DNC NOTEBOOK: Expect delays
Lines to get into Invesco stadium are so long, some people have stood for four hours without making much progress. One man from Texas was so disheartened by the lines, he left and is on his way back to his hotel in Aurora.
THE LULL BEFORE THE SPEECH: There were few signs of unrest in downtown Denver this afternoon. There are a few people yelling through megaphones how Democrats and Republicans are going to hell. The Code Pink ladies are still out. McCain supporters were seen walking up Larimer Square wearing Jesus-style togas holding signs that said "Anointed One," continuing to mock Obama's celebrity.
More noticeable around here is the ocean of Obama garb seen on supporters walking on the 16th Street Mall. Women who haven't plastered their Obama T-shirts with Obama buttons while carrying their Obama purses are opting for a look Vogue would more likely approve of: red and blue sundresses belted with the opposite patriotic color and topped off with a small Obama '08 lapel pin.
DRINKS OF CHOICE: A barista at Starbucks on 14th and Larimer spilled the beans on Al Sharpton's order yesterday: triple grande three splenda non-fat latte. Gary Hart, who has come in three times today, ordered a double grande mochachino this morning.
TRAFFIC FLOWING PAST INVESO: Traffic is flowing freely in both directions in Interstate 25 past Invesco field, where thousands of people are stopped at gates awaiting entrance to the stadium where Sen. Barack Obama will give his much anticipated acceptance speech for the Democratic presidential nomination. Once gates open at 1 p.m., it will take speech-goers at least an hour to wind through the maze of volunteers checking credentials. Tents are set up just below the stadium's entrances, where people will have to bear the stench of sewage and pass through metal detectors to make it inside. The upside? The free water bottles Coca-Cola is handing out are allowed through security. You just have to take a sip of it in front of officials.
LOCAL OBAMA DELEGATES: They're ready to turn it to 11. Colorado Springs' delegates are filled with anticipation as they look forward to Barack Obama's big speech tonight at Invesco Field at Mile High. The five Obama delegates -- James Tucker, Lynn Young, Jason DeGroot, Ben Taber and Mike Maday -- will meet in a few hours to walk together through downtown Denver on their way to the stadium. Hillary Clinton delegate Brenda Krause will not join them. The five seem wrung out by the emotions of the week, but ready for the grand finale. "Each day it's like this wave that crests, and then it gets even bigger the next day," said Young.
COURTING THE ELWAY VOTE: When Democratic Party Nominee Barrack Obama made a surprise appearance Wednesday on the Democratic National Convention stage, he used a nuanced reference few in the national media noticed, but almost no die-hard Denver Bronco fan could miss. He called the stadium where he plans to address 75,000 people today "Mile High," rather than using its official name, Invesco Field at Mile High.
Is that a big deal? It is to many locals who have fond memories of the old Mile High Stadium and grumbled when corporate sponsor Invesco PLC slapped its name on the new stadium in 2000. This week the press has repeatedly referred to the stadium as Invesco Field, but many in Denver still call it Mile High. On the train into downtown Tuesday, a local could be heard telling a group of delegates, "Don't call it Invesco. Call it by it's true name." Someone must have given Obama that talk too.
