The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

p> THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL NOTHING br> Democratic Party leader Terry McAuliffe was caught off guard last week when word leaked that the campaign of presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry was considering a plan to continue unlimited fundraising and spending via a delay in accepting the party's presidential nomination. /p>

By delaying acceptance of the nomination for what amounts to about six weeks -- late July 'til September 1 -- Kerry could spend as much as $30 million in campaign funds his campaign would collect. Then, Kerry would accept the $75 million in federal funds both candidates would receive for the two-month stretch run to the November election.

McAuliffe spent the weekend, according to DNC and party convention planners in Boston, attempting to tamp down the growing anger in Boston that the Kerry campaign's plan was going to deny the city millions of dollars lost due to smaller turnout at the convention.

"We were already looking at the city actually losing money on this thing," says a Boston-based convention planner. "Now this Kerry plan would almost ensure a huge loss. Without a nomination process at the convention, there is no need for state parties to finance big trips here. This could be a disaster. What's more annoying is that this is a plan put out by a candidate from Boston."

Already, there has been talk that the Boston convention was looking more and more troubled. Hotels, party planners, and events coordinators, as well as labor unions, have been complaining about low-ball bids and the Democratic Party's outsourcing big ticket expenses to cheaper locales.

Under the Kerry campaign plan, the convention would turn into an expensive Democratic reunion of sorts. According to a Kerry campaign source, the event would essentially take place like this:

First, prior to the actual events in Boston, the DNC would change party rules to mandate that the nomination vote and acceptance occur no later than September 1, 2004. This could occur via national conference calls with state parties and senior DNC leaders.

The convention in Boston would be held, with speeches and the like, including an address by Kerry. But Kerry's speech would have to be billed as something other than an acceptance speech as no nomination vote would have occurred.

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