Reporting from Denver - Final Photos

I'm back in New York - my Denver experience over. Obama, as you know, gave his nomination speech last night. It was well received. At least it seemed that way on TV: afraid of missing our flights we watched it in a bar instead of heading to the jam-packed Broncos Stadium. (Here's the text of the speech in full.)

I thought I'd sign off by sharing some photos shot in and around Denver this past week. As I mentioned yesterday, some of the planned demonstrations were poorly attended. Still, there were many different ideas, values, and voices on display, as these photos illustrate. Obama, I'm assuming, has already won over the Obamamobile's owner. But he may have a harder time locking in the Fox News fans.

From a personal point of view, I've had fantastic time these past few days. A big thank you to the New York Community Media Alliance for putting the trip together. Some of the reporters I was traveling with are off to the Republican National Convention in Minnesota. You can follow their work here.

Reporting from Denver - The Protests

Here's some shots of this morning's pro-immigration march through Denver. About 1,000 people showed up. In the background is the Denver Broncos Stadium where tonight Barack Obama will give his nomination speech.

With the world watching, I expected to see more demonstrations like this one, and bigger ones, too. But they didn't materialize, unless I've been standing in the wrong places. The cops, mind you, have still got their hands dirty. A reporter with us was maced, and temporarily blinded, after getting caught up in an anarchist protest. Here's a story and a photo.

In all, a hundred people have been arrested this week, including an ABC News producer, who annoyed police by blocking a sidewalk.

Reporting from Denver - Some NY Delegates Find it Hard to Let Go

Yesterday morning, following a New York Democratic breakfast at the Sheridan Hotel, I watched the delegates vote. Aurelia Greene, the Bronx Assemblywomen and a pledged Clinton delegate, told me she went for Obama. Said Greene, pictured voting: "They gave me the option so I took it."

(Regardless of their allegiance, delegates and superdegates didn't have to vote for a particular candidate. There were three options on the form: Obama, Clinton, and abstain).

Congressman Eliot Engel, a superdelgate, and Borough President Adlofo Carrion, a pledged Clinton delegate, also voted for Obama. "I felt for party unity and to come out of this convention united so we can win in November, I voted for Obama," said Engel.

But some delegates, such as Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, stuck with Clinton. "I was elected by the voters to vote for Hillary so that's what I'm going to do, no regrets," Dinotwitz said. "I'm voting for Hillary but I will support Obama."

Yesterday afternoon, I asked Assemblyman Michael Benjamin - a staunch Obama fan - what he thought of the loyalty New York delegates were showing Clinton. "There are those like myself who believe we should support unanimously for Obama," he said. "I think people [Clinton delegates] are making a point. I don't know if I'd call it stubbornness, but I think they want to make a point and support her and make sure it's reported in history that she acquired delegates and came close to getting the nomination. She conceded, she's supporting Barack Obama, what's the point in having your home delegation pass votes for you that really don't help you?"

All this, of course, is now obsolete: Clinton later put a halt to the vote counting roll-call, thus confirming Obama as the nominee. But it hints at the discord, the disharmony, in the New York delegation - even deep into the convention. Benjamin estimated that nearly half of the 281 delegates voted for Clinton.

One more thing. Clinton’s move to "release her delegates" yesterday afternoon was largely show, I think, as most delegates voted in the morning. Surely, if she’d wanted to unite the party she would have released them the night before, and insist they vote for Obama. Despite her gracious stopping of the roll call, then, it seems Clinton also wanted to make a point, just like her devoted supporters.

For more on NY delegates' "supreme disappointment" see this Times story. And for a slightly different view, check out State Senator Jose M. Serrano's Room Eight post, which we mentioned early. Serrano believes talk of a rift was overblown.

Reporting from Denver - Bronx Activist is New York Delegate

Most of New York's 281 delegates are politicians or former politicians. Most - but not all. This afternoon, I ran into Awilda Cordero, a South Bronx community activist. Cordero (pictured) was soaking up the atmosphere in the glamorous Pepsi Center, where Clinton will speak tonight.

It's her first time as a delegate. "I'm excited, I've already cried three or four times," she said. "I can't wait for Obama to be nominated and hopefully go on to win the election."

Cordero is the founder of Emergency Rights, a non-profit on 149th Street. The organization provides assistance and financial support to families dealing with tragedy. Cordero's best known for representing the family members of Nixmary Brown, a seven-year-old Brooklyn girl who was brutally murdered by her stepfather in 2006. She also helped raise money for relatives of the nine children and one adult who perished in the fire on Woodycrest Avenue in March 2007.

This afternoon, Cordero, decked out in Obama-friendly attire, was all smiles - a fresh, friendly face in a sea of suited pols. But she does have one thing in common with her fellow Bronx delegates: a propensity for bad press. Last year, the Daily News reported that Cordero had never filed a single financial document detailing her charity work.

Reporting from Denver - Dinowitz Blogs for the Riverdale Press

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Helen Morik, a candidate for Oliver Koppell's City Council seat, have been blogging about their Denver experiences for a new Riverdale Press blog called Dispatches from the DNC.

Topics addressed include Dinowitz's take on whether there's tension between politicans who supported Obama in the primaries, and those who backed Clinton.

Reporting from Denver - Obama Likes Wife's Speech

In an e-mail to his supporters this morning, Obama praised the speech Michelle's gave at Denver's Pepsi Center on Monday night.

"I am so lucky to be married to the woman who delivered that speech last night. Michelle was electrifying, inspiring, and absolutely magnificent. I get a lot of credit for the speech I gave at the 2004 convention -- but I think she may have me beat."

See it here.

Reporting from Denver - Does Obama Appeal to Minority Voters?

Away from the protests and the speeches, Denver is playing host to hundreds of panel discussions this week. Yesterday afternoon, I stopped by "Deconstructing the Ethnic Vote: Do ethnic voters connect to the Democratic candidate?"

The discussion, which was sponsored by Feet in Two Worlds and the New York Community Media Alliance, bought together four journalists from ethnic media outlets: Lotus Chau, of the New York-based Sing Tao Daily; Jehangir Khattack, a U.S./Pakistani reporter with Defence Journal; Raymond Dean Jones, a political columnist with Denver Urban Spectrum (an African-American Newspaper); and Pilar Marrero, a senior political writer and columnist for La Opinion (An L.A. - based Spanish paper).

Considering the Bronx's demographics, I'll just share what Jones and Marrero had to say.

"I think the Barack Obama campaign started late in trying to reach out to Latinos. And this is trouble now," Marrero said. "They didn't have the people in the campaign to really to know who to talk to, to really know what the message should be. Even as they were getting some endorsements from congressman and Latino leaders, they were still grasping to get their message across. Now that they have the nomination they are better, but I don't think they have the actual expertise that Hillary Clinton did."

Obama is now polling 62 to 63 percent of Latinos, but Marrero says these numbers are lower that what both Clintons managed.

"I think in the Latino community there's still a sense that people don't know him very well," she Marrero. "And there's an issue with race among some Latinos, not a significant amount, but we do know when we go to Latin American countries we see racial hierarchies." (Mount Hope resident Jose Roman previously wrote about these hierarchies in the Monitor. )

Obama, Marrero said, needs to emphasize Hillary Clinton's contributions, to help appease Hispanic women "who were so set on having a woman in the presidency." Even Patty Solis Doyle, Clinton's former campaign manager who is now in the Obama camp, has yet to warm to her new boss. "I recently talked to her, she seemed pained to even be working with Obama," said Marrero.

And he needs to emphasize his immigrant roots, said Marrero, to help connect with Hispanics. "This is one thing that helps him with Latinos... because it shows he understands the immigrant experience," says Marrero. "Because as much as we like to say people go with candidate about the issues, we all know it's more about trust and who you like... the image of the person."

Added Jones, the African-American reporter: "The campaign was actually a bit slow in the black community. [Obama] isn't an African-American in the conventional sense and so there was some suspicion of him. He was a super-intellect, maybe a bit haughty."

"What really opened the door for Barack was Michelle," Jones continued. "People began to see and hear Michelle, to see this beautiful black women who was gifted intellectually herself, worked, was independent, was strong, and who with all of that was believable as a first lady, certainly far exceeding the gifts of the two Bush first ladies." This, Jones said, gave Obama and his message of change credibility. (Michelle spoke at the convention last night. Here's the text of her speech in full. And here's a "behind-the-scenes" video of Michelle released by the campaign yesterday.)

The popularity of the Clintons also hurt Obama's ability to reach blacks in the early stages of his campaign. "Southern blacks were really tied into Clinton," said Jones. "It wasn't that they weren't listening to Barack, it's that there were powerful influences from high up in the black community."

With the nomination, the pendulum has swung back in Obama's favor, with many black superdelegates abandoning Clinton. The black community now has "a great deal of pride" in Obama's achievements, says Jones.

Feel free to add to this discussion in the COMMENTS section.

(Pictured above is John Rudolf (r), of Feet in Two Worlds, who moderated the panel, Pilar Marrero, and Raymond Dean Jones.)

Reporting from Denver - Bronx Democrats Attend Opening Reception

On Sunday evening, I attended the New York Democratic Party reception at the Sheraton Denver Hotel, in downtown Denver. (I'm here covering the convention with a group of reporters from other New York City ethnic and community newspapers.)

The reception was held in honor of Sheldon Silver, the New York Assembly Speaker. "Are you ready to crush the politics of privilege?" Silver asked the crowd of delegates "Yes!" came the reply. Then he introduced David Paterson (pictured below), saying the governor has become, in five short months, an "inspiration to all Democrats across the state of New York and beyond."

Paterson, the star attraction, talked about the recent budget cuts in New York. And he talked briefly about Obama, saying the nominee was the right man to fix the nation's many problems. Then Paterson - with his short speech over - returned to schmoozing and joking with throngs of grinning delegates. (New York, by the way, has 281 delegates, second only to California. Most, but not all, are former or current politicians. By my count, 20 are from the Bronx, most of whom are Clinton delegates. More here on the the New York State Democratic Committee Web site.)

At the event, several Bronx delegates were in attendance, including Congressman Jose Serrano. He says he's been coming to these conventions since 1968. "They're a networking thing," he said. "And a big celebrating, a celebration of democracy."

Serrano, along with three other Hispanic congressman, spoke at the Pepsi Center today, saying the Hispanic community was proud to support Obama. I couldn't be there, but last night he told me (with a smile) that the Obama's people were vetting his speech, and he wasn't sure if he'd be allowed on. They were being careful, Serrano said, because he - Serrano - leans "to the left" and has ties with Hugo Chavez, the firebrand Venezuelan president.

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion and Assemblyman Michael Benjamin were also at the reception, as was Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz. "It's an opportunity to meet people from all over the state and all over the country," said Dinowitz, who was there with his son and daughter. "People are in a good mood because they feel they have a good chance of winning this year. Hopefully this week will launch a successful election campaign."

Dinowitz, like Carrion, is a pledged Clinton delegate, meaning his vote will go to Clinton even though she's out of the race. (Serrano and Congressman Eliot Engel, on the other hand, are unpledged delegates - or superdelegates - meaning their votes weren't determind by New York's primary back in February. Benjamin is a pledged Obama delegate. In the coming days, I'll try and explain this system in more detail.)

I also caught up with Assemblywoman Aurelia Greene, another staunch Clintonite. She said she had supported Hillary because she's a "woman, from New York, and a friend." But with the race now decided, Greene (pictured top with Dinowitz) says she has no problems supporting Obama "wholeheartedly."

I didn't see Jose Rivera, or son Joel or daughter Naomi, who was taken to the hospital early Monday with kidney and gall bladder stones. Jose, the Bronx party chairman, is is currently locked in battle with the so-called "Rainbow Rebellion" - which includes Benjamin, Greene, and Dinowitz.

Reporting from Denver - the 2008 Democratic National Convention

If you've watched TV, surfed the Web, or picked up a newspaper in the last few days, you'll know that the Democratic National Convention is almost upon us.

As I type, thousands of delegates and journalists, along with representatives from unions, corporations, and special interest groups, are descending on Denver, Colorado. Many are already here. I say here because I'm fortunate enough to be in the "Mile-High City" myself, along with nine other reporters pooled from various ethnic and community newspapers in the New York area. It's an eclectic bunch. There's a reporter from the Haitian Times, another from the Sing Tao Daily, and another from the Indian Express, and so on. The trip is being sponsored by the New York Community Media Alliance (formerly known as the IPA). That's us below.



Normally, small newspapers don't have the resources to send reporters halfway across the country. The idea, then, is for us to cover a nationally significance event, and bring details home to our readers - many of whom don't read The Times, or Daily News, or New York Post. Take Nowy Dziennik (aka the Polish Daily News), for example. Their readers struggle with English, says reporter Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska (who is also with us), meaning the Polish-language paper plays a vital role in keeping people informed and connecting them to the wider world.

I plan to write about the convention for both the Norwood News and the Mount Hope Monitor. Over the next few days, however, I'm going to be providing more immediate commentary here on the West Bronx Blog. I'll be attending - and writing about - speeches and panel discussions whose content might appeal to Bronx residents (immigration reform, for example). And I intend to interview various Bronx politicians to get their thoughts on the convention and beyond (many are delegates - see here for CNN's user-friendly "delegate explainer").

I'll be posting twice a day so please check back for updates. If you have any questions, or if you'd like me to find out about something in particular, drop me an e-mail at mounthopenews[@]gmail.com. And feel free to attach comments to these posts.

Just to set the scene, Denver, if you haven't been, is hot and dry, and barren and flat, except for a small but lofty down-town area. In the distance lies the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, which I tried to photograph through this morning's haze as we left the airport (see below).



Officially, the convention starts on Monday, and ends late Thursday night when Barack Obama (pictured above campaigning in New Hampshire) accepts the party's nomination in front of 75,000 supporters. But the protests have already begun. Earier today, several hundred anti-war protesters marched through the city.

Tonight we're off to the New York State Democratic reception, where Governor David Paterson will be speaking. Details tomorrow.

Oh, and here's one more photo. Rev. Al Sharpton happened to be on the same flight as us. Here he leaves the comforts of first-class to speak with reporters.