Carolina Convention Plans Going Awry for Democrats

[Purveyor]

By John McCormick and Hans Nichols - Tue May 15 04:00:04 GMT 2012


President Barack Obama’s decision in February 2011 to hold the Democratic National Convention in North Carolina looked like a bold move to reclaim a state he’d won in 2008. Today, it’s more like an awkward fit.

The state’s Democratic Party is mired in a sexual harassment scandal. Voters just approved a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, which conflicts with Obama’s view on the issue. Convention fundraising has been slow, and labor unions tapped to fill the financial gap are angry the convention will be in a city -- Charlotte -- with no unionized hotels and in a state where compulsory union membership or the payment of dues is prohibited as an employment condition.

North Carolina’s 9.7 percent unemployment rate is above the national average and one of the host city’s top employers --Bank of America (BAC) -- has announced job reductions. Obama is scheduled to accept his party’s nomination at Bank of America Stadium in September.

“It’s inconceivable that they would move the convention,” said Don Kettl, dean of the school of public policy at the University of Maryland. “But they may wish that they had placed their chips on another swing state.”

MORE...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-15/obama-carolina-convention-plans-going-awry-for-democrats.html

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. Because all of that stuff was so easy to predict

[vi5]

2. Maybe not the gay marriage stuff...

But the union issues were brought up when the announcement was made. And the optics and imagery of using the Bank of America location were obvious in 2011 as well.

It is what it is, and no not at all worth changing the location of. But the point stands that even when the decision was made there were issues and concerns around the choices made. The gay marriage piece has just made the situations even more so.

[Arkana]

3. Meanwhile, no one says anything about the GOP holding their convention in a state with a massive

concentration of Hispanics, a group of people they hate and fear.

[EC]

4. Well I guess we should make the best of it

and just show our views to them and flaunt our stuff....show them we have moxie....make a statement...we're better than what this state represents...

[railsback]

5. FOX has been manufacturing this 'turmoil'

No need to cater to their never ending quest to create mountains out of molehills. I see no problem with holding conventions in hostile territory, regardless of the party.