DENVER — For all the talk about the insider connections of U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., that influence apparently didn’t extend to floor location at the presidential convention.

At the Pepsi Center, the Missouri Democratic delegation isn’t even on the floor — it’s in the stands.

(To be fair, there were several conventions where Dick Gephardt’s clout didn’t mean much either, when it came to where Missouri’s delegation was seated.)

In any case, Missouri’s delegation of 88 delegates and 12 alternates couldn’t be any more remote from the podium than they are in Denver.

Click here to see the chart.

Missouri’s delegation is seated behind Georgia and next to Nebraska, two states generally in the GOP column when it comes to presidential contests. On the other side sits the massive California delegation, which hails from a reliably Democratic state — but where that party’s primary voters preferred Hillary Clinton last winter.

In any case, Missouri Democratic Party chairman John Temporiti says the point of convention isn’t where one seats, but what’s being said.

“My job this week is to emphasize the stark contrast between this Democratic convention and the upcoming Republican convention, Temporiti said. “Both will show clear alternatives.”

“If people understand the differences, they’ll vote Democratic.”