Charlotte's Democratic National Convention

[krazeeboi]

I'm certainly thrilled that Charlotte won. I just may have moved back by 2012 to witness the convention firsthand. Exciting times in the QC!

[JerseyBoy]

:yahoo:

YES! Congrats to the fabulous city of Charlotte! This will without a doubt propel the city into a new league that it has never been a part of before. I get the sense that things are about to drastically change. This is awesome news!

[Dilworthy]

I am as stoked as anyone else but expect the retail vendors to pack up right with the convention when it ends. No doubt we will be in the history books now and the publicity and money spent is fantastic.

Just skeptical that something this transient will produce a permanent retail presence afterwards.

[Skyybutter]

I am very excited that Charlotte has landed the convention. It will bring much attention on an international scale for the city and state. it is bigger then any of us can imagine imho. But just like any convention things will be back to normal fairly quickly. While it is here we will see huge benefits from all the money spent at hotels restaurants, shopping, and museums.

I do have a concern that the city may see some major protesting on a scale that conventions haven't seen in this country. Think Seattle and the WTO protest. Many in America are very angry and people aren't sitting back and just watching anymore. I hope the CPD can handle the influx of people including those that aren't thrilled about the convention and looking to make trouble. Not to throw out a scare, but I just hope things go smoothly.

Once again Kudos to Charlotte.

[Sabaidee]

^^^Any publicity is publicity for Charlotte regardless if it's from protesters or not. CMPD will have help from state and federal agencies so, I don't think CMPD will get overwhelmed. I hope CATS and CDOT can handle the logistics of our transportation network smoothly.

[cityboi]

great news! very strategic decision for Obama's attempt to win NC again. The GOP convention will be in Florida in their attempt to win Florida. looks like these were all strategic decisions to win these states. Charlotte will now prove itself as a big player in this country. It doesn't take long to find people posting negatve comments. People posting under the articles on ABC, CNN websites, ect are saying Charlotte is way too small to host this convention. one person was obviously being sarcastic asking "where is Charlotte"? LOL Charlotte is bigger than several cities that have hosted the DNC. can't wait to show em all!

[mallguy]

There is zero chance that South Carolina will not vote GOP in 2012 (thus part of the benefit to having the convention in Charlotte is wasted), and Florida is much more likely to be a swing state in any election than North Carolina is (note that in 2008, NC was basically tied, but McCain lost Florida pretty handily). I fail to see the logic.

How much did the DNC in Atlanta in 1988 help Mike Dukakis (in an era when the South was less heavily Republican than it is now)?

[phil-king]

There is zero chance that South Carolina will not vote GOP in 2012 (thus part of the benefit to having the convention in Charlotte is wasted), and Florida is much more likely to be a swing state in any election than North Carolina is (note that in 2008, NC was basically tied, but McCain lost Florida pretty handily). I fail to see the logic.

How much did the DNC in Atlanta in 1988 help Mike Dukakis (in an era when the South was less heavily Republican than it is now)?

Party Conventions are often hosted in states that ultimately vote for the other guy. Conventions are as much about building an image as they are about winning specific states or municipalities.

[cityboi]

My god. There is a lynch mob of Charlotte haters posting on WRAL.com (Raleigh)

[15895]

My god. There is a lynch mob of Charlotte haters posting on WRAL.com (Raleigh)

Rivalry between Charlotte VS. Raleigh.

Over the past 10 years, Charlotte has blown Raleigh out of the water on lots and lots of fronts, I think. And I think Raleigh cheerleaders are becoming envious that Charlotte is propelling so far ahead in the game and pulling away from the pack in NC. I don't know about anyone else, but I sorta envy Raleigh for being the capital and having NHL. But.... Just goes to show both cities have great things going for it.

It's just a Rivalry thing. I can't see a pack of Blue Devils losing to the Tarheels and saying "We both played well, we both have great teams, but since we are North Carolinian teams, lets be proud that we are both great." Not to mention WRAL is praising Charlotte saying how huge of a deal this is for North Carolina, how great it is, etc. I'd be annoyed to see praise of RDU like that in the Oberserver Not going to lie

Come on Retail!

[kermit]

I don't know about anyone else, but I sorta envy Raleigh for being the capital and having NHL.

and 3% lower unemployment.

Before the little Progress Duke thing (and the rightward shift of the general assembly) the Triangle has a much more solid economy than Charlotte.

[15895]

and 3% lower unemployment.

Before the little Progress Duke thing (and the rightward shift of the general assembly) the Triangle has a much more solid economy than Charlotte.

Yep. Wish we had their employment statics to

But I wasn't really talking about employment numbers when I was speaking of our economy but more about the scope/potential of what the Charlotte economy can become and is becoming. Wish we had better employment numbers.

[HopHead]

One thing I'll be interested to see is what changes they will need to make at TWC Arena. Apparently some folks from the planning committee are headed here to start looking at what changes they will need to make.

EDIT: After a little research it appears that the committee will have control of the arena for 6 weeks prior to the convention. A construction firm will be hired for renovation and restoration of the facility. So it sounds like whatever changes they'll make, the arena would be restored to it's previous condition.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2011/02/charlotte-eyes-50m-federal-grant-for.html

[cityboi]

Rivalry between Charlotte VS. Raleigh.

Over the past 10 years, Charlotte has blown Raleigh out of the water on lots and lots of fronts, I think. And I think Raleigh cheerleaders are becoming envious that Charlotte is propelling so far ahead in the game and pulling away from the pack in NC. I don't know about anyone else, but I sorta envy Raleigh for being the capital and having NHL. But.... Just goes to show both cities have great things going for it.

It's just a Rivalry thing. I can't see a pack of Blue Devils losing to the Tarheels and saying "We both played well, we both have great teams, but since we are North Carolinian teams, lets be proud that we are both great." Not to mention WRAL is praising Charlotte saying how huge of a deal this is for North Carolina, how great it is, etc. I'd be annoyed to see praise of RDU like that in the Oberserver Not going to lie

Come on Retail!

Well you can't blame Raleigh. They too aspire to become a world class city and they feel they can't do that as long as they are in the shadows of Charlotte. This DNC is a huge deal for Charlotte. Any city would be envious. I saw one person who post on the Raleigh news website "If only the RBC Center had been built downtown." Quite frankly it would not have mattered. Charlotte has all the right things in place for this convention. Many hotel rooms within walking distance to Time Warner Cable Arena (the kind of hotels that will appeal to delegates and the movers and shakers coming to town), better airline connections, more attractions, great rail transportation (light rail). If they were going to choose NC, naturally they were going to choose the largest city in the state and quite frankly Charlotte's time has come. This is good for Charlotte and the democrats. Its refreshing over choosing a traditional convention city such as St Louis or Cleveland. Charlotte represents the future and what better backdrop for the convention to pick than Charlotte. As Joe Biden would say...."this is a big f ___ deal"

[Urbanity]

My god. There is a lynch mob of Charlotte haters posting on WRAL.com (Raleigh)

Can we keep the city vs city baiting out of this?

[Dilworthy]

They would not have picked us if the Dems were not planning to fight for NC. Its an uphill climb but if the turnout in the urban counties can get pushed to the max, they could pull it out again.

The margin in Obamas favor last time was only 14k out of 4.3 million but a win is a win.

Now fun speculation time!

You think Obama will stay at the Ritz?

Maybe The Duke Mansion?

The street life will be awesome for a few days, so many diffferent interest groups will be here. Quite exciting!

[HopHead]

^The Ballantyne Resort is another good possibility too. I'd think it may be between that and the Duke Mansion. Though, I know I a lot of celebs such as Tiger Woods stay at the Ritz when they come to town.

[tozmervo]

In terms of visitor numbers, does anyone know how this will compare against other major events like the NRA convention? The number I keep hearing is "35,000" - but I don't know if that's just delegates. The Observer gives a 15,000 number for media.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

How long do you think it'll take the press to stop adding "N.C." after Charlotte in the dateline?

[nonillogical]

How long do you think it'll take the press to stop adding "N.C." after Charlotte in the dateline?

CNN didn't in their headline yesterday.

[southslider]

I see two long-term benefits:

1) Less use of "NC" in describing where Charlotte is, and

2) Beefed-up infrastructure (airport, police, transportation) subsidized by private donors

[HopHead]

In terms of visitor numbers, does anyone know how this will compare against other major events like the NRA convention? The number I keep hearing is "35,000" - but I don't know if that's just delegates. The Observer gives a 15,000 number for media.

35,000 will just be delegates. It's expected that about 50,000 people total will travel to Charlotte for the convention. So the other 15,000 will be media, visitors, etc.

Charlotte is also supposed to get a $50 million federal grant to host the convention. I believe this will help cover among other things, security.

[tozmervo]

Found the number I was looking for:

"The National Rifle Association Convention in uptown Charlotte last weekend broke the organization’s attendance record. According to NRA officials, more than 72,000 people took part in the convention." - News 14

Obviously the NRA and the DNC are two different beasts, but in terms of this specific statistic, that gives me a better idea of what to expect in terms of Uptown crowd. (I guess the NRA convention solves its own security issues by default)

[Minneapolitan]

Congrats to the city of Charlotte for landing this event. It's finally your turn to be recognized.

I'm not surprised Minneapolis wasn't chosen as the city basically co-hosted the 2008 GOP convention. I'm also not surprised by Cleveland not getting it. I'm a little surpised, however, that St. Louis wasn't chosen as I thought it made the most sense.

[cityboi]

I see two long-term benefits:

1) Less use of "NC" in describing where Charlotte is, and

2) Beefed-up infrastructure (airport, police, transportation) subsidized by private donors

and we are already seeing less use of "NC". Headlines across the country say the "convention will be held in Charlotte" I see no reason to use "NC" Charlotte is the only sizable city in the country with that name and the vast majority of people know Charlotte is in North Carolina. Its the city thats most identified with the state.