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Convention PreviewNational Journal looks ahead at what to expect at the conventions.

This year, as in the past, the contrasting convention preparations of the Democrats and the Republicans tend to mirror the parties' differences.

Republicans appear well organized, with every detail seemingly in place. Democrats, meanwhile, have been revamping major details in ways that have inconvenienced key participants. Whereas Republicans seem homogeneous, Democrats emphasize their variety--from the meals they will serve to the delegates themselves who will attend. Democrats in Denver will sprawl across both sides of the South Platte River for their convention; the GOP's highest-profile proceedings in St. Paul will be neatly packaged in an arena and adjacent facilities along the Mississippi River. (Yes, for both gatherings many convention-goers' hotel rooms will be much farther away.)

Democrats' frantic last-minute planning has been most obvious because of their July 7 announcement that the closing night's festivities, when Barack Obama is giving his acceptance speech, are moving from the downtown Pepsi Center to Invesco Field, a 76,000-seat football stadium across the river and adjacent to a major highway, Interstate 25. "By bringing the last night of the convention out to the people, we will be able to showcase Barack Obama's positive, people-centered vision for our country in a big way," Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean declared.

But the need to outfit an additional facility has significantly increased costs and logistical demands for convention organizers and for many in the news media. Tight budgets and cost overruns have already plagued both groups.

"There will be anxiety," conceded a senior Democratic insider close to the Obama campaign. "But the convention will be remembered for one thing: Obama's speech. It's pretty defining to have close to 80,000 people."

Republicans, by contrast, made their key decisions early, including the one to make ample use of Minneapolis for many convention-related events. And they are proudly and efficiently on schedule.

"Implementation, while never perfect, is pretty darn close," convention chief executive officer Maria Cino said in mid-July. "We looked at using less staff, more technology ... with a little over half the people of [the 2004 GOP convention in] New York."

The back-to-back conventions will share one important and distinguishing feature: They are being staged in midsize cities in the nation's heartland. Together, the two conventions are shaping up as a summer-ending great American political picnic.

With its population a hair under 300,000, St. Paul is smaller than all other cities that have hosted a GOP convention. Denver is bigger (550,000 within its city limits), and its population exceeds that of Atlantic City, the Democrats' 1964 host city, and Atlanta, its 1988 host. But leaders in Colorado's capital--like those in St. Paul--emphasize their city's down-home and friendly features.

"We are a smaller city, without the resources of New York or Los Angeles," said Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., who is taking a hostess role for many of her congressional colleagues. "I can't think of a convention that's been held in only one [House] district. Everyone thinks that I'm in charge. I have been flooded with requests by other members for hotels, restaurants, and event planning." (On the convention's website, demconvention.com, check the link to DeGette's "Denver's Finest.")

Given a national political convention's huge demands for lodging, transportation, security, and staging facilities, few cities are equipped to take on such a task--or even want to try, despite the accompanying cash and prestige. These challenges are even more daunting for this year's hosts: St. Paul is rebuilding a collapsed bridge across the Mississippi, and the Denver metro area has been struggling to cope with its rapid growth.

Each host city also hopes to make a political statement or two. For the Democrats, DeGette said, "We are showing that the West has changed, and that it has become the driving engine for our country's economic future." And if Obama can pick up Colorado and another Western state or two on November 4, that could put him over the top.

For the GOP, host Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who will showcase a state that leans Democratic, has emphasized the renowned "Minnesota nice." He wouldn't mind it, of course, if the convention serves to boost his own political profile.

And both St. Paul and Denver hope to take the prize for this year's best-planned and most successful political convention.

CORRECTION: The original version of this story incorrectly reported the convention Web site’s address. It is demconvention.com.