Republican National Convention in Charlotte

[Hushpuppy321]

I guess they couldn’t hold the Acceptance Speech for trump at BOA Stadium outdoors?  Enough room there for social distancing but I guess they’d be vulnerable to bad weather?

[CLT2014]

23 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

I guess they couldn’t hold the Acceptance Speech for trump at BOA Stadium outdoors?  Enough room there for social distancing but I guess they’d be vulnerable to bad weather?

Trump doesn't want social distancing. It isn't about capacity so much as a perception that "everything is fine" and when the cameras pan to the crowd people are hugging, high-fiving, and not wearing masks.  

For example, the RNC is touring Savannah's Convention Center today which can only host 10,000 people at full capacity. Even full, Savannah's venue is half the capacity planned for Spectrum Center. However, Georgia would be cool with the venue at capacity which will make it look better for Trump on camera because the crowd will look lively and packed in. 

BOA Stadium at 50% capacity seats more people than the Spectrum Center, but the perception on camera is "look at all those empty seats." Trump wants it packed.

Edited June 8, 2020 by CLT2014

[Hushpuppy321]

28 minutes ago, CLT2014 said:

Trump doesn't want social distancing. It isn't about capacity so much as a perception that "everything is fine" and when the cameras pan to the crowd people are hugging, high-fiving, and not wearing masks.  

For example, the RNC is touring Savannah's Convention Center today which can only host 10,000 people at full capacity. Even full, Savannah's venue is half the capacity planned for Spectrum Center. However, Georgia would be cool with the venue at capacity which will make it look better for Trump on camera because the crowd will look lively and packed in. 

BOA Stadium at 50% capacity seats more people than the Spectrum Center, but the perception on camera is "look at all those empty seats." Trump wants it packed.

If that’s the case then I’d be surprised if it weren’t held somewhere in SC (Greenville/Columbia/Charleston) so it’d be within 2/3 hours of Charlotte for the convenience of their own Convention goers/delegates.

I wonder out loud if this is a ploy to Force NC General Assembly into forcing Governor Coopers hand?

Edited June 8, 2020 by Hushpuppy321

[CLT2014]

59 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

If that’s the case then I’d be surprised if it weren’t held somewhere in SC (Greenville/Columbia/Charleston) so it’d be within 2/3 hours of Charlotte for the convenience of their own Convention goers/delegates.

I wonder out loud if this is a ploy to Force NC General Assembly into forcing Governor Coopers hand?

I don't believe South Carolina has indicated they are willing to absorb the expense and time. Conventions shift much of the burden of planning a convention to locals. The local police, visitor authority, business community, transportation authority, et... all have to get involved and lock hands for planning. The amount of planning in the arena is extensive to run cables and ensure the media is good to go. If South Carolina cities aren't throwing their hat in the ring, the RNC won't come. 

My guess is we are going to have a weird sort of scenario where the official convention happens in Charlotte, but Trump does a MAGA rally in a random convention center somewhere else with a video feed into Charlotte for his acceptance speech.

Edited June 8, 2020 by CLT2014

[Hushpuppy321]

6 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

I don't believe South Carolina has indicated they are willing to absorb the expense and time. Conventions shift much of the burden of planning a convention to locals. The local police, visitor authority, business community, transportation authority, et... all have to get involved and lock hands for planning. The amount of planning in the arena is extensive to run cables and ensure the media is good to go. If South Carolina cities aren't throwing their hat in the ring, the RNC won't come. 

My guess is we are going to have a weird sort of scenario where the official convention happens in Charlotte, but Trump does a MAGA rally in a random convention center somewhere else with a video feed into Charlotte for his acceptance speech.

What a block head Trump is - I guess it’ll all work out fine.  I just hope Protestors and Counter Protestors gather for battle at a place other than Charlotte in my opinion.  CMPD has been getting their gear and coordination tested as of late though.

[gman430]

Jacksonville according to Washington Post.

[CLT2014]

Looks like they are narrowing in on Jacksonville. No surprise. Republican governor with a Republican mayor and city council in a swing state.  

https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20200610/rnc-tentatively-settledrsquo-on-jacksonville-washington-post-reports

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/state/republicans-tentatively-agree-to-move-2020-convention-to-florida-washington-post-reports

Edited June 10, 2020 by CLT2014

[sclark]

I'd be happy to hand this entire convention to Jacksonville. Good bye. 

[navigator319]

This could be the best of both worlds for CLT.  Dear Leader will never set foot here, BUT CLT gets to welcome 90% of the party that are decent normal people.   

Keep some of the economic benefits, They were never going to be what was initial causes of the virus anyway.  Keep the 50 million we got and shift any protests to FL.

win win win when all said and done is how I see it 

[Hushpuppy321]

3 hours ago, navigator319 said:

This could be the best of both worlds for CLT.  Dear Leader will never set foot here, BUT CLT gets to welcome 90% of the party that are decent normal people.   

Keep some of the economic benefits, They were never going to be what was initial causes of the virus anyway.  Keep the 50 million we got and shift any protests to FL.

win win win when all said and done is how I see it 

It does Make me feel better in some sense when I read your comments but still burns me up that we lose something to Jacksonville.  From ‘Largest City in the Southeast’ to now saviour of the RNC after ‘pulling’ out of Charlotte.  I do hope that we see much less political protests/counter protestors on the streets due to the acceptance speech being elsewhere.  I’d still be surprised if there are no lawsuits that erupt from this change.  Also - how in the world are they gonna pull off the Security needed & Venue Modifications for this event In such short time?
 

Anyways - I tip my proverbial hat to the winner with this pic of Downtown Jax....

Edited June 10, 2020 by Hushpuppy321

[navigator319]

It does Make me feel better in some sense when I read your comments but still burns me up that we lose something to Jacksonville.  From ‘Largest City in the Southeast’ to now saviour of the RNC after ‘pulling’ out of Charlotte.  I do hope that we see much less political protests/counter protestors on the streets due to the acceptance speech being elsewhere.  I’d still be surprised if there are no lawsuits that erupt from this change.  Also - how in the world are they gonna pull off the Security needed & Venue Modifications for this event In such short time?
 
Anyways - I tip my proverbial hat to the winner with this pic of Downtown Jax....

It’s literally going to be 45 minute acceptance speech. Basically another rally type event. There are no extraordinary security measures needed beyond what they do for a normal campaign rally. Doubtful he’s on the ground in Jacksonville for more then 4 hours max.

[Hushpuppy321]

1 minute ago, navigator319 said:

It’s literally going to be 45 minute acceptance speech. Basically another rally type event. There are no extraordinary security measures needed beyond what they do for a normal campaign rally. Doubtful he’s on the ground in Jacksonville for more then 4 hours max.

Hmmm - Didn’t think about It that way bc I thought Obama/Biden stayed overnight in CLT at Ballantyne hotel during the 2012 Convention.  Also - won’t all the vaunted ‘Skyline Coverage’ now go to Jax?

[CLT2014]

45 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

Hmmm - Didn’t think about It that way bc I thought Obama/Biden stayed overnight in CLT at Ballantyne hotel during the 2012 Convention.  Also - won’t all the vaunted ‘Skyline Coverage’ now go to Jax?

Skyline coverage for Jacksonville will just confirm what everybody in America already thinks about Jacksonville LOL. Nobody's going to be like "wow what a glamorous city." They'll be like.... "Yep, Jacksonville looks like Tulsa or Fresno by water. Perfect place for a Trump convention."

Edited June 10, 2020 by CLT2014

[Hushpuppy321]

This sucks for the CLT business community.  RNC has voted and now saying only 336 Delegates / Alternatives will be in Charlotte in lieu of the normal 2500.  Sounds like this is going to be a dud for visitor spending, restaurants & room nights booked.  Who the hell would come to town and stay for this?  Part of me wonders though how much media will also now pull back from Covering the Convention ‘Business’ days in CLT or if there be more coverage than normal Because something like this split has never been done prior?

[gman430]

9 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

Skyline coverage for Jacksonville will just confirm what everybody in America already thinks about Jacksonville LOL. Nobody's going to be like "wow what a glamorous city." They'll be like.... "Yep, Jacksonville looks like Tulsa or Fresno by water. Perfect place for a Trump convention."

I went to downtown Jacksonville once. First and last time. 

[rancenc]

7 hours ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

This sucks for the CLT business community.  RNC has voted and now saying only 336 Delegates / Alternatives will be in Charlotte in lieu of the normal 2500.  Sounds like this is going to be a dud for visitor spending, restaurants & room nights booked.  Who the hell would come to town and stay for this?  Part of me wonders though how much media will also now pull back from Covering the Convention ‘Business’ days in CLT or if there be more coverage than normal Because something like this split has never been done prior?

The media will be at whatever site attracts the most demonstrators.  The more likelihood of violence and mayhem, the greater the news ratings!

[CLT2014]

1 hour ago, rancenc said:

The media will be at whatever site attracts the most demonstrators.  The more likelihood of violence and mayhem, the greater the news ratings!

Jacksonville will be marking the 60th anniversary of Ax Handle Sunday on August 27 when Trump delivers his convention speech. Originally the city was going to have an event in downtown Jacksonville to commemorate the lunch counter sit-ins, but that may be in jeopardy now if downtown Jacksonville needs a secure perimeter. 

During the lunch counter sit ins in Jacksonville on August 27, 1960, more than 200 middle aged white men dragged young demonstrators out into the streets and then beat them with the wooden handles of an ax while police watched. Some beaten demonstrators were subsequently arrested. https://myfloridahistory.org/frontiers/article/32

So in all honesty, Jacksonville is the perfect place for a protest. Trump.. in a city marking an anniversary where whites beat blacks with wood ax handles.. during a modern movement to address police brutality, inequality, and social justice. It is going to get HOT in Jacksonville and it won't just be the August humidity. 

Photo of Charlie Griffin, a high school student who wasn't even part of the demonstrations and was just shopping downtown Jacksonville, but got attacked by the KKK mob. 

Edited June 11, 2020 by CLT2014

[Miesian Corners]

Not even a single overnight guest. One day in Charlotte. I see a bunch of lawsuits in the future (how rare for something attached to Mr. Trump to get caught up in a lawsuit...).  Charlotte’s GOP convention, 2 years in the planning, will now last a single day 

[CLT704]

^ Pipped me to the post, I definitely have mixed feelings, although I am leaning towards relief that we won't have the protests/violence/division, association with whatever the f' the Republican Party has become, and people who believe COVID is a hoax so won't wear masks etc. 

The blame lands solely on the Republicans. What Cooper did was totally right and justifiable (and don't come at me with the whole 'he went to a BLM protest' because protesting for basic f'ing rights is a lot more important and if you can't see the purpose of the protests, you need to reevaluate your privilege), this could have all been avoided if Republicans just agreed to masks and distancing (complete overreaction to basic concepts) but hey it's Trump and Dear Leader can't backtrack on his psycho ramblings.  

Edited June 11, 2020 by CLT704

[KJHburg]

any word on the DNC in Milwaukee??  Nobody is talking about that and last I heard they are saying a virtual convention or something very much like what is happening in Charlotte very small numbers.  

[kermit]

And speaking of donald’s public health concerns. It appears that he recognizes Corona poses enough risk that he is concerned about getting sued:

We are soooo much better off without the RNC.

Slightly different subject: WTF Happened to Tariq Bokhari? It almost seems like he has been “Lindsey Grahamed”

Edited June 11, 2020 by kermit

[CLT2014]

Honestly, this whole thing is looking like a plot by Trump to paint a Democratic governor as the "bad guy" that took away an economic benefit in a swing state, while giving the event to a different swing state. Roy Cooper never said he was opposed to the Convention and never said it would be impossible to have a large crowd. He just said he couldn't guarantee that in writing today because we don't know what the future looks like.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville's Mayor has confirmed they haven't had to commit to anything regarding COVID-19 protocols in writing (which was asked of Roy Cooper) and that “Clearly the RNC wants a large event with a lot of people,” Mayor Lenny Curry told reporters Friday morning. “I want that too… If Covid-19 presents challenges, we will put the safety of people first.” Jacksonville’s Republican mayor said his city made no commitments about large gatherings or mask-wearing to win the right to host events associated with this summer’s Republican National Convention.

So North Carolina has to commit that in the future we won't have social distancing, masks, capacity restrictions, et... in writing.... but Florida isn't asked to commit to any of that? Florida could decide to not move out of Phase 2 and into Phase 3, putting restrictions on a full convention. However, North Carolina wasn't given those same liberties to make an informed decision in the future?

Florida is still in Phase 2 of their re-opening which requires social distancing at events and 75% capacity at arenas. 

https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2020/06/12/we-will-put-the-safety-of-people-first-jacksonville-mayor-says-no-safety-promises-made-to-lock-rnc-bid-1292741

 

In addition, much luck to Jacksonville pulling this off better than the Super Bowl where they had to bring in cruise ships to much embarrassment due to a lack of hotel rooms in their relatively small metropolitan area. RNC guests will be driving from the far flung suburbs given downtown Jacksonville area having only 2,500 hotel rooms and only 3 full service hotels (a Hyatt, Omni, and Doubletree). This compares to ~6,000 hotel rooms in Uptown Charlotte. 

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2020/06/10/some-jacksonville-hotels-already-sold-out-for-august-weekend-of-republican-national-convention/

Edited June 12, 2020 by CLT2014

[KJHburg]

I am guessing the first Panthers home game is now going to be without attendance as it is scheduled 2 weeks after the RNC Sept. 13 

So Duval JAX scores both a Super Bowl and now the RNC.  If they need hotel rooms they can float in the cruise ships like they did during the Super Bowl they had there and this time there are a lot of empty big ships docked all the world. 

[kermit]

3 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I am guessing the first Panthers home game is now going to be without attendance as it is scheduled 2 weeks after the RNC Sept. 13

No one knows yet. Cooper didn't say that a full attendance RNC could not happen, he only said that he could not guarantee it at this point. I am sure the Panthers need much less lead time to prepare for a game than the RNC needed for the convention.

However, the current data are not looking good.

 

Edited June 12, 2020 by kermit

[eastsider]

8 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I am guessing the first Panthers home game is now going to be without attendance as it is scheduled 2 weeks after the RNC Sept. 13 

So Duval JAX scores both a Super Bowl and now the RNC.  If they need hotel rooms they can float in the cruise ships like they did during the Super Bowl they had there and this time there are a lot of empty big ships docked all the world. 

Meanwhile CLT continues to score F500 companies!

Cruise ships? We've already seen how "safe" it is to stay on those during a pandemic.