Monday Morning Conference Call with Rick Davis, McCain Campaign Manager

Senator John McCain (R - AZ) campaign manager Rick Davis held a conference call Monday morning to discuss the schedule for the week and fundraising. An information center has been established in the Xcel Energy Center for delegates and participants to monitor the weather in the southern states.

Campaign manager Rick Davis said Laura Bush will introduce a video and Cindy McCain will address the delegates following todays official events. The speech will be mostly non-political and will ask for hurricane relief.

The McCain campaign, in conjunction with Target and FedEx, is also creating 80,000 "comfort packages" that will go to the regions impacted by Hurricane Gustav. The packages will be assembled at the convention site beginning Wednesday morning. Volunteers interested in helping to pack the contents of the packages will be accepted then.

McCain's campaign has begun a fundraising effort together with five governors from the affected region. They will identify charitabble organizations able to assist those impacted by the hurricane. In addition to working with those at the convention to raise money, the campaign has also set up a phone bank at the Minneapolis Hilton manned by a team of volunteers. These efforts will concentrate on reaching out to McCain's previous donors.

Obama Appears With Biden

Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama appears as a "surprise guest" with Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Joe Biden at the DNC.

DNC Youth Council Speaks Out about Strong Democratic Turnout of Younger Voters

Yesterday in downtown Denver, at the Wells Fargo Theater in the convention center, College Democrats of America came together to talk about the "Nuts and Bolts" of younger Democratic voters. Lead by DNC Youth council Co-Chairs Jane Fleming Kleeb and Jason Rae, along with a panel that included CNN correspondent Jamal Simmons.

The Youth Council was quick to point out a major shift since 2000 of younger voters moving to the Democratic Party. In 2000 of voters 18-25, 46% voted for the Republican Party and 48% voted for the Democratic Party. In 2008 that same demographic is expected to split 34% to 65% in favor of the Democratic Party.

What's the cause for this major shift? The Youth Council credited many different methods. A major issue touched on was lower barriers and making it easier to register. The panelists agreed that some younger voters are too embarrassed to admit that they aren't registered. Rock the Vote uses a tool on their website that helps younger people register without feeling that embarrassment. A group called the Pink Bunnies dresses up in pink bunny costumes to try and alleviate any stress there might be of registering to vote.

The Youth Council also pointed out that in the last presidential election 82% of registered voters 18-25 came out to vote. This high number was attributed to many of the different and news ways to register, but Jamal Simmons noted the fact that networks like CNN use younger and more diverse correspondents help to engage younger voters in political discourse.

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Michelle Obama Encouraging People to Make a Pledge

Possible first lady to be, Michelle Obama, raised her voice today at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gathering in support of veterans. She joined families and veterans of the Middle Eastern wars to assemble care packages with destinations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Michelle began her speech by encouraging people to commit to the veteran cause and to serve America by supporting soldiers on the front and at home. "You have an obligation to your community," Michelle stated to the crowd of blue t-shirts, "I'm pleased to see all our blue shirt families here today." The blue t-shirts were emblazoned with "SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS" and were worn by the majority of the audience.

"I'm very pleased with Michelle attending this meeting," said Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director and founder of IAVA, a nonpartisan organization.

Also present was Jill Biden, Senator and Vice Presidential Candidate Joe Biden's wife, supporting the veterans. "I'm honored to have the Biden family on the team," said Michelle Obama expressing her happiness that they both share the interest of improving the community service and the situation for veterans all over America. Michelle also announced her happiness that her husband, Barack Obama, wants to focus on these issues

Protestors cry out against Obama, McCain immigration policies

By Joel Ebert

A crowd of roughly sixty people gathered in Congress Park for a rally supporting the Minuteman Civil Defense Corp. Among the key speakers at the event were Minuteman President Chris Simcox, Alan Keys, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), and Constitutional Party Presidential nominee Chuck Baldwin.

The Minuteman Civil Defense Corp. consists of American citizens who patrol the U.S.-Mexico border in order to assist in the prevention of illegal immigration. Simcox organized the event to bring together Presidential candidates who have promised to adhere to the Minutemen’s agenda. He said the event was organized to challenge both Barack Obama and John McCain on their immigration policies.

“We need to show the rest of the world that you are not going to tread on us,” Simcox said. “We are going to use our military assets and we are going to secure our borders to maintain our national security and protect public safety,” he continued. The gathering was interrupted by a group of eight protesters opposing the Minutemen with a megaphone. Chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, racist Minutemen have got to go”, the protesters stirred the feelings of the Minuteman crowd.

The protesters waved klan hoods and taunted the Minutemen by declaring, "The US government is illegitimate." The crowd responded with laughs and annoyed looks. "Its a shame to waste a good public school education," Simcox said, referring to the teenage protesters.