By all accounts, the 2008 Democratic Convention will be a celebration for the ages, but the enormous scale of the parties in Denver will not merely be a reflection of Barack Obama’s historic candidacy. In the face of increasingly stringent lobbying regulations, lobbyist-sponsored convention parties have become the primary sites for corporate influence-peddling within the Democratic Party.

On the eve of the convention, Nation political correspondent Ari Berman previews the behind-the-scenes wrangling that will occur at these closed-door affairs and highlights the conundrum they may pose for Barack Obama.

–Will Di Novi

Check out more great Nation videos on our YouTube channel.