CONVENTION DAILY

What to Expect in Minneapolis-St. Paul

This convention will be more spread out than New York's was, with a lower profile for security and demonstrations. Officials remind delegates that Minnesota has a strong tradition of independent politics--and the locals are all about being "green."

by Eugene Mulero

Mon. Jul 28, 2008


National Journal looks ahead at what to expect at the conventions.

Glancing at a travel brochure, you would think that Minnesota consists only of lakes, civic-minded residents, and Garrison Keillor. During the last decade, however, Generation X-ers have hipified the metropolitan areas by creating vibrant theater and restaurant districts. They've also amped-up the nightlife, and now recreational possibilities stretch beyond the Mall of America, located south of the airport.

So it's not just in winter that the Twin Cities can boast of being a cool spot.

For instance, during the week of the Republican National Convention, last call will be 4 a.m., rather than the usual closing time of midnight on weekdays. City officials extended the deadline to accommodate out-of-towners who want to visit such nightspots as the St. Paul Grill and Bar or Matty B's Supper Club after the evening's convention proceedings.

"We want people to know this is a hip place. You won't expect to have this much fun here, but you will," said Teresa McFarland, media-affairs director for the Minneapolis-St. Paul 2008 Host Committee.

Although Republicans aren't going as far as the Democrats in proclaiming their devotion to protecting the environment, officials remind attendees that the locals are all about being "green." They expect delegates and media types to conserve energy and water, and to recycle those water bottles back at the hotel.

Planners expect 45,000 party officials, media representatives, volunteers, and guests. The gathering opens at the Xcel Energy Center--home of the Minnesota Wild pro hockey squad--in St. Paul on Labor Day, and it concludes on September 4 with the full storm of balloons and confetti.

Getting Around

Most major hotels will provide shuttle services to and from the convention site. Minneapolis-St. Paul's Metro Transit offers an extensive system of buses and light rail, which is used daily by tens of thousands of students and other commuters. The Hiawatha Line light rail runs between downtown Minneapolis and the Mall of America, with a stop at the airport. Riders are encouraged to plan their trips online at www.metrotransit.org. Local police expect minor traffic delays around the Xcel Center and recommend car pooling. Passes will allow access to the main parking garage at the center. Media organizations will have workstations at the Xcel Center, although precise locations have not been finalized.

Security

Security should be cheaper and easier than it was for the 2004 conventions in Boston and New York City, when it ran millions of dollars over budget. In New York City, the headache was dealing with the city's verticality--threats could come from the top of a skyscraper or from the train tracks beneath Madison Square Garden. In 2008, the problems are far more horizontal. Attendees will be staying in at least two counties, three major cities (including Bloomington), and assorted suburbs. The St. Paul police force, which has about 600 officers, is calling in help from neighboring agencies and departments across the state to swell its ranks to more than 3,500 officers. The St. Paul Police Department and the Secret Service will oversee security, and federal agencies from the Coast Guard (the convention site is along the Mississippi River) to NORAD (to monitor the airspace) will be assisting.

The federal government allocated $50 million for security; organizers estimate costs at $37.5 million. The Wall Street Journal reported that in 2004, $50 million didn't even cover the cost for local police, let alone the Secret Service and other agencies. Local and federal security officials sound upbeat, stating in published reports that they're essentially ready to patrol the convention. The total cost of the St. Paul event is pegged at $82 million, McFarland said.

Demonstrations

As far as protests go, local groups have sued the city (a decision is expected in August) over the route and timing of a march on September 1. They want to circle the Xcel Center from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.; city officials say demonstrators may come within 84 feet of the center but then must turn back--and must do it between noon and 2 p.m. Local ACLU officials say that the rules for protesting in the special "public viewing area" have not been made clear, and they are worried that arrests and civil-rights violations could occur. Organizers in both St. Paul and Denver, where the Democrats will gather, have said they expect as many as 50,000 individuals to protest at each convention, with specific marches spread out over several days.

Parties/Festivities

In the days before the convention, organizers will offer a media reception on August 30, a party for delegates on August 31, and the host committee's welcome reception on September 1. These parties are not open to the public.

Rumors that Jakob Dylan, the Wallflowers' front man and the son of rock legend Bob Dylan, would headline an after-party on the second night of the convention were shot down by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, which quoted his agent as calling the buzz "completely fabricated."

But the Republican National Committee is hosting a party that night and expects about 5,000 guests to come sail away with Styx, a band that hit stardom in the 1980s. The event will be held at the Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis starting at 10 p.m.

Costs and Contributors

The convention's host committee reached its initial fundraising goal of $39 million for the event, but it's still working to collect $19 million more.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Sen. Norm Coleman "overwhelmingly shaped" the fundraising for the convention by aggressively seeking support from corporations, according to a report released in June by the Campaign Finance Institute of George Washington University. The biggest donors thus far include Qwest, at $6 million, and UnitedHealthcare, at $1.5 million. Each political party also received $16.4 million from the federal government to help defray costs.

Local Politics

Local Republicans are led by Pawlenty, 47, who has been touted as a potential vice presidential running mate since his 2006 re-election. Early in his career, Pawlenty twice yielded on runs for office in favor of Coleman, a former Democrat, who lost to Jesse (The Body) Ventura in a 1998 run for governor before winning his Senate seat in 2002.

Independents are strong here. Before Arnold Schwarzenegger became California's "governator," Minnesotans elected his co-star from Predator, Ventura, a former pro wrestler, to run their state. Ventura recently told Larry King that after much consideration, he doesn't plan to run against Coleman, leaving comedian Al Franken as the incumbent's main challenger. Franken has apologized for what he called "inappropriate comments" he made about the GOP during his time with Air America Radio.

Populism has been a driving force in Minnesota's political system. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an alliance established in 1944, elected Amy Klobuchar to the Senate and Keith Ellison to the House. Ellison is the first African-American congressman from Minnesota, as well as the first Muslim elected to Congress.

At the convention, organizers are working closely with Pawlenty, Coleman, and Klobuchar, and Mayors R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis and Chris Coleman of St. Paul. Last summer, after the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed, Rybak asked Pawlenty and other state officials to implement its reconstruction, ensuring that the new bridge would be capable of handling mass transit.

On the Web

Don't expect much liberal blogging at the GOP show in St. Paul (or conservative online punditry at the Democratic convention in Denver, for that matter). So far, credentialed bloggers are mostly splitting along political lines--yet this time there will be far more of them. In 2004, a grand total of 42 bloggers attended both conventions. This year, planners are expecting as many as 200 "citizen-journalists" at each event. "We have credentialed a pretty wide variety of blogs--some that are nonpartisan and others that have long Democratic activist histories," Democratic convention official Aaron Myers said. On the Republican side, Matt Burns, a convention spokesman, said in an e-mail: "We are finalizing our decisions, but we anticipate there will be some left-leaning bloggers extended an invite to blog at our convention--and that is in addition to anyone The New York Times may be planning to send." For information on blogs, visit the Republican Party's convention site at www.gopconvention.com, and the site sponsored by the Minneapolis-St. Paul host committee, www.msp2008.org.

Winter Casey, Kevin Friedl, Liz Lynch, and Peter H. Stone contributed to this report.