Denver's RNC loss

[denconyny]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

I think your confused with meth heads.

..... or probably Cliven Bundy and his supporters.......

From the tales that are out there, it's difficult to control those repub boys and get them to behave proper after they take all of those drugs and at the same time are left alone with all of those cattle grazing so far out of sight and for so, so long.....

[bcp]

Very creative reasoning...but way off base if you dont think.70k conservatives can.show up....simply.came down to a) not enough private capital raised and b) we are not a.critical swing state

[Wizened Variations]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Just how much money do you think the LoDo elite has to throw around on a dubious advertising campaign with no real impact indicators to measure effectiveness? Specifically for the properties that would benefit from investment and not the one's that are slated for development and with equity partners already lined up? Hines ain't looking for GOP convention goers as equity partners, those guys are small fish.

Do some of your storied research and see who owns a lot of the remaining, develop-able lots in LoDo. You might be a bit surprised at the decided lack of a moneyed elite.

The last pickins...

There would be a huge amount of 1%s and <.5%s that would be delegates. Remember, too, we are talking about GOP delegates which, I strongly suspect, are higher up the financial chain than Democratic Delegates. Many such delegates would have both money in their pockets and would desired to be "romanced" by locals. A tremendous number of contacts between local money and money from other states could be made via hospitality suites, planned luncheons/dinners, and informal meetings at restaurants and watering holes.

But, you are correct, IMO, that the objectives would be a hard sell to those who do not have a direct stake in profit making enterprises in Lodo.

Outside of Pepsi Center which would profit enormously, the other major venue, the Convention Center itself, is government owned. Likewise, the other major benefactors- the DIA line and DIA both are government owned too. So, that leaves smaller players, such as individual hotels, taxicab companies, restauranteurs, and bar owners who really do not have much money to spare to provide monies.

However, I believe that the "elite"- who are not confined to those who benefited from the real estate plays associated with DUS, but also include those who own property across I-25 from Riverfront; those who own property on 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, and, 18th Streets; those who own property surrounding the Denver Art Museum/Denver Library complex; those who own property in the DIA to Peoria Street Corridor; all stood to gain national exposure.

(However, I also think that metro Denver big money went short because many in that club had reservations about national exposure for the embarrassing issue of legal pot. I also believe that the next presidential elections electoral college delegate count precluded Denver being the choice. Perhaps those with big money believe that founding candidates via other means than sponsoring the "show" might provide a better return on their dollars. I know that if I wanted to influence politics and had $250,000 or so to spare, I would target the money to individual candidates directly or indirectly... )

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by bcp

Very creative reasoning...but way off base if you dont think.70k conservatives can.show up....simply.came down to a) not enough private capital raised and b) we are not a.critical swing state

The lack of handicap parking and prohibition of using Rascals in bike lanes for the GOP's decidedly more elderly base may have played a part as well.

But if 70,000 granola-munching enviro-freaks can fill a stadium, while actually paying for their tickets, than so can 70,000 flag-waving geriatrics.

[Wizened Variations]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

The lack of handicap parking and prohibition of using Rascals in bike lanes for the GOP's decidedly more elderly base may have played a part as well.

But if 70,000 granola-munching enviro-freaks can fill a stadium, while actually paying for their tickets, than so can 70,000 flag-waving geriatrics.

H**l yes. And those geriatric folks would have MONEY in their pockets. The "Last Hurrah" syndrome I think it used to be called in Vegas. Give the opportunity for some of those old foggies to pretend they are young for 5 minutes (LOL) and many will jump at the chance.

The "Granola Crowd?" They are sweet talking actors and actresses with a handful of memorized speeches who ALWAYS drink at Happy Hour and (wink, wink) want the other party to pay the tab.

You are "Right" on

[Pizzuti]

It's ironic that two big factors weakening Denver's bid for the RNC are Republican amendments... TABOR and Poundstone. There just aren't that many Republicans in Denver to make it politically desirable to use a lot of public funds attracting the RNC. If the population of Aurora were folded into Denver, that would be a different story, but it's Poundstone that gave Denver such an urban electorate, about as different from the image of a stereotypical Republican as you can get.

Anyway, I really don't think an RNC would have made much difference attracting development.

Originally Posted by Wizened Variations

The last pickins...

There would be a huge amount of 1%s and <.5%s that would be delegates. Remember, too, we are talking about GOP delegates which, I strongly suspect, are higher up the financial chain than Democratic Delegates. Many such delegates would have both money in their pockets and would desired to be "romanced" by locals. A tremendous number of contacts between local money and money from other states could be made via hospitality suites, planned luncheons/dinners, and informal meetings at restaurants and watering holes.

Delegates are mostly neighborhood-level grassroots activists with a lot of free time. Lots of retirees, students, people who serve on very local committees or city councils who are either extremely ideologically passionate or just curious about the process. You start at your precinct level where you're elected by other residents of your precinct to attend to the county convention, then at the county convention you give a little speech to be elected to go to the state convention, etc. till national.

I've caucused (in the Democratic party), and this process of being a delegate is seen as sort of a tedious chore where everyone will keep asking around until someone at the caucus meet finally says "oh fine, I'll do it."

I don't envision a lot of 1% and .5%'ers signing up to go through this process. These are people who have a lot of influence to gain by writing checks, not by spending their hours hanging out with activists.

[denconyny]

Originally Posted by bcp

Very creative reasoning...but way off base if you dont think.70k conservatives can.show up....simply.came down to a) not enough private capital raised and b) we are not a.critical swing state

Originally Posted by wong21fr

The lack of handicap parking and prohibition of using Rascals in bike lanes for the GOP's decidedly more elderly base may have played a part as well.

But if 70,000 granola-munching enviro-freaks can fill a stadium, while actually paying for their tickets, than so can 70,000 flag-waving geriatrics.

Originally Posted by Wizened Variations

H**l yes. And those geriatric folks would have MONEY in their pockets. The "Last Hurrah" syndrome I think it used to be called in Vegas. Give the opportunity for some of those old foggies to pretend they are young for 5 minutes (LOL) and many will jump at the chance.

The "Granola Crowd?" They are sweet talking actors and actresses with a handful of memorized speeches who ALWAYS drink at Happy Hour and (wink, wink) want the other party to pay the tab.

You are "Right" on

Everyone really thinks 70K+ repug folks could show up and cheer on the repug POTUS candidate? This party seems more fractured and in more disarray than the current Iraqi government.

Besides, if that did happen, and 70K+ repugs crowded Mile High stadium in one evening, you don't think that the local health care officials would have to declare a mental health crisis?

[bobg]

Originally Posted by denconyny

Everyone really thinks 70K+ repug folks could show up and cheer on the repug POTUS candidate? This party seems more fractured and in more disarray than the current Iraqi government.

Besides, if that did happen, and 70K+ repugs crowded Mile High stadium in one evening, you don't think that the local health care officials would have to declare a mental health crisis?

Of course the Republicans could fill Mile High. Who else could afford Broncos season tickets these days?

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by denconyny

This party seems more fractured and in more disarray than the current Iraqi government.

That's not funny. Don't be an ignorant asshole. I'm getting a little sick and tired of my fellow liberals doing a victory lap on the backs of innocent dying Iraqis.

[Pizzuti]

Originally Posted by denconyny

And it's probably most simply because I don't think any GOP candidate is capable of (or even getting close to) filling Mile High Stadium (or whatever the call it now) with an audience of some 70,000 plus cheering supporters the way Obama did when he gave his acceptance speech.

I was thinking of a ton of other reasons why Denver didn't land the RNC, but forget all that, this one nailed it. "Optics."

Imagine now many reporters on the cable channels would be making random comments between their interviews to eat up air time...

"...tell me how this compares to the Democratic National Convention in Denver eight years ago?..."

"...a bit more subdued than the DNC in 2008..."

"...it wasn't in this same arena but actually outdoors in the football stadium where Barack Obama made his historic acceptance speech eight years ago..."

"...Denver was also the host of the Democratic convention eight years ago, which was, of course, a historic convention..."

"...easily a bigger gathering in 2008, but there weren't these riots..."

...Way too much risk for the GOP to bring it to Denver.

[bcp]

Originally Posted by Pizzuti

I was thinking of a ton of other reasons why Denver didn't land the RNC, but forget all that, this one nailed it. "Optics."

Imagine now many biased liberal reporters on the cable channels would be making random comments between their interviews to eat up air time...

"...tell me how this compares to the Democratic National Convention in Denver eight years ago?..."

"...a bit more subdued than the DNC in 2008..."

"...it wasn't in this same arena but actually outdoors in the football stadium where Barack Obama made his historic acceptance speech eight years ago..."

"...Denver was also the host of the Democratic convention eight years ago, which was, of course, a historic convention..."

"...easily a bigger gathering in 2008, but there weren't these riots..."

...Way too much risk for the GOP to bring it to Denver.

FIFY....can we stop talking politics in threads now?

[bcp]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

That's not funny. Don't be an ignorant asshole. I'm getting a little sick and tired of my fellow liberals doing a victory lap on the backs of innocent dying Iraqis.

Agreed...especially when our hasty exit for the sake of saying "exit" allowed for no troops to remain for stability...ISIS is no surprise.

Can we put politics in a separate thread now? Or, do I need to point out what a great job this admin has done this year so far?

[RyanD]

I like how the political conversation is in both the transportation and development thread.

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by RyanD

I like how the political conversation is in both the transportation and development thread.

That's because the stupid Republicans won't support a worthwhile transportation funding bill because all government spending is evil. And the stupid Democrats won't let us build anything anywhere that isn't rental, probably because a society of renters fits into their dependency worldview. And independents, they're the worst, because they don't have any opinions of their own, they're just like windsocks flying in the breeze. In other words, all people are stupid. Which is why it takes at least two threads, maybe three, to discuss.

[Wizened Variations]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

That's because the stupid Republicans won't support a worthwhile transportation funding bill because all government spending is evil. And the stupid Democrats won't let us build anything anywhere that isn't rental, probably because a society of renters fits into their dependency worldview. And independents, they're the worst, because they don't have any opinions of their own, they're just like windsocks flying in the breeze. In other words, all people are stupid. Which is why it takes at least two threads, maybe three, to discuss.

We agree on the outcome. I am more pessimistic in the reasons 'why.' Both parties are bought off by lobbyists representing those who make money as thing are.

I would be a Republican if Republicans had the guts to deal with the Fed's monetary policy and let the Country have the (short) Depression it needs. I would be a Democrat if the Democrats did the same.

The issue in transportation is that the money is not there.

Reminds me of the old cookie jar story:

"Mom, why aren't there any cookies left in the cookie jar??"

"Well, son, because your brothers and sisters ate them."

*********

Everyone is not stupid or dumb. Most people, smart or dumb, are gullible. As to smart people: either they have a moral sense or they do not. If they do not, and, they know how to "play the game" they can advance far in the corporate and political worlds. If they are unwilling to play the game, most end up in jail, or become drug addicts. However, if these smart people have a sense of morality (believe in either a judging G*d or karma) they live down the street, raise their kids best they can, have a few beers a couple times a week, and, try, despite their reservations, to accept evil and stupidity as facts of life.

[denconyny]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

That's not funny. Don't be an ignorant asshole. I'm getting a little sick and tired of my fellow liberals doing a victory lap on the backs of innocent dying Iraqis.

Not meant to be funny! I don't know who would take it that way? Both the Iraqi government (and the country of Iraq, which shouldn't even be a country) and the Republican Party are pathetically sick institutions.

[bunt_q]

To even make that comparison is so ignorant and naive, it's truly embarrassing. Perhaps you should leave your comfortable American bubble someday so you can learn the difference between healthy political disagreement and what happens elsewhere. How old are you, if you don't kind me asking? I could excuse it as immaturity if you're 20.

[bcp]

Hello..cirrus...are you out there?

[Cirrus]

This thread now consolidates all recent posts discussing the RNC from the main Denver development thread, and the transportation thread.

If people would like me to change the title of this thread to be a catch-all for political discussion in general, I'll be happy to make that change.

[bunt_q]

Haha, a new thread, where sidebars come to die. Good riddance.