From David Plouffe:
I wanted you to be the first to hear the news.
At the Democratic National Convention next month, we're going to kick off the general election with an event that opens up the political process the same way we've opened it up throughout this campaign.
Barack has made it clear that this is your convention, not his.
On Thursday, August 28th, he's scheduled to formally accept the Democratic nomination in a speech at the convention hall in front of the assembled delegates.
Instead, Barack will leave the convention hall and join more than 75,000 people for a huge, free, open-air event where he will deliver his acceptance speech to the American people.
It's going to be an amazing event, and Barack would like you to join him. Free tickets will become available as the date approaches, but we've reserved a special place for a few of the people who brought us this far and who continue to drive this campaign.
If you make a donation of $5 or more between now and midnight on July 31st, you could be one of 10 supporters chosen to fly to Denver and spend two days and nights at the convention, meet Barack backstage, and watch his acceptance speech in person. Each of the ten supporters who are selected will be able to bring one guest to join them.
Make a donation now and you could have a front row seat to history.
We'll follow up with more details on this and other convention activities as we get closer, but please take a moment and pass this note to someone you know who might like to be there.
It will be an event you'll never forget.
Thank you,
David
David Plouffe
And what a night it will be:
Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, said that Mr. Obama “has made it a priority to open up the political process” and bring in new voters. “That was the thinking behind Senator Obama accepting the Democratic nomination at Denver’s Invesco Field,” he said.
To be sure, there is some symbolic value in the switch as well. In 1960 John F. Kennedy chose to leave the convention hall to give his acceptance speech at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in front of tens of thousands of supporters. And, in another nod to history, the last night of this year’s Democratic convention coincides with the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech.”
