Seats of power, assigned alphabetically

DENVER -- In the Massachusetts delegation, there will be no saving of seats and no jostling for the best view. Each member is assigned a chair, arranged sequentially by last name, as though preparing for a class photo.

"That way it's easier to keep track of who's here," said state senator Karen Spilka.
"We'll see by Wednesday whether people are still sitting in alphabetical order."

Only one other delegation, South Carolina, assigns seats to its members, according to a cursory afternoon tour of the Pepsi Center. In all the others, a democratic anarchy reigns: seats are open for the taking, which means that a local organizer elected as a John Edwards delegate who shows up shortly after doors open can take a prime spot over a big-city mayor whose machine backed Barack Obama.

Despite the seemingly arbitrary nature of organizing by alphabet, the Massachusetts seating arrangement still manages to reflect some of the state’s political topography. Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry are assigned chairs next to one another, and Alan Solomont, Obama's northeast finance chairman, has a coveted spot on the aisle.

"I like the Rs," said Boston City Councillor Michael Ross, squeezed in the middle of a row between Sean Riley, a Charlestown attorney, and Marianne Rutter, secretary of the Boxford Democratic Town Committee. "Some of my best friends' last names begin with the Rs."

Massachusetts delegates had different explanations for their unusual seating arrangements -- it would force them to make new friends, or could be seen as evidence of Governor Deval Patrick's organizing instincts -- but the perspective from a neighboring delegation was less charitable.

"Yours is anal, I guess," said Donna Gratehouse, an Arizonan sitting in a seat of her choice, next to a friend.