Democratic National Convention officials are expected to announce today that former Gov. Howard Dean has been asked to speak on the first night of the convention, sources said Monday night. Dean and several other former presidential candidates are scheduled to speak on July 26, the opening night of the convention at the FleetCenter in Boston. It has already been announced that former Presidents Carter and Clinton will be speaking that evening.
| Will there be any air left in the room after Bill finishes? |
Dean's spokeswoman Laura Gross said they are deferring to convention officials for any announcement. A spokeswoman for the convention did not return several phone calls. Convention officials are scheduled to announce the times at which the speeches are to take place. The major broadcast networks have all said they will only televise about an hour of convention during each of the four nights, probably from 10 to 11 p.m. The cable news channels are expected to air longer segments of the convention and C-SPAN plans to air gavel-to-gavel coverage. Middlebury College political scientist Eric Davis said Dean's speech will give the party a chance to show that its diverse factions are strongly united behind the candidacy of presumptive nominee John Kerry.
| Also, the Deaniac's would riot if Howard wasn't given time to spew. |
"Since the convention is more of a voter mobilization device rather than a nominating body, if Dean can rouse the audience there and on television about the importance of supporting Kerry, he will be doing his job," Davis said.
| Watch them stick him in a spot when the major networks aren't covering it. |
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