Denver May Have Problem With Anti-War Group
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Mile-High Pitch
The city of Denver may have a problem with an anti-war group that is hoping to assemble 50,000 demonstrators during the Democratic National Convention in August. The Rocky Mountain News reports the group is calling itself Tent State University since it is planning to pitch tents in Denver's central recreational area known as City Park. Students plan to hold protests, go to classes that teach anti-war tactics and sleep at night.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But overnight camping is illegal in the park and the city has issued a permit for just 20,000 people to assemble during the day. City Councilwoman Carla Madison says, "It's not a campout. The park closes at 11 p.m. and they have to be out."
Event organizer Adam Jung says, "If we have to figure out a way to remove all of these people at 10 or 11 at night — it becomes very problematic."
Left Turn
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President George Bush's approval rating is at an all-time low, but one liberal activist group not only doesn't want it to recover this year, it doesn't want it to recover ever.
Americans United for Change has unveiled the Bush Legacy Bus which highlights what it calls the failed policies of the Bush administration. On the outside, the bus features a photo of President Bush and phrases like "economy in crisis", "endless war in Iraq" and "health care's a mess." On the inside there are various interactive exhibits and videos.
AUC's communications director Jeremy Funk tells Cybercast News Service that the bus is "designed to drive a stake through the heart of the failed conservative ideology as a governing philosophy."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Town Hall Turnaround?
When Barack Obama declined John McCain's invitation to appear at a series of joint town hall meetings he not only went back on an earlier indication that he would, but he also contradicted what he wrote in his book.
In page 101 of "The Audacity of Hope," Obama writes that "one of my favorite tasks of being a senator is hosting town hall meetings. I held 39 of them my first year in the Senate."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Obama says in page 102 they are like "a dip in a cool stream. I feel cleansed afterward, glad for the work I have chosen."
Land Grab
Remember that landmark Supreme Court ruling known as the Kelo decision? The court decided that eminent domain allowed the city of New London, Connecticut, to seize a private owner's land for economic redevelopment by another private owner. The ruling was very unpopular and forced Susette Kelo to sell her home, which she never wanted to leave.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Now, three years later, Kelo's house has been torn down and the lot where it once stood is vacant. In fact, Real Clear Markets reports that there is no new construction in the area because the city-sponsored developer has been unable to secure financing — because interest is minimal.
— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.