Live from the DNC

For delegates, this convention is an embarrassment of riches.

First comes a blue bag stuffed with promotional giveaways from those who want to bend delegates’ minds:  a pedometer from something called AstraZeneca; ten dollars off my next FedEx shipment; numerous pens, keychains and candies; a box of macaroni and cheese adorned with a donkey holding a “Democrats in 2008!” sign and fitness juice. 

And my favorite: a soft plastic replica of a lump of coal from Peabody Coal, the famous strip-miner and subject of a folk song about the company carrying away West Virginia.  Advertising for “clean coal” is everywhere here.  Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer will be pleased when he arrives to address the convention.

Then there are the newspapers and magazines arriving by the pound outside delegates’ doors:  National Journal, Roll Call, The Hill, The New Republic, Congressional Quarterly.  When is one supposed to read them? 

 The Idaho Democratic Party executive director, Jim Hansen, has given delegates an unusual mission:  collect lots of stuff that can be auctioned off back home at county fund raisers.  That’s what the blue bags are for.  Will the bottle of antibacterial hand sanitizer from the big Washington law firm of Hogan and Hartson be worth anything in Grangeville?

At every corner and in every hallway, it seems, T-shirts, water bottles and an immense variety of buttons are for sale.  My advice is:  wait until Friday.

There are, what, about 4,500 delegates?  Millions upon millions of advertising is aimed at them - a pretty high cost per-delegate.

And I haven’t even gotten to the Pepsi Center where the convention is being held.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.