When Does the Democratic National Convention Really Start?

I’ve spent about two hours doing research into the exact time that the Democratic National Convention will officially open in Denver tomorrow, Aug. 25, and haven’t come up with a lot of hard evidence. Yes, there are official DNC “schedules” with speakers’ names, but they don’t mention times. Arghh!

I’ve learned that there are some caucuses at 10 a.m. The rules and platform get read starting at 5 p.m. and must be finished by 7 p.m.

While I came away from my Web search empty-handed, reader Sasha has unearthed a press release that shows a gavel time of 3 p.m. on Aug. 25, which could be considered the official opening of the convention. (See Sasha’s comment to this post for some good analysis.)

Since I first posted this, Sasha has written in to say that Howard Dean kicked everything off at 3:01 p.m. Bravo, Sasha! Here’s the 3:01 chart, courtesy of Astrodienst.

The chart has a 15 degree Sagittarius rising, making Jupiter in Capricorn the ruler. So far, so good. As Sasha and others have pointed out elsewhere, the chart barely misses having an ineffectual void-of-course Moon. The Moon in Gemini (talk, talk, talk) opposes intense Pluto in expansive Sagittarius. It’s part of a grand mutable cross that involves Mercury and Venus in Virgo opposing Uranus in Pisces.

With Uranus in Pisces opposing Mercury/Venus in Virgo, this promises to be the most blogged convention in the history of politics. We’ll all be feeling the love with the trines between Jupiter in Capricorn and the slew of Virgo planets.

Sitting at the midheaven in Libra, Mars is quite angular, which gives it extra oomph. This is a partnership-oriented event — the teamwork between Michelle and Barack Obama will be highlighted, and, of course, the partnership between Obama and his new vice-presidential pick Joe Biden.

The ninth house packed with Virgo planets speaks of a mission to educate (ninth house) voters that this ticket understands the concerns of the working class (Virgo). Obama can’t afford to be bogged down with the elitist image that sank John Kerrey, Michael Dukakis, and other well-meaning Democrats before him.

Despite all the good vibrations that will be coming from Denver, keep in mind that the team that bats last still can win the game. The Republicans will be holding their convention in Minneapolis from Sept. 1-4, close to the powerful Sept. 7 Jupiter station. So don’t get carried up, up, and away in the beautiful balloon taking off from Denver’s Invesco Field.

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