay) released the following statement today in response to Martin's death:
“Del Martin slipped away from us just moments ago but her spirit and legacy will never be extinguished within the LGBT community. Del and her loving, longtime partner, Phyllis Lyon, were harbingers for change and activism long before lesbian issues became au courant and socially acceptable. All people and movements in search of true liberation owe an immeasurable debt to Del Martin who, along with other early brave souls, was determined to speak out and change the world to better the plight and lives of those whose voices are not heard. “
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Tuesday's images from the DNCBy Mirissa Neff
Just back from a day of DNC madness. After haggling to get my press pass I walked through downtown Denver to meet up with Steve Jones and Kid Beyond at the "Big Tent." Along the way were some young protesters and some local color:
Kid Beyond was interviewing a delegate as I arrived then he and Steve blogged away:
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American Dreamer: The Circus
Steven T. Jones and Kid Beyond are driving to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, stopping by Burning Man on the way there and back, reporting on the intersection of the counterculture and the national political culture.
By Kid Beyond
Monday morning. Just finished the 18-hour drive from Black Rock to Denver -- Steve and I switching shifts throughout the night, fueled by Radiohead, live Floyd, Rage Against the Machine and drive-thru Burger King.
I’m aching to augment my 2.5 hours of sleep, but there’s only enough time to wash the playa dust out of most of my crevices and head downtown to the Circus.
And a circus it is: part rock concert, part revival meeting, part infomercial, part telethon.
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Lights out on Labor Council endorsementby Amanda Witherell
Graph from San Francisco Chronicle, July 26, 2007
Literally.
Last night while the San Francisco Labor Council was meeting to vote on endorsements for the November election, the power cut out.
“I immediately started chanting public power, public power,” said Robert Haaland, who was there on behalf of SEIU 1021. He was referring to the Clean Energy Act – Prop H on the ballot.
Haaland called the experience surreal. “It was literally in the dark and the people counting votes were doing it by flashlight.” Because voting was by delegates, with people standing up for or against it in a dark room it was impossible to see who exactly voted for each side. “Maria Guillen, the COPE chair for 1021 gave a very impassioned speech for public power and also addressed how the campaign against public power has been attacking city workers,” said Haaland. SEIU’s Joint Council voted in favor of endorsing the measure.
Despite the PG&E power outage, the Council chose to go neutral. PG&E has more power outages than any other utility company in the state, according to a July 26, 2007 article in the Chron.
Apparently representatives from some of the trades urged neutrality on the issue, and expressed concern about how retirement and pension benefits would be affected should the city go into the retail power business and buy out PG&E’s infrastructure. According to the Clean Energy Act’s website, “any PG&E employees who become City employees as a result of this Act will not suffer any reduction of compensation or seniority.
If passed, the Clean Energy Act would force the city to establish a long-term energy plan with renewable power benchmarks more aggressive than current state mandates. The city will study how best to achieve this and if it’s determined that a municipally owned electricity system is the most efficient and expeditious way to achieve 100 percent renewable power by 2040, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission will have the authority to issue revenue bonds to purchase and construct the infrastructure to do that.
The full list of Labor Council endorsements can be found in this PDF.
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American Dreamer: Opening night
Clay Doherty, Laura Spanjian, and Mirian Saez are Clinton delegates from San Francisco.
By Steven T. Jones
The massive Pepsi Center was less than half full a couple hours after the gavel fell to open the Democratic National Convention, but the city of Denver is bustling and eventually so was the hall.
I rode my bike along the beautiful and efficient Cherry Creek Bike Trail to get here and it was a smart move because most of the streets around the convention are closed off and patroled by police in riot gear riding trucks with extended running boards, with military helicopters circling overhead. Many here say it took them a long time to get from their hotels into hall. Even riding a bike here involved a long walk because of the huge perimeter they've set up around the hall.
But the broadcast media have it good, with prime floor space that makes it all the more congested for the delegates and others with floor passes. Most journalists are tucked behind the stage or up in the cheap seats, and we can't even get free internet acces in the hall to tell y'all about what's happening.
CNN also has a great looking patio restaurant set up across from the entrance advertising, “CNN Bar: Burgers, Beer, Politics.” But by the “must have credentials” sign on the door, they actually meant CNN personnel only, not their media colleagues in general. Jesus, how many of them could there be?
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American Dreamer: Make that 15,002
By Steven T. Jones
Kid Beyond and I arrived in Denver about an hour ago after a 16-hour drive from Black Rock City, cruising through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado, a couple of which Barack Obama will probably need to win in November if he’s to take the White House.
We headed south toward Denver just as a gorgeous dawn was breaking, arriving with a few hours to spare before our Democratic National Convention press credential would have been redistributed to other journalists, who reportedly number more than 15,000 here.
I’d hoped to post another missive from Burning Man, but it was difficult to get on line there, so you’ll have to settle for the short post below because now it’s time to change gears and focus on the convention, which kicks off tonight with Michelle Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Jimmy Carter, and Ted Kennedy, among others.
But first, it’s time to get down to the Sheraton, where we get our credentials and where the California delegation is staying. And then we might just need a bit of sleep. Check back later tonight for more.
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American Dreamer: Reaching for the Golden Apple
Bay Guardian City Editor Steven T. Jones is driving to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, stopping by Burning Man on the way there and back, reporting on the intersection of the counterculture and the national political culture.
By Steven T. Jones
Burning Man is thick with deep drifts of dust this year, making it a difficult and tiring bicycle trek to make it into the deep playa, where San Francisco artist Peter Hudson and his crew are building Tantalus. But it's worth the ride, particularly if seeking a great take on the American Dream theme.
Like most creations out here, it isn't up and running yet, but it will be by tomorrow when the event officially begins. Still, even in its static state, it is an art piece that already resonates with my exploration of how the counterculture sees the national political culture.
Tantalus looks like a red, white and blue top hat, with golden arms and bodies around it. And when it spins on Monday, powered totally by the manual labor of visitors working four pumper rail cars, they'll see that man – a modern American Tantalus -- reaching for the golden apple that is being dangled just out of his reach and falling back empty handed.
It's a telling metaphor for such a big week in American politics.
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It's Joe...By Sarah Phelan
Biden bidden?
Online reports say Sen. Barack Obama has picked Sen. Joe Biden as his vice presidential nominee. 
Obama supporters are supposed to hear by email early Saturday, so they'll soon see for themselves.
...and here is the email confirmation, sent around 2 a.m:
Sarah --
I have some important news that I want to make official.
I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.
Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.
I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.
Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it:
http://my.barackobama.com/welcomejoe
Thanks for your support,
Barack
P.S. -- Make sure to turn on your TV at 2:00 p.m. Central Time to join us or watch online at http://www.BarackObama.com.
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Public power foes bash the cityOne of the most annoying parts of the No on H campaign -- and campaigns against public power before it -- is the consistent drumroll of attacks on city employees. This year's flyers, some quoting elected city officials, dredge up the old crap about the city not even being able to run Muni.
When the Labor Council meets Monday to decide on its endorsements, I hope the members keep this in mind: PG&E is saying that unionized city employees are incompetent. Typically, unions don't stand for that kind of nonsense, and indeed, the city employee unions will support Prop. H.
But PG&E"s house union, the IBEW, is against the measure, and PG&E's allies are trying to convince other unions to oppose it, or at least to take a neutral stand -- in the spirit of labor solidarity.
How about standing up in solidarity with the city workers, who are being directly attacked by PG&E's minions?
Fact is, San Francisco already runs a water system and a power system. It also runs a major hospital with the region's only Level One trauma unit, one of the busiest airports in the country, and a lot of other things that involve employees with high levels of skill. Running a retail power business isn't all that difficult (and unlike Muni, it's profitable). To say that city employees can't run a power system is a huge insult.
I was reminded of all this when Amanda Witherell forwarded me a link from a story about Dianne Feinstein the last time public power was on the ballot. Back then, the Chron was actually covering the issue -- and Chuck FInnie and Susan Sward caught Feinstein trashing her own city and making a fool of herself, all in her desperate efforts to help PG&E.
Check it out.
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Can you outwit the pundits?The folks at Usual Suspects have come up with a wonderful challenge: Who has the best political mind in San Francisco? Predict the outcome of the (local) fall races and win fabulous prizes (like lunch with Alex Clemens! -- oh, and $500.)
All it requires is a donation of $5 or more to one of eight worthy local charities.
Check it out. I am always, always, wrong about my predictions, since I tend to be my heart instead of my head, so even if you don't win lunch with Alex, you'll do better than me.
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MoveOn isn't backing Newsom's partyGavin Newsom's coziness with PG&E and other big businesses is starting to come back to haunt him as he stumbles forward in his campaign for governor.
Newsom has this big party planned for the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and as Leftinsf blogger Sasha McGee reported, he had listed his sponsors as PG&E, AT&T and MoveOn.org. Getting MoveOn behind him would be a major coup and would create considerable liberal cred for a guy who can't possibly win a Democratic primary without progressive support.
But the Newsom camp made a big mistake: MoveOn isn't terribly fond of PG&E, but is really pissed at AT&T. The organization now says that it was all a miscommmunication, that MoveON was actually sponsoring another event at the same time. And for the record, MoveOn is NOT sponsoring the Newsom gig.
But the whole thing makes Team Newsom look foolish -- and gives bloggers the chance to once again poijnt how that Newsom, the purported green mayor, is siding with PG&E and against the Clean Energy Act.
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William "Tharon" Chandler: This certainly is interesting and important, about the Democratic nation...
Kobe: I think that the Democratic national Convention was a huge success. It r...
