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Live From The DNC: Day 3

[All week long, writer Brad Listi will be reporting for Complex at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Check back each day for an update!]

Got a floor pass last night at the Democratic National Convention and was able to wander amid the throngs in the belly of the beast for nearly an hour. Being at the Democratic National Convention is not unlike being in the live studio audience for a taping of the American Idol finale. It has a sort of game show feel—slick, with cheesy music. Shiny. And hyper-produced.

As I told a friend this morning: It’s kinda like a game show with serious geopolitical military consequences.

The folks in attendance run the gamut: Bigwig donors, left-wing zealots, ecstatic delegates, angry activists—you name it…

Live From The DNC: Day 2

[All week long, writer Brad Listi will be reporting for Complex at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Check back each day for an update!]

The crazy factor here in Denver is pretty pronounced. I had expected this to be the case, but still I find myself continually surprised by just how many wackjobs have come crawling out of the proverbial wood work to make their case before the American people.

Case in point: This morning, as I made my way through downtown, I came upon a woman standing in the middle of the road, holding a sign that read “STOP BIRD PORN.” Beside her was a guy with a battery-powered megaphone, delivering the anti-bird-porn message to a thoroughly confused populace.

What is bird porn?

Live From The DNC: Day 1

[All week long, writer Brad Listi will be reporting for Complex at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Check back each day for an update!]

I spent much of the day walking around downtown Denver, the epicenter of activity for this week’s Democratic National Convention. The scene here is a bit chaotic: A pro-Obama drum circle to your left, and God-Hates-Fags march on your right. Cars honking. People chanting. Journalists swarming. Meanwhile, mounted police and SWAT teams circle the action, ready to put the hammer down at a moment’s notice if things start to get ugly.

One thing that struck me: the incredible number of merchants in town. Apolitical folk who showed up with box-loads full of Obama gear, looking for nothing more than to make a quick buck. One of the guys I talked to—who was walking around, smiling, wearing a gaudy “Yes We Can” shirt—is actually a McCain supporter. Free market capitalism at its finest. Anything goes. And so here you have a photo collection from this morning’s walk-around…