Ticket give-away creates suspicion
By Kevin Vaughan, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published August 15, 2008 at 6:21 p.m.
As the Barack Obama campaign begins doling out tickets today to his historic Invesco Field speech, some of those who missed out are questioning whether the system really was first-come, first-served.
Several of them said they were upset not because it appeared the ticket give-away wasn't as advertised but because the campaign perpetuated the idea that the vast majority of passes would go to regular people of all backgrounds and political beliefs.
Instead, several of those who missed out said they suspect the bulk of the tickets were passed out to people who worked for - or gave money to - the campaign.
"It just makes me angry," said Katherine Thayer, of Denver. "If they're going to go out and say it's first-come, first-served and then turn around and reward people who volunteer or gave money, then they ought to be up front about it."
She and others desperately hoped to see Obama accept the Democratic Party's presidential nomination Aug. 28.
Billy Reed, of Arvada, said he signed up minutes after the announcement of the ticket plan, which was unveiled at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 6. But he missed out, and others who volunteered for the campaign got tickets even though they didn't sign up until the next day.
Reed said he was upset because the campaign "mentioned on the news that it wasn't going to be preferential treatment, that independents, Republicans, blah, blah, blah, were all going to get an equal shot. It sounds to me like preferential treatment was going on."
Not so, said Stephanie Mueller, a spokeswoman for the Obama campaign.
"This was absolutely a first- come, first serve," she said.
She said that volunteers got no preferential treatment.
But she could not explain how Reed and others who said they signed up in the first two hours were passed over and how people like Mike Molina, who signed up at 7 a.m. the next day, scored them. Molina volunteered twice at an Obama phone bank.
Fueling suspicions has been the Obama campaign's repeated refusal to answer questions about the details of determining who would, and would not, get tickets - or even disclose roughly how many were up for grabs. The campaign also would not reveal how many would be set aside for volunteers or donors.
Featured
-
DNC in Denver
Complete coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
-
The Crevasse
A five-part series that examines one tragic day on Mount Rainier.
-
Deadly denial
Sick nuclear workers applied for government compensation but most haven't seen a dime.
-
Final Salute
The Rocky followed Maj. Steve Beck as he took on the most difficult duty of his career.
-
'Colorado's burning'
Coverage of the state's worst wildfires.
-
Columbine shootings
Coverage of the April 20, 1999, shootings at Littleton's Columbine High School.
-
The Crossing
Colorado's deadliest traffic accident killed 20 children on Dec. 14, 1961.
-
Osveli's journey
Osveli Sales left Guatemala for a better life. Two months later, he came home in a box.
-
Wake for an Indian warrior
Oglala Sioux bestow a tribute to the first tribal fatality in Iraq.
August 15, 2008
6:33 p.m.
Suggest removal
FCZ writes:
"If they're going to go out and say it's first-come, first-served and then turn around and reward people who volunteer or gave money, then they ought to be up front about it."
Hope and Change.
August 15, 2008
7:12 p.m.
Suggest removal
navymom writes:
I never believed that it would be first come - first serve, open for Republicans or non-donors or non-volunteers.
One of the things it asked up front was whether you would volunteer. That should have been the first clue.
If they truly didn't care who got the tickets, they would have been in danger of people getting them, lying when answering questions about their ability to get to Denver and where they intend to stay, and then not showing up so that the stadium would be more empty and embarrass Obama.
I thought about it, but decided against it because of my Christianity. I am only one person, and I am sure that there are more who would think that and follow through, so of course they are going to be selective about who gets the tickets. That's the democratic way!
August 15, 2008
7:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
votingdem writes:
I was one of the local democrats who registered online immediately after 2:30 p.m. on August 6. I got a phone call from a "Matt," trying to get me to volunteer for 3 separate shifts to get tickets. When I told Matt that I work 2 jobs and would be unable to put that much time in, he said that I would have to "take my chances on the lottery" for my tickets. I said "what lottery, it's first come, first served." Matt said he and the Obama campaign had no control over the ticket process, and blamed the Democratic National Committee. Needless to say, I didn't get my tickets, just an email suggesting I volunteer. This leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. I'm starting to wonder if Barack is just like every other politician out there. I'm very disappointed. I thank the Rocky for the story and I hope they look into it further. Letting the "ordinary people" in was a great idea, too bad is wasn't true.
August 15, 2008
7:41 p.m.
Suggest removal
Vector049 writes:
I tried to get tickets within seconds after they became available to the public, only to be to told they were all gone... and immediately smelled a rat. I believe I'll cast my vote for a fellow Vietnam veteran.
August 15, 2008
7:59 p.m.
Suggest removal
SKYWABBITT writes:
I, too, registered within seconds, but did not volunteer & it seems obvious to me that if you didn't volunteer, you would not have a chance at a ticket ! Insincere statements pertaining securing of tickets. First come, first served is not the way it was done. Was not that difficult to figure out after all was said & done.
August 15, 2008
8:44 p.m.
Suggest removal
rray writes:
"Not so, said Stephanie Mueller, a spokeswoman for the Obama campaign." "This was absolutely a first-come, first serve," she said. "This process was open to everyone, and we took each of the requests in the order that we received them."
Read between the lies (excuse me lines). Notice how Stephanie did not say that the requests got tickets... only that they took each of the requests in the order received. BIG difference Ms. Mueller!
I requested tickets on-line within an hour of being available. I did NOT give any of my time. I got LOTS of emails, almost instantly asking for money and/or donations of time. I was passed over and put on "The List", which of course means no tickets for you. I'm a Republican. I'm registered. I will vote. I wanted to take MY time to see him to determine how I was going to vote.... Thanks Mr. Obama for helping me make up my mind.
August 15, 2008
8:49 p.m.
Suggest removal
clyde writes:
Little_D, are you getting all upset that the Messiah is turning out to be another sleazy Chicago Machine politician, bought and paid for, sneaky, and lying just to get you naive "Hope and Changers" to cast a vote without any idea what you're voting for?
August 15, 2008
9:40 p.m.
Suggest removal
watcher1 writes:
The fix was in. This was NOT a first-come, first-served process. If it were, they would have simply signed you up as you went through the registration. Instead, they sandbagged everyone for nearly a week got a huge data-base of email addresses to use to seek donations. From that standpoint, gotta hand it to 'em -- it was brilliant.
August 15, 2008
10:30 p.m.
Suggest removal
Ed80 writes:
A lot of sour grapes around here. I didn't get tickets either, but I don't see what the fuss is about.
The website where I signed up clearly stated that those willing to do volunteer work would have a chance to get seats closer to the stage. This made it obvious that some tickets were reserved for volunteers, so I don't see why people are now surprised to learn that volunteers had a better chance of getting tickets. There are a limited number of seats at Invesco and it makes sense that Obama would want to reward those who have made the greatest commitment.
August 15, 2008
11:15 p.m.
rickg19611 writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
August 16, 2008
2:46 a.m.
Suggest removal
kevin3 writes:
I think the young out-of-staters who came to CO. to run the Obama campaign completely sandbagged the citizens of CO. in the most arrogant of ways. As soon as they realized how popular the tickets would be with us, they dangled the tickets in front of us and told us volunteer shifts would help in getting tickets. Those of us who could not volunteer last minute lost out with a bad taste in most of our mouths. The CO. Obama campaign managers think they pulled the wool over our eyes, however the CO. Obama campaign managers revealed the worst part of the anatomy of the human body they really are!
August 16, 2008
2:52 a.m.
Suggest removal
kevin3 writes:
I believe it would have been easier to get into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory than to see Obama at his acceptance speech!
August 16, 2008
5:24 a.m.
Suggest removal
roger44 writes:
So you folks are surprised that a Politician would lie? Has the shine gone off Obama? Sure did for me. Adding it all up, McCain gets my vote. Clyde is right, just another machine, and the Big_D won't face the truth. Sure oil companies make profits, but they also pay trillions in taxes. Wal mart makes big money too, better complain about them.
August 16, 2008
5:38 a.m.
Suggest removal
reformthis writes:
There were two types of tickets, regular first-come, first-served tickets/credentials. Then there were "all-star" tickets/credentials. If you signed up for all-star tickets, you were asked to volunteer. In fact, you were told you had to volunteer to have a shot at those tickets.
The first group of tickets were issued first-come, first-served, and were probably spoken for within minutes -- no different than any other popular event.
The second group of tickets were issued in the order that the volunteers completed their shifts.
There was a block of tickets provided to the Colorado Democratic Party to distribute through county parties. Certainly tickets were given to large donors. There are also small numbers of tickets provided to non-profit community groups to give to their constituency.
August 16, 2008
7:08 a.m.
Suggest removal
vet64 writes:
People, people, people. It should come as no surprise that the Obama campaign was able to shaft so many citizens. You fail to remember that Barack Obama is a politician and an aspiring proctologist, just like every other politician, and is expert at giving rectal exams while you smile. And just think, if he is elected in November, you can expect the same for four years. Look past the shine and polished smile and you see just another sleaze bucket.
August 16, 2008
7:13 a.m.
Suggest removal
panicstrickin writes:
I just don't get it. What is all the hype? I have voted for all parties before, both Dem and Rep and Indy. Never have I been excited about a person running for president. I wasn't alive for Kennedy, and too young to understand Reagan. So I can't bust their chops.
When are you people going to stop worshiping these people? Obama is a POLITICIAN.... Nothing more. He wants the power. He will not do anything for anyone. Everyone talks about him like he is our "friend". The guy is bad news just like all the rest of these scumbags. THINK people. Don't be sheep and fall in like weak minded fools.
August 16, 2008
7:41 a.m.
Suggest removal
bluecollarbytes writes:
The "best seats in the house" will be in people's homes. Do you realize how many hours you'll need to sit in uncomfortable seats, hours in traffic, for no other reason than to be able to state "I was there"? This is basically Obama selecting the largest TV studio audience in history. Attendees are props. Why bother? Just stay at home and lie about having attended.
August 16, 2008
8:12 a.m.
Suggest removal
jwbeuk writes:
Big D, you are a typical angry Obama supporter; you and your ilk are the reason I and many others will vote for McCain.
August 16, 2008
8:14 a.m.
Suggest removal
commoncents writes:
Plenty of good seats available for the McCain acceptance speech. If you were going to vote for a candidate based on getting into an event you probably shouldn't be allowed to vote anyway. It really isn't a personal attack to be one of the millions of people to not get a ticket. Keep it in perspective.
Don't fall for Aliverers offer, all they have is pictures of Cindy McCain from the Miss Cowchip contest. Plastic and fake like her hubby.
August 16, 2008
8:34 a.m.
Suggest removal
inmyopinion writes:
I, too, heard about the ALL STAR VOLUNTEERS. But what were the volunteers during the caucus who stood in the freezing cold weather that supported Obama against Hillary? Or were elected as county delegates and spent 9 hours at the Wells Fargo theatre? or volunteered for Obama's sppech at DU?
I guess those "over 6 hours" of volunteering did not count as ALL STAR VOLUNTEERS. Also, the Kroenke sports sponsor and all the other "sponsors" of the event have pulled tickets for their distribution.
I am considereing changing my party status, especially if McCain picks a pro-choice opponenet because I think this was a scam.
And I am very disappointed that Obama seems to be forgetting his grassroots base daily.
Good luck trying to win Colorado now.
August 16, 2008
8:44 a.m.
Suggest removal
buffsblg writes:
It is the right of the campaign to determine how to distribute tickets. It is not the right to deliberately mislead those who did ask or to play games by being coy about how the decisions are made. I will not make my decision on how to vote based upon this, but it does temper my enthusiasm for a campaign allegedly based on honesty and truth. The fact that the campaign is still lying about how they were distributed does not help.
August 16, 2008
8:58 a.m.
JiggityJack writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
August 16, 2008
9:07 a.m.
Suggest removal
inmyopinion writes:
I agree with buffsbig about the dishonesty surrounding the ticket distribution. If you call the number listed on the Obama website for the Denver headquarters, it is disconnected....and disconnected is how the campaign is beginning to unfold.
Perhaps Oprah advised the Obama campaign on how to f-up the tickets. Remember the fiasco in 2004 with the Oprah tickets?
A friend of mine, who is influential with the "Hillary" demographic women community, who hosts several events, went down to the 1355 S. Colorado Blvd office , suite C-270, and was laughed at by all the young staffers there, especially one named Adam. I called the office - 303-999-3800- several times with promises of call backs - I'm sure I will get a call back when they need volunteers or money. Ray Rivera is AWOL... The DNCC host committee refers you to the Obama campaign, the Looper is involved with a 311 link that sends you to the disconnected phone number....complete run around.
It is not a question of getting the tickets, now it is a question of honesty and integrity....which seems to be lacking.
August 16, 2008
9:54 a.m.
Suggest removal
fencergal writes:
Um, is it becoming obvious to people that Obama is nothing more than a "mirage'? He has been schooled in the Chicago style of sleazy politics and has learned to practice them well. Talk in platitudes with no substance. But no worry, loyal Democrats will vote for him anyway. This party must be made up of a bunch of masochists, you get treated like dirt from the campaign, and you still intend to vote for this empty suit? This ticket issue is just a tiny glimpse into what an Obama administration would be. All smoke and mirrors.
August 16, 2008
10 a.m.
Suggest removal
SteveM writes:
There is zero proof when a person says "I signed up on line for tickets 2 hours after they were available but didn't get them." Zero. If they had said you have to volunteer to get tickets so what? It's there event, they're paying for the venue and the cost of leasing the stadium for the day from the city. They can determine who goes and doesn't go. The fact that over 70,000 people will get to go is amazing. This town is so full of two-faced whiners who complain when they get to go and when they don't get to go it's hilarious. Why would you neocons want to go? Shouldn't you be in Minneapolis for YOUR convention? Just be quiet.
August 16, 2008
12:11 p.m.
Suggest removal
KING writes:
I find it funny that I and one of my friends called at exactly the same time for tickets, but she said she would volunteer and I said no, now she is wait listed and I heard squat.
Personally I think they check voter registrations before they called anyone. I think only democrats got them. Any independents or republicans get a ticket?
August 16, 2008
12:29 p.m.
Suggest removal
Benighse writes:
It appears a lot of John Mccain's Phil Gramm whiners have shown up to post here....I put in for and want a ticket to the speech also, and I've made my flight and room reservations in the hope that will happen...and I'm putting in my time to help elect Obama win in Nevada because he has ideas and policies that will improve our standing at home and abroad...but if others in Colorado and around the United States get all the speech tickets, I will still come to Denver and enjoy your fine city, and I will still work to get Obama elected in November without complaint because the issues are more important for all of us to get this election right this time....It's time to be FOR something....and I'm for getting Obama elected so we can get some problems solved, like healthcare, and out of Iraq, and housing, and solar and wind energy programs, and international improvements with our allies, just to name a few. Let's all put Obama to work for America!!
August 16, 2008
12:57 p.m.
Suggest removal
JonFraudCarry writes:
You Obamamaniacs sure are funny! But I know, he makes you feel so good! He is the hope for change that we hope we will change! We are the ones that we have been waiting for ! WHEEEEE!!!!!!!
August 16, 2008
2:09 p.m.
Suggest removal
Ambrose writes:
I've both volunteered and given money to Obama - and I was too late in registering to get tickets. But that will have nothing to do with my support for Obama. We cannot stand four more years of the kind of policies that Bush and McCain support. McCain has been for "deregulation" since the days of the S & L crisis that cost taxpayers billions. He's had the same "don't regulate" approach that will cost us billions in this subprime mess. He once was a "maverick," but no more. He is now a mere shadow of the man we once knew, not veering from the path that he hopes will win support of the Bush voters.
Obama warned of the subprime crisis six months before anyone else took action. He knew the true threat to the US to be in the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. He knew that going to war in Iraq was a mistake. Obama has been right on the issues that John McCain has gotten wrong.
I won't let something as silly as tickets to a speech prevent me from supporting true, needed change in our great country. If one truly considers his intelligence, vision, and dedication to this country, the decision to support Obama is an easy one.
August 16, 2008
2:49 p.m.
Suggest removal
clyde writes:
Little_D, who said I was voting for McCain? Nice little jump to conclusions, there. I MAY vote for the Messiah, just to put this whole rock star thing away, and let you wallow in pity for your foolishness. I don't think YOU will have buyer's remose until you take delivery of "The One". It just may be time to let the libs totally destroy things so we can at least salvage PART of this country after your failure is beyond question. It happened in the USSR, after all.
August 16, 2008
3:02 p.m.
Suggest removal
jefferson3 writes:
My girlfriend and I picked up our credentials this morning, and neither of us volunteered. I'm a registered D and she is an Independent. The campain workers were really nice and you could feel the excitement in the room. I bet people could probably score a ticket to John McCain's speech. It's in Minneapolis, if you haven't heard.
August 16, 2008
3:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
angka writes:
This is BS, my dirty hippie totally non-political brother got tickets for himself and his daughter, no problem. They've never volunteered for anything. Me and the wife will be there too--we signed up fast when we heard it was available, that's all.
August 16, 2008
3:41 p.m.
Suggest removal
LuvAmerica writes:
Clyde-
Whoever gets the job next is doomed to failure. The GOP's have wrecked the country, and like a jetliner plummiting towards the earth, they want to hand the controls to the Dems 1000' above the ground and say "Now don't screw up!" That's why the Repubs can't offer up any decent candidates: no one wants their name on the reclamation effort the next 4 years and beyond will call for. There are some big pills the country will start need to swallowing and wheee! let's blame Obama when he has to deliver them.
By any metric you would like, what is arguably one of the worst administrations in the history of the country has pretty well trashed the place.
-economy
-military readiness
-Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan
-Katrina recovery
-Rule of Law
-human rights
-federal debt
-energy policy & energy independence
-civil liberties
-world standing
-housing market
-environment
-competence in government
-excess government
-poverty
-balanced budgets
-middle class
-terrorism
-healthcare
-employment
It would be funny to listen to people argue about Dem's not being up for the job, if it wasn't coming from a group that has demonstrated raging incompetence on every item mentioned above.
August 16, 2008
4:56 p.m.
Suggest removal
raoul writes:
Big d is a baby. Big d is a baby. nanananana
August 16, 2008
4:56 p.m.
Suggest removal
BUCKSHOTT2006 writes:
"If they're going to go out and say it's first-come, first-served and then turn around and reward people who volunteer or gave money, then they ought to be up front about it."
Welcome to the world of politics...
August 16, 2008
6:36 p.m.
Suggest removal
clyde writes:
LuvAmerica, I’ve been around since Truman. All the hysteria I see today is about little things. We had the threat of nuclear war hanging over our heads for decades. Back then it was a true possibility of all-out nuclear conflict. The 70’s economy was the pits, but not as bad as the Depression. You’re picking at nits because you hate GWB because you’ve been told to. From a historical perspective, these are the Good Old Days. We have too many young people whose memory doesn’t go back before Clinton. They have no perspective. They also have very little life experience.
-economy – I lived through Jimmy Carter. 20% mortgages.
-military readiness – Jimmy Carter again.
-Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan – Hostages in Iran. Guess who?
-Katrina recovery – Local.
-Rule of Law – Still there.
-human rights – In the US, the best ever.
-federal debt – The Federal Reserve. The biggest scam ever.
-energy policy & energy independence – Has been stalled since the 70’s.
-civil liberties – See Truman and his internment camps.
-world standing – I say pull the troops and foreign aid from EVERYONE.
-housing market – Except in a few, over reported areas, it’s still fine.
-environment – The climate is always in flux. The air is much cleaner than in the 50’s. Get China on board.
-competence in government – See Jimmy Carter.
-excess government – I totally agree.
-poverty – We’ve thrown trillions at it since LBJ’s Great Society. Any NEW ideas besides soaking the rich?
-balanced budgets – Should be a Constitutional Amendment.
-middle class – Still good, but the shrinkage is upwards. Disposable income percentage is up.
-terrorism – Nothing since 9/11.
-healthcare – Expensive, but the best, most innovative in the world.
-employment – Unemployment is at about 5%, historically speaking, pretty good.
August 16, 2008
7:35 p.m.
Suggest removal
chyme_rhymin writes:
I didn't volunteer. I signed up on the website as soon as it was announced. I had a seperate browser open and typed in the place to register as she said it and signed up immediately. I picked up my credential today.
I don't want to discredit the validity of what others who've posted had said... but I do feel it was first come first serve. Another colleague in my office who signed up at the during the press release also got tickets.
August 16, 2008
9:19 p.m.
Suggest removal
cblack writes:
You can say what you want, but I do think that at least some of the tickets were first come first served. I logged in within minutes of the announcement, and I received community credentials. I offered to volunteer, but never got a phone call, and I have not given any money. One thing that I did notice when picking up the tickets today were that the volunteer tickets are much closer than my section. They are in the 100's and the community ones are in the 500's. But I will be there to see history in the making.
I am not planning on degrading those of you who get on the internet and give sermons about how bad the democrats are, or how great the republicans are, because no one changes their vote on what is said on these boards. All I ask is that everyone who is able to, please vote. I am embarassed by the low voter turn-out that usually happens, especially by women and minorities, whose relatives worked so hard to get everyone the right to vote.
August 16, 2008
11:06 p.m.
Suggest removal
LadyBird112 writes:
So, you didn't get tickets, and that makes you change your vote. Brilliant! I'm sure this would never happen with McCain. Get real, people! I can't believe there are such sore losers around here.
August 16, 2008
11:14 p.m.
Suggest removal
ginomai writes:
Let's consider this..
Sen. Obama moved the speech to a venue that is several times larger than the original venue picked out by the DNC.
If this event were still scheduled at the Pepsi center, none of you who tried to get tickets would have had any chance at all to be there in person. No one who is not a delegate, elected official, or special guest (think Bill Clinton) would be inside.
As it stands now the Obama campaign has taken on the Democratic Party and opened up this event to thousands more people. Trust me - this logistical nightmare, and huge expense was not Howard Dean's idea. It was all Obama. Whether you love Sen. Obama or hate him, he is actually running a different campaign. Its just that we get so greedy. No one would even be discussing this if he had (like Hillary would have) simply gone along with the Party line, accepting the nomination in a nice, controlled Pepsi Center, with a small group (16,000) of onlookers. He tries to break open the system open and he gets criticized for the impossible task of distributing something like 55,000 tickets in a way that makes everyone happy.
Why did he choose this? We can have different opinions. Here is why I think he insisted on this (1) it is a SYMBOL of his commitment to engage more people in the political process (2) it is a great way to recruit volunteers, (3) it is a way to gather information on people who willingly visited the website and willingly entered their own information. There may have been other motives, to be sure, but these are the most obvious in my opinion.
I helped with the distribution of these credentials as a volunteer today, and I can tell you that registered Republicans, people who have never volunteered, and independents (not mutually exclusive categories) received tickets to this event. Was it a perfect system? No, but it was good. No one, in any part of the process was ever promised a ticket - even people who volunteered were told that their volunteering did not mean that they would get tickets. In fact, having spent lots of time at one field office, I heard the staff repeat the line over and over again "There are a limited number of credentials, distributed on a first come, first serve basis. Volunteering would qualify you to receive and All-Star credential - two tickets in a "better" section, but would not guarantee you one."
I say, give the campaign a break - they are doing lots of things never done before, or at least not for a long time in American politics.
August 16, 2008
11:31 p.m.
Suggest removal
Are_you_serious writes:
Look at it this way, neither party tells the complete truth anyway! No matter who gets elected we are all screwed!!! But I do believe the whole ticket distribution was a bunch of political BS.
August 17, 2008
12:50 a.m.
Suggest removal
ColdShot writes:
D....you are clearly THE Idiot! per-usual
August 17, 2008
7:11 a.m.
Suggest removal
debster writes:
Mr. Vaughan is mistaken. I've donated time and money--over a thousand bucks--to the campaign. My roommate has volunteered a little time only. He received a ticket. I was put on a waiting list. Furthermore, I signed up first. It was luck of the draw and he was luckier. No biggie.
August 17, 2008
10:32 a.m.
Suggest removal
Elwood writes:
Hope and change, sounds more like Bait and switch!
Hope for what is promised and watch Obama Change what he said.
August 17, 2008
3:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
Finding_Forever writes:
Hmmm, how many people did the RMN ask? I signed up around 5:30 that day, and I recieved my tickets. I've never volunteered for the campaign, and I dont believe in donating money to fund politicians.
August 17, 2008
4:38 p.m.
Suggest removal
danso writes:
Well, there you go. You signed up at 5:30 and got tickets. I signed up at 3:30 - I was sitting at my computer when the email notification came out - and didn't. How was that first come, first served?
August 17, 2008
7:12 p.m.
Suggest removal
pappabear writes:
It's my understanding that 'x' amount of tickets went randomly to first come first served, and 'x' amount of tickets went to volunteers. Those tickets were outside the 30k reserved for the first come first served.
I was an Obama precinct captain. I signed up in the first 90 seconds the site was open. I've done countless shifts of canvassing, phone bank calls, and voter registration, including in the alleged 'all important' last week. I still was put on a 'waiting list' and have received no tickets.
No question there have been screw ups. I was expecting tickets for sure, and got none! Still, put yourself in their shoes. This is not a science. They tried to get this right, but how can 30,000 tickets
make 80,000+ people happy? You just can't.
Let's try to put this in the proper perspective and stay positive. Isn't that what this is all about?
August 17, 2008
8:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
LuvAmerica writes:
Clyde, the only problem is that you just refuted the disaster list of the current president by citing other similar problems using DIFFERENT PEOPLE SPREAD OUT OVER DECADES.
p.s. 9/11 happened on Bush's watch, so amongst your other bits of parsing, saying he has "kept us safe from terrorists" would be a bit of a reach.
August 19, 2008
9:47 a.m.
Suggest removal
guz21715 writes:
My wife and I visited the Obama campaign office location in Fort Collins just once to see if we would be able to obtain a yard sign (they didn't have any)...my wife then signed up on their list of potential volunteers and that was pretty much that...then my wife gets a call this past Friday saying she has been selected to receive her credentials to attend Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco...and she hasn't volunteered at all...she went and picked up her credentials last night...
August 19, 2008
3:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
inkspiration writes:
I'm a delegate elected in PA to attend the convention and I can assure you that the tickets were sold more on a first-come-first served basis than you would believe. As a delegate, the campaign told us that we would be able to have a seat for guests who come to Denver with us. Unfortunately for us, after the ticket sale, they oversold the tickets to people from Colorado and the Western region. More than 2/3 of the 75,000 or so tickets went to folks out your way. The campaign then had to come back to the delegates all over the country and say, you get one ticket. Imagine the disappointment of family members attending with delegates who cannot attend the speech. Delegates in PA have to run for election and are elected by voters in their congressional districts. We're not appointed by the campaign. The fact of the matter is, there were a limited number of tickets and the campaign was overwhelmed by requests; hundreds of thousands of people, including people from overseas, requested tickets. There is absolutely no way that the stadium would be empty by no-shows. Volunteers were told at the get go that they might not get tickets and most of them didn't. I was told that only a few tickets were set aside for volunteers, most to those who will volunteer that night. I was also told that tickets were not set aside for financial contributors. That won't stop some of them from getting credentials and tickets from other people, though. I personally have heard rumbling, complaints, and cursing from some big money donors in PA and other states because they automatically did not get a ticket, so that seems to support what delegates have been told. Folks will believe what they want to believe, but I'm confident that there will be more regular folks there over any other convention BY FAR.
August 21, 2008
3:24 p.m.
Suggest removal
hauser1 writes:
Well, folks, I just got my ticket today (email was sent out yesterday). I did not volunteer for anything nor did I give a dime to Obama. I didn't even get my name in 'seconds after the start time'. I live just outside of Denver and am excited to go. I am sorry you can't go, but if your lack of a ticket is what covinced you to vote Republican, you need to become a bit more educated on the REAL issues of this election and I am glad a solid democrat gets to go in your place.
September 7, 2008
10:02 a.m.
Suggest removal
M_Bishop writes:
I reserved tickets online for the McCain-Palin rally in Colorado Springs on September 6th. When I went to the office to claim my tickets, I was told that there were no more. A little odd I thought, seeing that the room was full of young moms with toddlers in their arms, and THEY were receiving instructions like "be prepared to be outside and bring sunscreen and water..." I felt discriminated against. And the geek behind the counter just smiled and shrugged and said "They ran out of tickets yesterday." But that was the day I had called and confirmed that my tickets were still there!