By Al Kamen
The Washington Post
September 10, 2008
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Speaking of the conventions, you couldn’t be blamed for thinking that the Democrats love the elitist, liberal Eastern Establishment press corps and were wining and dining them accordingly. You’re probably thinking the Republicans, who consistently bashed the press in the Twin Cities — that moment when the delegates pointed up and chanted “NBC, NBC” was especially memorable — just treated reporters like dirt.

But you’d be wrong. If you polled the press after the conventions, you’d most likely find reporters in love with the GOP and furious at the Democrats. Why? Well, from what we could glean from our colleagues covering the events, Democrats in Denver put reporters in outdoor tents with wooden plank floors. They also provided about half a dozen fine portable toilets per press tent, then promptly forgot to clean them adequately. Toward the end of the convention, some reporters said the stench was so bad in some that they couldn’t be used.

The Republicans? Beautiful, regularly cleaned bathrooms for the Establishment press.

Then there was the food. The grub provided by the Dems, mostly chips and salsa, was virtually , though they did provide vouchers for food that could be purchased in the Pepsi Center about 100 yards away.

“Some of us spent 20 minutes or more foraging for food” and battling long lines, one reporter said.
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Apparently the yummy corn dog stand right nearby was eschewed by many nabobs.

Above: Haute Cuisine at the DNC

The Republicans? They made sure tasty burgers, sandwiches and salads were within 75 feet or so of the media areas. Did we mention the free beer and booze? That was available right by the bistro coffee stand where you could get a good old-fashioned American-media-elite latte or perhaps a fine white-chocolate mocha.
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Conventions can be chaotic affairs, and the Republicans, another colleague said, were much better about letting the media know about daily event schedules, press contacts, security details and hourly updates. The Democrats couldn’t seem to answer, on the day before Obama’s acceptance speech, what time the press would be able to get into the stadium.