Cal Dems and DNCC at odds over Obama tix

The California State Democratic Party's request for 1500 was returned with an offer of only 300 tickets to Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High on Thursday Aug. 28, by the Democratic National Convention Committee.

"They are treating us like Idaho right now," said Bob Mulholland, campaign adviser for the California State Party. "There are 30 million of us in California and we have tens of thousands of volunteers working for Obama."

The Democratic National Convention Committee said it switched the acceptance speech venue to allow more Coloradans to attend.

"Our goal of going to Invesco was to get as many residents of Colorado into the arena to see the speech because this is a battleground state," said Jenny Backus, senior campaign adviser. "Having that event here gives us the opportunity for (Obama) to take that message to them in their own backyards."

Fifty percent of the public seats are going to Colorado residents and another 15 percent are for people from surrounding states, Backus said.

State delegations and state parties were dealt with on a case-by-case basis, said Backus.

The debate over tickets has nothing to do with delegates and those credentialed for the convention at the Pepsi Center. Those folks are automatically given admission to Invesco, including the 441 California delegates.

It is volunteers, staff, spouses/partners of delegates and top California donors traveling to Denver with the California delegation that Mulholland is advocating for.

California has 55 electoral votes, accounting for 20 percent of the 270 needed to win, he said.

"It's like starting the baseball game with five runs up on the board already," he said. "We are going to keep banging on the door. You never want to allow the biggest state to be disappointed."

The last time the Democrats took such an event to a public arena, Mulholland notes, it was in Los Angeles for John F. Kennedy.

Bookmark/Search this post with: