Democratic National Convention

Former President Jimmy Carter, scornfully rejected by American voters in 1980 and humiliated even by some of his fellow Democrats at the party's last two nominating conventions, sank so low in public esteem that friends tried to launch a public relations campaign to refurbish his image.

The federal courthouse in Santa Ana is being asked to handle extra cases during the Democratic National Convention, when the Los Angeles Federal Court significantly reduces operations out of concern over security. Chief U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr., in a memo written to judges last month, asked for a "drastic reduction" in court activity in Los Angeles and recommended that only one judge be on duty each day during convention week.

For White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater, a relaxed fellow under less trying conditions who easily resists the entreaties of a baiting press corps, the temptation Wednesday was too great. "Where was George," asked a reporter, taking up the refrain that had echoed Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta when Sen. Edward M. Kennedy demanded to know where Vice President George Bush had been at the junctures of crises during the Reagan Administration.

Art, drama, film and TV reflect--and, some would say, shape--the nation's social climate. So as the delegates, pols and protesters come to town for the Democratic National Convention, politically themed exhibits, screenings and performances arrive too. One such production is "Madison Avenue Goes to Washington: The History of Presidential Campaign Advertising" at the Museum of Television & Radio.

Women are in vogue again. This year, they're so politically trendy that they're getting their own prime-time slot on Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention. In droves, they'll hijack the podium, dominate the mike, dish about what concerns them--you know, girl stuff: A bleak economy. The teetering status of child care. Abortion rights. The beleaguered family. But mostly, they'll celebrate their new status as "change agents"--candidates who can get elected.

WASHINGTON - Democratic convention organizers broke their pledge to put on their quadrennial gathering in Charlotte, N.C., this year without corporate donations, using $5 million from a committee financed by companies such as Bank of America, Duke Energy and AT&T to rent the Time Warner Arena for the three-day event. The payments, revealed in reports filed Wednesday evening with the Federal Election Commission, came after party officials said they would produce the convention without corporate money, a self-imposed ban set by the Democratic National Committee.

WASHINGTON - When the Democratic Party imposed strict curbs on its 2012 convention fundraising - barring money from typical givers like corporations and lobbyists in hopes of diminishing the influence of special interests - it carved out a key exception: labor unions. Unions have been one of the most reliable givers to Democratic convention fundraising. But with less than a month to go before the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., many unions that have been steadfast donors are now declining to fork over their cash.

"Los Angeles is the Entertainment Capital of the World. Home of our nation's most creative talent, images to be re-created throughout the globe originate here. These same artisans will apply their talents to the 2000 Democratic National Convention. The very studios that have charmed the world with motion pictures and television programs, creating an economic giant in Los Angeles, will ensure that the images of the convention are immortalized."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Zipping around Charlotte this week, Martin O'Malley has the air of a runner seeking a head start in a race where his competitors aren't even in the starting gates. Maryland's governor seems to be everywhere at the Democratic National Convention. He has delegation breakfasts, panel discussions and network interviews in a packed schedule that also includes a role in the opening of the convention Tuesday night, and then a prime-time speech from the podium. After that: a jam session with O'Malley's March, his Irish rock band.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been selected chairman of this summer's Democratic National Convention, elevating his role as a campaign surrogate and raising his national profile as he weighs his political future. A formal announcement was scheduled Wednesday in Washington, and the mayor plans to join President Obama in Holmby Hills at a Wednesday night fundraiser for Obama's reelection effort. "I've always planned to campaign" for the president, Villaraigosa said in an interview, and he readily accepted when Jim Messina, Obama's campaign manager, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the head of the Democratic National Committee, called last week to offer him the convention post.