Parallel conventions held in the United States at the same time and in the same cities as the Democratic National Convention and Republican National Conventions, attempting to take advantage of the media presence there to call attention to unaddressed campaign issues. In the year 2000, these issues are:
- the influence of money in politics;
- inequality in income and increasing poverty;
- the failed War on Drugs.
Surprisingly, the 2000 events are not associated with recent grassroots
WTO or
IMF protests, nor the alternative candidacies of
Ralph Nader or
Pat Buchanan, but are the
brainchild of
political columnist Arianna Huffington, who has gotten the support of public interest advocates like
Common Cause. Don't expect much in the way of
radical demonstrations stemming from these guys-
Senator John McCain is opening the
Philadelphia event before he heads over to the Republicans'
shindig.
Los Angeles has Senators
Paul Wellstone and
Russell Feingold.