The St. Louis 2012 Convention Host Committee announced details today for the hottest concert ticket in town, in support of the cityʼs bid for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. The Committee previously announced a special concert event on Thursday, July 29, but had not released event details.

St. Louis is one of four finalist cities for the convention.

St. Louis legend Chuck Berry, and a very special guest, will rock downtownʼs Kiener Plaza at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, 7/29. Free tickets are available at STL2012.org. Please note that the number of tickets is very limited and priority will be given to those who make a pledge to volunteer at the convention if St. Louis is chosen.

“Chuck Berry is one of our most celebrated citizens, and weʼre excited about his support for our bid,” said St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay. “This rally is a great way to build and show grassroots support and energy for our bid. To get this convention and to make it successful, our greatest resource will be the people of St. Louis. We will need a lot of volunteers willing to work. We are holding the rally and concert to involve people in our bid. What better way to do it than with a St. Louis musical legend!”

The Host Committee noted that one asset St. Louis has is an engaged grass-roots community—after all, an astounding 100,000 people gathered beneath the iconic Gateway Arch to hear candidate Barack Obama in 2008. This rally is intended to build on that strength.

“For the Host Committee, the July 29 rally is a chance to show our support for the people of St. Louis, as they pledge their support for our communityʼs 2012 bid,” said Missouri Governor Jay Nixon.

St. Louis is a strong contender for the Convention, given the regionʼs central location and unique attributes as a family-friendly and diverse city capable of hosting the 50,000 delegates, press and other visitors in 2012.

If successful, St. Louis will enjoy a significant economic benefit from the Convention. In 2008, the Convention boosted Denver’s regional economy by $266 million. For comparison, the 2009 MLB All-Star Game boosted the St. Louis economy by some $60 million.

St. Louis submitted its bid on 21 May, along with several other cities.  St. Louis is a strong contender for the Convention, given the region’s central location and unique attributes as a family-friendly and diverse city capable of hosting the 50,000 delegates, press and other visitors in 2012.

If successful, St. Louis will enjoy a significant economic benefit from the Convention.  In 2008, the Convention boosted Denver’s regional economy by $266 million.  For comparison, the 2009 MLB All-Star Game boosted the St. Louis economy by some $60 million.

The DNC’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) will conduct site visits to each finalist city this summer.

“I’m proud St. Louis got short-listed,” said St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay.  “We demonstrated we are a first-class city capable of holding an event of this magnitude.”

The community can follow the St. Louis bid online and sign up to help at stl2012.org, via Twitter @stldnc2012 and on Facebook at facebook.com/stldnc2012.

June 1, 2010

Leave it up to the right wingers to blame the President for the mess in the Gulf of Mexico. Rather than discussing our country’s long-standing addiction to crude oil and the impact this dependence has had on our ecology, economy and security – the right-wing would have us believe that President Obama started the leak himself. Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck would rather distract with assertions that the President hasn’t responded quickly enough to a catastrophe that they would have people believe the President’s policies fostered.

I, for one have had enough.

Yes the events unfolding in the Gulf are a horrific reminder oils spills of the past. The images of tar balls, crude covered sea fowl and dead fish remind us that we need to change our energy policy – not beat-up on our President. If we insist on placing blame on a President, how about we place blame on the President funded by big oil? You guessed it, George W. Bush and his Halliburton-sponsored sidekick Dick Cheney.

So what really caused the mess in the Gulf? It is our country’s laissez-faire approach to energy policy. A policy that has developed and been fostered by generations of oil men – oil men like George Bush, his father before him and especially their lead oil man, the former CEO of Halliburton – Dick Cheney. After all, it was Bush’s administration that issued waiver after waiver to BP and Halliburton, which allowed them to skirt safety issue and ultimately lead to the oil spill in the Gulf.

We Americans have to wake up. “Drill-baby-drill” is not a sound energy policy, nor is a policy written by big oil lobbyist. We need a policy that focuses on independence from oil and encourages development of renewal energy. American energy policy should provide a cleaner environment, new industries and freedom from the politics of the Middle East (and freedom from the politics dominated by big-oil and their Republican lackeys).

They don’t call it Texas Tea for no reason –It’s the fault of those good ol’ oil boys from Texas that we are witnessing the destruction in the Gulf. But Rush Limbaugh won’t tell you that.

Brian Wahby is Chairman of the St. Louis City Democrats and an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee.

Thursday May 20, 2010 at 7:00 PM

At

Firefighters Hall – 4271 Delor Street

Hosted by Wards

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 23, 24, 23, 28

All Democratic Candidates Running for Office within the 3rd Congressional District are invited to speak and answer questions.

Courtesy of www.barackobama.com.

www.TheVeryWorstOfWashington.com

Jefferson City, MO – Days after the Missouri Democratic Party released a trailer previewing the untold stories of Congressman Blunt’s extensive ties to the most corrupt players in Washington, the cutting edge Web site everyone has been waiting for is LIVE.

This blockbuster Web site exposes some of the lesser-known aspects of Congressman Blunt’s record as the ringmaster of Washington.  Together with convicted felon lobbyist Jack Abramoff and indicted former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Congressman Blunt has been at the center of nearly every major political corruption scandal of the last decade.  And while the Web site may look like that of a fictional political thriller, unfortunately for Missourians, every story, connection and character on www.TheVeryWorstOfWashington.com is real.

“For thirteen years, Congressman Blunt has been the glue holding the very worst of Washington together, and with the launch of our new Web site, Congressman Blunt will finally be exposed for what he is: the ultimate insider with a record of waste, corruption and sticking it to the middle class,” said Ryan Hobart, Communications Director for the Missouri Democratic Party.  “With www.TheVeryWorstOfWashington.com Missourians will see that Congressman Blunt has been up to no good all these years in Washington and certainly doesn’t deserve to go to the U.S. Senate.”

The Web site includes these features:

• “Characters”  — the who’s who of Congressman Blunt’s Washington inner circle
• “Episodes” – real stories and examples of what Congressman Blunt and his Washington friends have been up to
• “Hangouts” – real locations of where these Washington insiders conduct business
• “Timeline” – dates and times of what went down
• “Connections” – how the Washington insiders fit together
• “Which Washington Insider Are You? Quiz” – an interactive quiz to take and share

Congressman Blunt’s record of sticking it to the middle class, accepting huge checks from Wall Street bankers, and voting against tax cuts for small businesses speaks for itself.  Now, voters will have a chance to see just how Congressman Blunt spends his time, and with whom he’s spends his time since he’s been in Washington.  This all-too-real story about the Washington Insiders is now available for all Missourians to witness the very worst of Washington with their own eyes.

– 30 –

Washington – Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement in response to Missouri Republican Senate candidate Rep. Roy Blunt’s contention that adults don’t deserve protections from preexisting-condition discrimination because adults with preexisting conditions “have done nothing to take care of themselves”:

“Roy Blunt’s callous assertion that adults with preexisting conditions like cancer, diabetes, congenital heart disease and others do not deserve the right to health insurance because they ‘have done nothing to take care of themselves’ shows an insensitivity to the people of Missouri and America.

“Thanks to Democrats’ hard work to pass health reform, millions of Americans who have been discriminated against by insurance companies because of their preexisting conditions soon will find that they no longer have to fear being denied health insurance.

“Starting this year, health insurance companies will no longer be able to deny insurance to children with preexisting conditions, and the most vulnerable adults with preexisting conditions will be able to enter a high risk pool to obtain insurance. In coming years, adults will no longer be discriminated against through coverage denial because of preexisting conditions. That will be a victory for Missourians and the American people.

“Sadly, if Roy Blunt and his Republican colleagues had their way, health insurance companies would still be able to continue their worst practices and leave millions uninsured due to preexisting conditions – even though many of the conditions are totally beyond the control of the person in need of health care.

“There is no mistaking who Roy Blunt and the Republicans stand with, and it is clearly not the people of Missouri. Fortunately, thanks to health insurance reform, Missourians and millions of other Americans across the country now have greater control over their health insurance decisions and have greater protection against insurance company discrimination.

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Content courtesy of the DNC.