What's up @ #CCDP2012 Today

I'm at the Clark County Democratic Party Convention today. And here's what the crowd looks like in The Riviera on the Las Vegas Strip.



And here's who we've seen here so far today.







Oh yes, it's that exciting!







NV-01 candidate Dina Titus and NV-03 candidate John Oceguera have just made their keynote speeches, as well as Nevada State Controller Kim Wallin (D). Oh yes, and have you noticed all the people here?





We have plenty of Legislature candidates (all Democrats, of course), as well as local candidates. And please keep looking at #CCDP2012 on Twitter to see what's happening. Contrary to what a couple naysayers said early this morning, I'm not seeing any "death" or "emptiness" here. It's quite exciting, so I should probably get back to it. Keep following me @atdleft on Twitter, and I'll be back here at the blog later to share some exciting video from today.

And Latin@s Want to Vote for Sharrontology?

Now of course, the first sentence is being taken out of context and being misconstrued (again). Oh joy, another "Reid gaffe"! Never mind that he was right.

“Sen. Reid’s contention was simply that he doesn't understand how anyone, Hispanic or otherwise, would vote for Republican candidates because they oppose saving teachers’ jobs, oppose job-creating tax incentives for small businesses, oppose investments in job-creating clean energy projects, and oppose the help for struggling, unemployed Nevadans to put food on the table and stay in their homes,” read the statement.

“Nevadans are suffering in this economy,” the statement continued, shifting to an attack on Republicans over the economy. “Senator Reid was rightly pointing out that Republicans like Sharron Angle who oppose job-creating measures and unemployment benefits, oppose emergency aid to save 1200 Nevada teachers, and who want to wipe out critical programs like Social Security and Medicare, are part of the problem, not part of the solution.”

Reid’s campaign also pointed reporters to research from the campaign on Angle’s “extreme and dangerous agenda for Hispanic Nevadans,” including a report from Las Vegas’s KLAS on complaints from Hispanic media outlets that they have been “shut out” from covering Angle’s campaign.

“Sharron Angle’s extreme and dangerous agenda for Hispanic Nevadans is something she obviously wants to hide, which is why she and her allies will do or say anything to attack Sen. Reid and shift the focus from the intense heat her campaign has been under,” said Reid campaign spokesman José Dante Parra.

So Harry Reid explains his stand on immigration reform, stands with KLAV as they launch their English proficiency program, and meets face to face with Latin@s in the East Side... And this is bad because there's a "gaffe moment"?

And Sharron Angle ignoring Nevada's Latinos and Latinas is fantastic?



And Sharron Angle using xenophobia to try to round up votes is terrific?



Again, we need real solutions, not blind hate. In fact, all that blind hate is hurting Arizona's economy. And think of how something like SB 1070 would destroy our tourism industry, which is still such a huge piece of Nevada's economic puzzle. No wonder why local business leaders opposed Chad Christensen's attempt to bring SB 1070 here...

And no wonder why more and more local business leaders are rejecting Sharrontology's extremism in favor of someone who can actually deliver real results.





Yep, I think the facts speak for themselves... And when putting things into perspective, we can see why more and more Nevadans of all cultural backgrounds are deciding it's not a good idea to throw away everything Harry Reid has done for this state in favor of "teh crazee".

Convention Time!

So on Saturday, we had a convention. Apparently, it attracted quite a bit of attention... Or at least the first half did.

We started off with a speech from Rory Reid on education, jobs, and Nevada's future. He also had some good lines on Brian Sandoval. When we think about it, he really is Jim Gibbons in a better suit.

We also heard some more of the statewide candidates speak. Kate Marshall raised the roof with her speech on job creation. Ross Miller spoke well on Democrats' commitment to social justice and how there's nothing wrong with Nevada we can't solve with what's right about our state.

And then, it was onto the Congressional candidates. Nancy Price spoke about the challenges she faced in her NV-02 race, but also how she's not making excuses and she's not giving up. Shelley Berkley said our state would be out of its collective mind if we were to get rid of Harry Reid. And of course, Dina Titus reminded us just how high the stakes are in this election.

Oh, and did I mention Harry Reid was there?

Oh, and there were plenty of fun and games going on at the convention! OK, so I didn't get elected to E-Board... Whatever. There were good people who won, and who I'm sure will do great things for the party. But oh my, was that a long election or what! We had three rounds of voting, at least four recounts, and dozens of exhausted delegates before we finally got all our eight E-Board members.

And yes, I was elected Nevada State Stonewall Secretary earlier in the morning. So hey, I didn't leave empty handed!

I was also able to catch up with many friends. My favorite Assembly Member, Ellen Spiegel, dropped by to remind us about the importance of state legislature elections this fall. Progress Now Nevada was there to remind us of all the important work they're up to. All of the area Democratic Clubs provided quite the presence there. I was amazed to discover how many friends I actually ran into on Saturday!

And before I go, let's talk about the party platform. Since the platform is supposed to state what the party stands for, it's a pretty important thing. And overall, there wasn't too much controversy to talk about. There was just a bit of a floor fight over inserting medical marijuana into the health care section (it passed), and over the immigration provision (we ended up with a pretty strong section opposing Arizona SB 1070 and similar discriminatory measures).

OK, I think I covered most of the important stuff. If you want to read more about what happened at the convention, read my most recent Twitter updates. I also have even more pictures from the convention up on my Twitpic. All in all, I had a great time, I feel like we accomplished some good things, and I'm feeling all fired up and ready to go for November! :-)

If You're Also an NSDP Delegate, I'd Really Appreciate Your Support. Thanks!

In case you also happen to be an NSDP Delegate attending the Nevada State Democratic Convention tomorrow, I hope you'll consider voting for me for Executive Board Member-at-Large (from Clark County). I'd really appreciate your support. Thanks! :-)

Dear Friends & Fellow Activists,


My name is Andrew Davey, and I am running for NSDP Executive Board Member-at-Large... And here’s why.

I may still be fairly new to Nevada, but I’m not new to progressive activism. Since I first involved with the Democratic Party back in 2005, when I joined my college’s Dem Club, I have been dedicated to growing this party, helping our candidates win, and fighting for what we and our party believe in. And ever since my first fiercely contested Congressional Campaign in 2006, I’ve learned how to build good relationships and how to organize. And ever since then as I’ve worked more on my advocacy for LGBTQ equality, health care for all, and sound environmental policy, I’ve learned how to work with our elected officials to promote strong progressive values.

Since moving to Southern Nevada last summer, I have jumped directly into “fighting the good fight” here. I currently serve as Secretary & Political Director for the Stonewall Democratic Club of Southern Nevada, and I have gotten my jump start on volunteering for local Democrats in my neighborhood. I want to continue to get involved, work in my local community, and get more and better Democrats elected here in Nevada. This is why I want to be your E-Board Member-at-Large.

Ever since getting to work for Stonewall last summer, I’ve had some “on the job training” and have quickly learned how to be effective here. I want to take the same lessons I’ve learned there and with my other advocacy projects here, and apply them to this position so I can do my best to serve the Nevada State Democratic Party and keep us winning in 2010, 2012, and beyond.

Thank you for your consideration, and I hope I can count on your support this weekend

- Andrew Davey
Proud Nevada Democrat
Henderson

Consumer Electronic Show Is Back in Vegas... And More Business Is on the Way in 2010?

Is this the start of something good?

The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show isn’t exactly like old times, but the Las Vegas tourism industry has geared up for it with high hopes.

The kickoff event of the city’s 2010 convention calendar is expected to be attended by some 110,000 people — an increase from earlier projections of 100,000 but slightly behind the 111,000 last year.

The event, produced by the Washington-based Consumer Electronics Association, brings the newest, flashiest and glitziest gadgets to a four-day showcase at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Las Vegas Hilton, the Renaissance Hotel and the Venetian’s Tower Suites.

Other hotels planned spin-off activities and special gatherings to accommodate what annually is one of Las Vegas’ largest trade shows.

And CES won't be the only gig in town this week... Look who's coming along with it!

It seems like a marriage that could only happen in Vegas: the overlapping conventions of the Consumer Electronics Show and the Adult Entertainment Expo.

The two groups of conventioneers couldn’t be any more different in appearance, but for one week in January, their worlds collide. Rubbing elbows in the hallways of the Venetian this week are tech geeks with their smartphones and laptops and scantily clad women with their own toys in hand. [...]

So the Adult Video Network, sponsor of the adult expo, keeps scheduling its event for the same time frame as CES — for an annual rendezvous in Las Vegas, so it can get as much money as it can off its former live-in companion.

More than 100,000 people attended the technology show, and most are men. Apparently, a lot of the geeky are a little freaky. According to a recent survey, 42 percent of adult expo attendance comes from CES, Devlin says. Last year’s adult expo lured more than 20,000 fans and conventioneers, organizers said.

“Adult entertainment fans come in all varieties,” Devlin notes.

Only in Vegas, baby.

And it looks like this may only be the start to a better 2010. Remember in October when Las Vegas Sands confounded us by sounding so upbeat about 2010 while simultaneously reporting its beating taken in 2009? And remember when MGM Mirage started following Harrah's lead in courting conventions and convention-goers more aggressively? Oh, and remember all the events going on during what was supposed to be a "quiet" December?

Well, it may finally be starting to pay off... Even if it means we "steal" convention business away from places like San Diego and Chicago with less capacity and more expensive lodging.

And at this point, we need all the business we can get if Vegas plans to recover in 2010. We need whatever we can find, and hopefully all this aggressive pursuit of conventions will be paying off for Las Vegas... Now excuse me while I check out that new 3-D TV with high-speed internet at CES. :-p