Walker Rant: Hate Conventions?

Wyclef for Vice President? VIPs, 24-Hour Party People

BY KRISTIN JONES, CORRESPONDENT

Even before the DNC got rolling yesterday, there was action at the Pepsi Center, at least for the insiders. Top bundlers for the Obama campaign were invited on Sunday to celebrate at a “Podium Party” in which they were feted by Howard Dean and allowed to have their photos taken at the main podium. It was a small prize for raising tens of thousands of dollars, but it was only one part of the extravaganza. Donors are treated to a week’s worth of free hors d’oeuvres, open bars and high-powered mingling.

“The great thing about Obama’s campaign is that you don’t have to be a very wealthy person to be involved with it,” said Les Coney, a member of Obama’s National Finance Committee who is inspired by the Democratic candidate’s civil rights message.

But it certainly helps to know some very wealthy people if you’re looking to get the celebrity treatment in Denver this week. Coney, a Chicago businessman, received his post in the committee by raising $250,000 for the primary season, and committing to another $250,000 for the general election.

Last night, Coney invited me to one of the thank-you parties at a Denver nightclub called Theorie. The red carpet was laid out for donors, athletes and performers at a party hosted by Perennial Sports and Entertainment, one branch of a lobbying firm that represents NBA athletes and baseball umpires, among other interests. A long-legged blonde in a mini-skirt handed out hors d’oeuvres and other women offered hand massages as a mostly young and African-American crowd of good-looking and/or powerful individuals took advantage of the open bar.

It was tough to get an invite; even tougher to get into a small private room where VIPs, such as Coney, could spread out while the rest of the club got packed in. The real pay-off happened around 11:30 p.m., when Wyclef Jean was escorted into the glassed-in private room to a flash of cameras and a cheer. The club’s organizers let a pressing wave of non-VIPs into the fishbowl, then shut it off as the show began.

Wyclef, whose performances can be inconsistent, was dynamic and en pointe. He led the crowd in a chorus of “Obama for President!” and nominated himself for vice president between oldies-but goodies like “Gone ’til November.” His band played the national anthem, as if to reclaim for the crowd the patriotic sentiment that once seemed owned by someone else.

“I wish the people outside could come inside,” he said in a shout-out to those stuck outside the lucky room.

Yeah. Like me.

Two doors down, firefighters sat outside their station and listened to the show. For them and much of the rest of Denver, the convention is both a point of pride and a nuisance. Many of the major downtown arteries have been shut off and residents have been encouraged to leave their cars at home in favor of the light rail, which skips central spots such as the Pepsi Center. Protesters are there, of course. But they are outnumbered by riot security, hanging on the outside of police vans like a militia ready for battle, and lined up two-deep and by the hundreds in front of rag-tag anarchists and tattooed malcontents.

Is this the change Obama is promising?

Kristin Jones may be reached at KristinJones5000@gmail.com.