For some, speakers hard to find
It took a familial connection and a little moxie. But come Monday of Democratic National Convention week, Mainers will be preening when comedian Al Franken takes to the lectern at the breakfast meeting of their delegation, which includes Franken's sister-in-law.
Not all small states have been so lucky in their effort to lure high-profile speakers. Iowa is still waiting for its grace note. High-level Democrats there put out an invitation to Ashton Kutcher, Cedar Rapids native and star of "Dude, Where's My Car?" So far, there's no confirmation. "He's on our wish list," said John McCormally, a spokesman for the Iowa Democratic Party.
In the pastiche of hype and status that attends a modern-day political convention, there is no fiercer display of one-upmanship than the bidding for prominent speakers at the daily breakfasts hosted by the 56 delegations over the course of the four-day event.
Try as convention organizers might to level the playing field -- putting electorally significant states in the same hotels as less influential delegations, a parity highlighted and celebrated by organizers -- the pecking order surfaces with abundant clarity in the grab for breakfast speaker glitterati.
"It's just one fact of life that some of the more high-profile speakers prefer to speak to the larger groups," said Lina Garcia, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Convention Committee. "In cases where states have trouble finding speakers, we do the best we can to help them find others."
To wit: Nebraska.
The Midwestern state with just five electoral votes thought it was getting North Carolina Senator John Edwards as a breakfast speaker. But then Senator John F. Kerry picked him to be his running mate. Edwards's rejection seemed in the offing. So Nebraska party officials said they turned to the convention committee, which suggested Bill Press, cohost of MSNBC's "Buchanan and Press" and author of the recently published "Bush Must Go."
"With his new book, someone from the convention committee felt that he would be a potential speaker," said Heath Mello, the deputy director of the Nebraska Democratic Party.
No commitment yet from Press. So Nebraska is considering another plan. "Warren Buffett's daughter is a standing committee member," Mello said, referring to the Omaha-based billionaire investor.
The quadrennial race for breakfast speakers has not always been the subject of widespread speculation. That suspense used to be reserved for the nomination of the party's candidate for president. But in recent campaigns, the nominee's name has been known well in advance of the convention, eliminating much of the grist for gossip. That void tends to be filled these days with grandstanding about which state landed which A-list speaker.
State political players say speaker-envy is ramped up this year given the increasing blur between politics and celebrity. Rarely have so many politicos grabbed top billing on bestseller lists; rarely has political commentary commanded the attention of so many filmgoers, as has Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11."
To lessen the pressure on states to find breakfast speakers, the convention committee plans to host a daily morning teleconference permitting every delegation access to some notable speakers.
Still, there is the matter of pride. Every state wants speakers to call its own.
So calls went out across the country, with favors called in, pleas sent out. Many party leaders were coy about whom they invited. Utah's Democratic Party chair Donald Dunn had this to say: "I'd rather not go through the list." His fear, he said, was putting speakers "in an awkward position if they haven't accepted."
One stock favorite is Bill Richardson, the New Mexico governor and convention chair.
"Bill Richardson is on our short list and he already told us he'd come by," said Mike Lavigne, a spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party.
A safe bet for one state, though, is out of another's reach.
"We can't seem to get on Bill Richardson's schedule," Scott Sterling, chairman of the Alaska delegation, said ruefully. "But we're working on Max Baucus," referring to the senator from Montana.
Some of the most sought-after speakers, of course, are Bill and Hillary Clinton, who have declined some invitations with startling alacrity.
"They said no-go. They've got Clinton booked solid," said Derek Wooley, the executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party, of its effort to land the former president.
The New York senator has been deluged with breakfast invitations, said spokesman Philippe Reines. Hillary Rodham Clinton has so far accepted one from the New York delegation, with others under consideration, Reines said.
Still, a state's size is not the only determinant for a sought-after speaker. Some states will benefit from hotel proximity. South Dakota, for example, will room at the Wyndham Downtown with Colorado, a battleground state enjoying a raft of accepted speaking invitations.
Other small states enjoy a special niche because of important roles during the nomination process. New Hampshire, the state with the first primary, has a high-profile lineup that includes Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Representative Rosa DeLauro, and Richardson.
"It's good to see old friends and make new ones," said Kathy Sullivan, chairwoman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.
Then there are the states without cachet.
"We haven't really tried for speakers," said Jill Ellsworth, the office manager for the Idaho State Democratic Party. "We're a relatively small delegation and it just doesn't seem to be a priority."
And finally, there is the delegation without states.
"You have to be realistic about these things," said Sharon Manitta, a spokeswoman for Democrats Abroad, who has lined up a BBC political correspondent to speak to her delegation. "People tend to think we are a bunch of tourists. But we are in the heart of the party. We are important."
Sarah Schweitzer can be reached at schweitzer@globe.com. Michael Paulson, Maria Cramer, and Jenn Abelson of the Globe staff, and Michael Levenson, a Globe correspondent, contributed to this report.
