Run Mayor Hick, Run

Did John Hickenlooper officially announce his re-election campaign in a downtown whiskey distillery this week? Or was the ever-entertaining Denver mayor just feeling particularly spirited (the election is May 2, 2011). The truth is murky — almost as murky as this poorly composed cell-phone image captured just minutes before the…

Denver Blogs: We need some hotter politicians

Highlights from the local blogosphere. Send tips. Some of Denver’s hottest politicos… aren’t very hot. (Face the State) George Karl for Coach of the Year? That’s an oddly sound idea. (Denver Stiffs) How cool! Our own little Bernie Madoff wannabe! (Colorado Independent)…

Four Days in Denver: Behind the scenes at the DNC

In case you strategically blocked it from your memory, the Obama campaign has produced a fourteen-minute behind-the-scenes video from the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Propaganda, obviously, but there’s some fun stuff in here. — Joe Tone…

Selling Barack Obama’s memories on eBay

Tickets for sale. In the aftermath of the Democratic National Convention, peddlers have not unexpectedly taken to eBay to sell leftover T-shirts and buttons and other paraphernalia. But there have also been other kinds of souvenirs for sale, as well such as the “goodie bags” that delegates received, DNC keycards…

Mexican food for Obama!

Chips ahoy! Barack Obama has been losing ground to John McCain in many national polls among likely voters — but he’s apparently way out front among Mexican food. At least that’s one way to interpret the bizarre set of just-posted videos below, which date from the Democratic National Convention. In…

Where were all the prostitutes at the DNC?

“I wish I’d been hooking in Denver for the DNC.” Right now, everyone is hard at work dissecting the various successes and failures of the DNC. They’re talking about the dearth of cabs, the profusion of really ugly T-shirts for sale, and who ate what and where and when. Me?…

Spotting the meth den while in the DNC’s Invesco line

Meth ahoy! Those waiting to get into Invesco Field at Mile High last night to hear Barack Obama’s acceptance speech went on quite an odyssey as the queue snaked this way and that through the stadium’s asphalt wasteland. Attendees were forced to clamber down hillsides, guard against line cutters at…

Connecting the dots on the DNC Invesco line

View image. The line to get into Invesco Field at Mile High for Barack Obama’s acceptance speech last night seemed to go on forever – but just how long was it? Using Westword’s advanced mapping tools (Google, a ruler and a calculator), we traced and measured the line’s route at…

There and Barack again: the journey to and from Mile High

Lines, lines, everywhere lines. The day started out so well. At 10 a.m., my boyfriend and I heard from friends who had two extra community credentials to Barack Obama’s historic acceptance speech at Invesco Field. They hadn’t been properly “activated” with our names by the deadline the night before, but…

The Springsteen- and Bon Jovi-free DNC acceptance speech

“Now please welcome… who?” One of the big debates among inhabitants of section 524 at Barack Obama’s Invesco Field at Mile High acceptance speech on Thursday involved the musical acts that would be taking part — especially the headliners. Over the previous week or so, the media had been filled…

The downside of patriotic displays at the DNC/Obama acceptance speech

The stars and stripes, supersized. Shortly after the speakers began appearing at Barack Obama’s Invesco Field at Mile High acceptance shindig, crews of yellow-smocked minions (whose activities at the Pepsi Center during the DNC were documented here and here) materialized and began giving small American flags to each member of…

Al Gore scores at the Obama acceptance speech

Al Gore, bigger than life (if that’s possible). What an unlikely journey it’s been for Al Gore. When he ran for the presidency in 2000, he didn’t engender the sort of enthusiasm among rank-and-file Democrats that his predecessor, Bill Clinton, enjoyed — and that accounts for his subsequent loss more…

DNC Cops: Chillin’ Like Villians

I’ll say this first: I walked and rode around downtown a lot this week, and every cop I saw — including some being taunted by protesters — were very chill, patient, and totally unlike the officer who struck the Code Pink protester in the face (allegedly). So this slide show…

An empty I-25 outside Invesco Field for the Obama speech

No slowdowns on I-25… Took a look outside Invesco Field at Mile High around 6 p.m. on Thursday in time to catch an astonishing sight: the security-related closure of I-25, seen here. For a moment, I thought I spotted Will Smith strolling the pavement with his dog, but this was…

Our Obama speech section leader

“And a-one, and a-two.” With hours to wait until the main festivities began, those of us fortunate enough to make it through the huge lines leading to Barack Obama’s Invesco Field at Mile High DNC acceptance speech searched for ways to amuse ourselves. No wonder we eventually turned to one…

Jennifer Hudson makes a wrong turn at Obama’s DNC speech

Jennifer Hudson wisely fleeing the little people. Most of the celebrities and performers on hand at Barack Obama’s Invesco Field at Mile High acceptance speech no doubt came and went through entrances as special as they are. I was surprised, then, that during a walk on the stadium’s general access…