Special interest money still comes up short in Denver

Promoters of the Democratic National Convention to be held in Denver in August are charged with raising over $50 million in private funds to hand over to the Democratic National Committee to defray their costs in putting on the media spectacular, and coronation of Barack Obama.

Both Denver newspapers have published where the $25 million raised so far has come from, and its primarily from big business that has either regulatory rulings, legislation pending in Congress or is in need of special favors before some government body or another. Virtually none of the money raised so far is given out of the civic goodness of wealthy people's hearts. It is naked special interest influence peddling at its worst.

Now Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is expressing public fears that the fund raising effort is going to come up short. They've only met half the goal, with only three months to get the other half. Big business may think the crank has been turned pretty hard already, but they haven't seen anything yet.

This is not to lay this entirely at the door of just the Democrats. I'm sure the host committee for the GOP convention in Minneapolis is under similar pressure, and turning the screws just as hard. National conventions have become such major media feeding frenzies, that the cost of all the care, feeding and pampering has become outrageous.

These political extravaganzas are particularly farcical because no major decisions are reached there. It is a show for the media's benefit only. Even the Democratic convention, the first one in decades with even the possibility of being undecided before it opens. most likely will be cut and dried. The outcome of the GOP convention has been known since February.

All this private money is unleashed, in addition to a $10 million federal appropriation to each party for security. Just as the presidential campaign has been elongated to virtually a year-around activity, the flashy, but hollow, party conventions have become parodies of themselves.

It is time to restore national elections to just a few months every four years, rather than a never-ending political orgy.