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Aug 27, 2008 12:12 pm US/Central
Democrats Plan Strong Presence During RNC
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ―
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The Democrats also plan to distribute to reporters a multimedia press kit, which will include flash drives with an extensive catalog of McCain's record.
CBS
Delegates to the Republican National Convention who are traveling into downtown St. Paul off Interstate 94 next week will be treated to a billboard-sized welcome from the other party.
The Democratic National Committee bought billboard space to display a picture of John McCain embracing President Bush with the message: "Does this look like change to you?"
"We're going to spend every day looking for every opportunity to remind voters in the Twin Cities and across the country that a vote for John McCain is a vote for George W. Bush and his failed policies," said Damien LaVera, a spokesman for the DNC.
That will include not just the billboard but posters on several bus stops that serve the Xcel Center.
Joanna Burgos, the spokeswoman for the Republican National Convention, said the Democrats have every right to counter the Republican message but said she was unimpressed by the billboard.
"I think there's no doubt that Senator McCain offers the real kind of change America needs, and I think a billboard is not the way you're going to convince the American people otherwise," Burgos said.
The Democrats also plan to distribute to reporters a multimedia press kit, which will include flash drives with an extensive catalog of McCain's record -- histories of his votes, past statements and other material the Democrats want to highlight.
A team of two dozen Democratic fact checkers will be sending out rapid responses to every GOP speaker.
In addition to the visual and multimedia cues, Democrats will hold daily press briefings in downtown St. Paul to counter the Republican message radiating from the Xcel Center. They're setting up a media center just across the street from the convention center.
That's become standard procedure at the national political conventions, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is among those Republicans touting the McCain message this week at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
LaVera wouldn't hint at which Democrats would be tapped for the St. Paul patrol, but said there would be numerous national party figures.
They'll be joined at the daily press conferences by Minnesota Democratic leaders, as well as people who LaVera described as "Minnesota voters" who he said would talk about the impact of McCain's policies.
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According to GOP.com, the Republican Party was born in the early 1850's by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the first Republican Party president.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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