Is the Veep that important?

Washington is a steamy, swampy mess in August. Now, in the run up to the national political conventions, the city is growing even hotter as rumors swirl and debate stews over who Barak Obama and John McCain will give the veep nod to.

But, this story in The Politico attempts to put the importance of the second-in-command in perspective.

What do you think? Does the role of the vice president matter? If so, why? If not, why not? How has the role changed in modern democracy? Have vice presidents become more important in recent years? Does the function of the office depend largely on the personality, experience and background of the person who fills it? Let us know what you think!

Twin Cities get a 'Patriotic Primping'

Starting Labor Day, the national spotlight will be on Minneapolis and St. Paul. The Twin Cities, along with the town of Bloomington, are getting ready for the thousands of delegates, journalists, volunteers and politicos to descend upon them at the end of month. On July 28, city officials launched the "Spruce Up MSP" campaign to encourage local residents to help put the cities' best face on by planting flowers, adding a fresh coat of paint to their house as well as by displaying American flags. In return, the families and businesses that do the best job at making their towns shine will receive a reward, including a red carpet convention package. In addition to this patriotic primping, 10,000 area residents have volunteered with the Host Committee. Other residents are going as far as organizing car washes for taxis to make sure everything in the city makes a good impression.

X-treme make-over, Xcel Energy Center Edition

Today marked a small turning point for the planning of the Republican National Convention. The keys to the Xcel Energy Center were officially presented to MSP 2008 Host Committee CEO Jeff Larson and Committee on Arrangements Deputy Operations Director Gordon Pennoyer. Over the next six weeks, the Xcel Energy Center will get an X-treme makeover as seats are removed, cables installed, workplaces for media set up etc. Crews will be hard at work to transform the ice arena into a convention hall ready to witness presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain’s acceptance speech on Sept. 4. You can follow the transformation and the progress made by tuning in to the GOP Convention’s YouTube channel.

Sparking the Republican Convention

The Minneapolis-St. Paul area is home to some 60 museums and 75 theaters. In the United States, only Chicago and Washington, D.C. boast more museums than the Twin Cities and Minneapolis-St.Paul can claim to have more theater seats per capita than any other city aside from New York.

It seems fitting, therefore, for such an artistic city to kick off the celebrations surrounding the Republican National Convention with a 24-Hour Arts Celebration. Before the politicians take center stage on Labor Day, the artistic community of the Twin Cities will deliver 24 hours of non-stop free artistic performances and entertainment through downtown Minneapolis. Spark24 will start at 8 pm on Saturday, August 30th and ending at 8 pm on Sunday, August 31st and will be free for all visitors and local residents.

Accepting the Nomination at Mile High

Last week, the Obama campaign announced that the Democratic candidate would accept his party’s nomination at Invesco Field at Mile High instead of the Pepsi Center. The August 28 speech — which will occur on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech — will not be first one delivered in a huge football stadium. Eighteen years ago on July 15, 1960, John F. Kennedy gave his acceptance speech before tens of thousands of people at the Los Angeles Coliseum, next to the Democratic National Convention site in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

Howard Dean and Barack Obama said moving the speech to Invesco Field at Mile High, home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos, will deviate from the mold of traditional political conventions and open up the political process to all Americans, particularly the millions of small donors that are newcomers in politics. Of course, not everyone is excited about the move. Shifting the final night of the convention away from the Pepsi Center means additional expenses for television networks covering the convention and presents some logistical and security challenges for the Host Committee. Republicans, of course, blasted the change in venue, stating that they are confident that the next president will be nominated at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul. Only history will tell…

Seeing John McCain Through a Blogette's Eyes

For those of you looking for a young, behind-the-scenes look at the McCain campaign, the senator’s daughter has been blogging about life on the Straight Talk Express since the early primaries. Meghan McCain, the 23 year old daughter of John and Cindy McCain, is not interested in delving into political issues. Reading McCainBlogette will not teach you anything about her dad’s stance on various political issues. Instead, the blog aims to humanize the presidential candidate and introduce him to a younger, hipster audience, as only a 20-something daughter could. And if you’ve always wanted to know what kind of shoes Henry Kissinger wears, what it’s like to get your picture taken with the Jonas brother, lunch with Heidi Montag or what kind of snacks they serve in the green room at the Ellen Degeneres show… well look no further…

DNCC Media Walk-Through

Yesterday, media members from across the country got their first peak at the official site of the 2008 Democratic National Committee Convention (DNCC) and other Convention arrangements during the official media walk-through. Hundreds of print, broadcast and online journalists planning to cover the events, as well as other interested parties, were greeted by DNCC CEO Leah Daughtry and subsequently taken on a tour of the Pepsi Center. Leah Daughtry was also on hand to answer any questions about Barrack Obama’s decision to deliver his acceptance speech on the final day of the Convention – August 28th – at Invesco Field at Mile High, the home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos. While the Pepsi Center has a capacity of some 19,000 people, the Invesco Field can hold more than 76,000 people, allowing more Americans to witness the historic acceptance speech and making the convention more inclusive.
Details of how the tickets for this event will be distributed have not been announced yet, and the Campaign 2008 staff will keep you updated on any developments. An Obama campaign issued fundraising e-mail stated that supporters making a donation of at least $5 to his campaign would be eligible for a draw to win tickets. A special block of "community" tickets may also be set aside for Colorado residents, but again, more details will be coming in the next couple of weeks.
Students participating in the Democratic National Convention seminar and the Leadership in Communications/Leadership in Government seminars at the National Political Conventions will get to check out Invesco Field at Mile High on Wednesday, August 20th during a reception thrown by our host institution in Denver, Regis University.