Democratic Convention Watch

The DNC has had a major headache deciding on the site of the 2008 convention. New York refuses to pay, and Denver's unions refuse to accommodate.

But is it Denver's to lose? Reading between the lines here, that's what it sounds like:

Denver is competing with New York City for the right to host the Democrats, and national Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean has said he'll make a decision by the end of January.

Bloomberg told a radio audience Friday that New York couldn't make the same financial commitment to the Democrats that it did to win the Republican convention in 2004. He said that, at the time, New York was still trying to recover from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and needed a boost, but doesn't have those problems now.

"Today, the hotels are full, the restaurants are doing well and the conventions don't bring the kind of economic activity they used to bring," Bloomberg said. "The city just can't afford to go on the hook."

Bloomberg has previously said New York has several major fundraising drives under way for other projects, and it might be difficult to raise the money for the convention.

On Thursday, Bloomberg said at a news conference that Denver was the city "which everybody says is the odds-on favorite" to win the convention.

If Denver wants it and New York is unwilling to pay, then is Howard Dean simply holding off on annointing Denver in the hopes of getting the union to crack? That would mean Democrats are pro-labor - but only until their ox is gored.

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