The Trail

Thursday, August 28, 2008

CREATIVE GEOGRAPHY

O'Malley Claims Biden As Maryland's Own

DENVER -- The thing about political conventions is that everyone wants to claim a piece of, a connection to, the nominees. So it was that Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley happily stated that Marylanders can proudly stake a claim to Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware.

Say what? Biden was born in Pennsylvania. He has been a U.S. senator from Delaware for 36 years. Did O'Malley flunk geography?

"He's the first person from the Tri-State Peninsula to ever be on a presidential ticket," O'Malley (D) told reporters during a reception for Maryland delegates, smiling like a teacher's pet.

Apparently, the Tri-State Peninsula is the same as the Delmarva Peninsula, made up of Delaware, the Maryland Eastern Shore and parts of Virginia.

Okaaaay, said one reporter, who asked whether O'Malley's press secretary, Rick Abbruzzese, fed him that bit of trivia.

"No, seriously," O'Malley said. "I looked it up."

Hear that, Tim Kaine? Virginia can claim the veep spot on the ticket after all.

-- David Nakamura

PARTY POLITICS

Governor Hopeful Hosts Late-Night Bash

DENVER -- Del. Brian J. Moran (D-Alexandria), a candidate for governor next year, kept Virginia delegates to the Democratic National Convention happy at a party late Tuesday at the delegation's hotel bar.

More than 100 Virginia Democrats attended the party, billed as a "Late Night With Brian Moran," including U.S. Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott and Moran's brother, U.S. Rep. James P. Moran. U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Mark R. Warner also made an appearance, hours after he delivered the convention's keynote address.

-- Tim Craig

AN UNUSUAL PERSPECTIVE

It's an Honor to Be Given Bad Seats?

DENVER -- While Virginia delegates to the convention bask in the glory of being in front of the podium, Maryland delegates are seated almost as away from the podium as a delegate can get, off the floor, near the top of the first level of stadium seating.

"I'd like to be up front. This is my ninth convention, and we've been toward the back, but never this far back," said Loretta Johnston, an Obama delegate from Baltimore County.

But Mary Jo Neville, a delegate from western Howard County, said there is nothing unusual about Maryland's poor placement in the convention seating hierarchy.

Actually, Neville said, Maryland delegates should be honored by how far away from the podium they have been seated because it means they are doing their jobs as party leaders.

"We are a blue state, so we always perform no matter what," Neville said. "So we get hotels far away and seats in the boonies."

-- Tim Craig

SOMETHING EXTRA AT BREAKFAST

D.C. Delegates Get Flier Attacking Fenty

DENVER -- Labor groups are distributing a flier at the Democratic National Convention that criticizes the relationship of D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty with local union workers, the D.C. Council and community groups, according to a news release sent out by the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO.

Calling him "the un-reformer" in bold type, the flier reads: "D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has become the national poster child for reforming urban schools and streamlining city government. But the image-conscious Fenty is not the reform whiz kid. Far from it."

The flier says Fenty is "a budget-shattering, union-busting, promise-breaking political boss."

Metropolitan Washington Council President Joslyn N. Williams said in the release, "We are deeply disappointed that the mayor of our nation's capital has refused to meet with us, to talk with us and to work with us to solve the District's many challenges."

D.C. delegates were greeted with the flier at their morning breakfast. The mayor, who is staying at a different hotel, did not show up.

-- David Nakamura