This week's RNC meeting in Charlotte has brought about rumblings of having the 2016 convention there.
The Republican National Committee’s meeting in Charlotte this week has fueled speculation that the GOP might return for its national convention in four years.
“It’s always a possibility,” GOP Chairman Reince Priebus said Wednesday at the Westin hotel. “North Carolina was good to us. And it’s a red state – all the more reason to look at Charlotte.”
Neither party has begun the process of choosing its 2016 convention sites. A Republican spokeswoman said the party will begin seeking requests from cities later this year and site selection would begin in 2014. - Charlotte Observer
It's never too soon to talk about conventions! I can't see RNC 2016 in North Carolina though. They'll hold it in Ohio or Michigan or Pennsylvania or Virginia. One of the states they're going to try to steal with electoral vote shenanigans.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/01/24/3806983/will-charlotte-host-gop-convention.html#storylink=cpy
From President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama:
To everyone who helped make the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte such a rousing success, we have two simple words – thank you. From the tireless work of Mayor Anthony Foxx and the host committee, to the police officers and state troopers who kept everyone safe, to the more than 10,000 volunteers who gave their time and energy, to the incredible people of Charlotte who offered such warm Southern hospitality, you all should be proud.
You made this the most open and accessible convention in history. You built a legacy in Charlotte that will stand for years to come by engaging young people, working to help our children lead healthier lives, promoting inclusive business practices, and making your city more sustainable. You showed off your spirit of service – our friends and family were thrilled to join in by helping to make care packages for returning troops, capping off more than 4,000 volunteer hours served by convention staff. And more than anything, you welcomed the two of us and the thousands of visitors to your city with a level of heartfelt kindness that will never be forgotten.
We chose Charlotte because we wanted a setting that would help us share our values and vision for this country. We believe that here in America, everyone should get a fair shot, everyone should do their fair share, and everyone should play by the same set of rules.
In this election, Americans face the clearest choice we’ve seen of any time in the last generation: We can tell folks they’re on their own and return to the failed policies that led us into the gravest economic crisis since the Great Depression. Or we can say that we’re all in this together and continue on the path to recovery that we’ve begun.
We can reward companies that open new plants and create new jobs here in the United States. We can double our exports and create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years. We can reform our tax code so that it’s simple and fair. We can invest in clean energy like wind, solar, clean coal and natural gas. We can recruit 100,000 math and science teachers in the next 10 years, help 2 million workers learn new skills at a community college, and work with colleges and universities to cut the growth of tuition costs in half in the next decade. And we can use the money we’ll no longer be spending on war to pay down our debt and put more people back to work rebuilding our roads, bridges, schools and runways.
Our vision is grounded in the belief that hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded, and no matter where you come from or what you look like or who you love, you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better one for your kids. That’s what this election is about.
And Charlotte, we can’t thank you enough for helping us share that story last week. What started with 30,000 people celebrating together at CarolinaFest on Labor Day and continued through three evenings at Time Warner Cable Arena could not have happened without your energy and dedication. So from the bottom of our hearts, thank you all for being so generous, caring, and hospitable. We simply couldn’t have asked for a better host city.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/09/11/3522313/from-the-president-thank-you-charlotte.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy
You can listen in on the call President Obama will have with the community credential holders that will no longer see him speak tonight. The call starts at 1:20 Eastern
Thank you so much for being a part of the excitement in Charlotte—we truly regret that we can't all be together to watch the President speak tonight. That's why President Obama will be talking with you and others who have credentials for the convention today, September 6th, at 1:20 p.m. Eastern Time.
You can tune in to the call on this page at 1:20.
Update: If you're in Charlotte now and haven't gotten email instructions, you can email incharlotte@barackobama.com to get information about Charlotte area watch parties
For those of you that were planning on attending tomorrow's speech you can search for a watch party near you. I know it won't be anywhere near as monumental.
CHARLOTTE, Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) today announced that convention programming, originally planned for Bank of America Stadium on Thursday, September 6, would be moved to Time Warner Cable Arena, the site of the first two days of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, due to severe weather forecasts. The DNCC also announced that President Barack Obama will address community credential holders in a conference call on Thursday. Call information will be emailed directly to community credential-holders.
“We have been monitoring weather forecasts closely and several reports predict thunderstorms in the area, therefore we have decided to move Thursday’s proceedings to Time Warner Cable Arena to ensure the safety and security of our delegates and convention guests,” said DNCC CEO Steve Kerrigan. The energy and enthusiasm for our convention in Charlotte has been overwhelming and we share the disappointment of over 65,000 people who signed up for community credentials to be there with the President in person. We encourage our community credential holders and Americans across the country to continue to come together with their friends and neighbors to watch and participate in history. The President will speak to these credential holders on a national conference call tomorrow afternoon, and we will work with the campaign to ensure that those unable to attend tomorrow’s event will be invited to see the President between now and election day.”
Definitely sad news for everyone excited to see Obama. I truly believe that the outdoor speech in Denver helped to win Colorado both 2008 and in 2010. The campaign is smart enough to know that they will need to make it up to these people.
We strongly encourage the use of public transportation for CarolinaFest 2012 festivalgoers. Charlotte has first class public transit systems in CATS’ LYNX Blue Line and bus system and we encourage Charlotteans to try them out if they haven’t already. Automobile parking will be available in lots that fall outside of the closed streets in Uptown (which you can see here by selecting Monday). If you are driving, we encourage you to park in lots west of Tryon Street or the south side of I-277.
LYNX
The LYNX Blue Line offers fast, quiet, convenient light-rail service between uptown Charlotte and I-485 at South Boulevard. Parking is available at seven park and ride lots along the line. The stop at the Stonewall Station puts you within blocks of CarolinaFest 2012 along Tryon Street. The following LYNX stations have parking lots:
I-485 Station Sharon Road West Station Arrowood Station Archdale Station Tyvola Station Woodlawn Station Scaleybark Station
CATS
The Charlotte Transit Center (CTC) will temporarily relocate to the corners of Third and South Mint Streets from September 3rd through 5th, 2012. The temporary CTC remains in Uptown and is only five blocks from the permanent CTC. During that time, CATS bus routes that normally service the transit center will be re-routed to the temporary transit center. CATS Ambassadors will be on site at the CTC to direct customers to the appropriate bays where they may catch a bus. Ambassadors will also be at the Carson Street transfer station and at designated stations along the LYNX Blue Line.
DocJess will be traveling to Charlotte on Sunday to cover the Democratic National Convention. As I'm sure you can imagine hotel, parking, and travel costs add up. While I'm sure Jess would prefer you donate your money to your favorite candidate, any amount you can send our way would be a huge help.
Any revenue that we get from ads barely cover the cost to maintain this site so Jess' trip is being paid for out of pocket.
Thanks so much to all of our readers for making us the #1 National Convention site.
DNCC CEO Steve Kerrigan, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx Give Local Students First Look at Convention Hall
CHARLOTTE, Aug. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Delivering on the Democratic National Convention Committee's (DNCC) commitment to hold the most open and accessible convention in history, the DNCC hosted a Community Open House at the Time Warner Cable Arena today, welcoming Charlotte residents and students to be among the first to see the convention podium where history will take place in less than a week.
DNCC CEO Steve Kerrigan and Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx led students from the North Carolina School for the Deaf (NCSD) on a tour of the innovative convention hall and explained the significance of this year's convention. NCSD, established in 1894, is a day/residential facility for the education of children who are deaf and hard of hearing. NCSD serves students in grades k-12 from the western half of the state.
"Charlotte residents have been great partners throughout the convention planning process, and opening the doors to Charlotteans today is just one more way that we are engaging more Americans than ever before," said Kerrigan. "Today's community open house is a thank-you for all that Charlotte has done to make this convention a success."
"Charlotte is electric with anticipation for the convention," said Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx. "Charlotteans cannot wait to host this historic event, and today's open house is a great way to kick off convention festivities. We look forward to welcoming visitors to Charlotte and know that they will enjoy all that the Queen City has to offer."
The unveiled convention hall, including podium and stage, was designed to fit within the unique space at the Time Warner Cable Arena. Smaller than previous setting, the Arena lends itself to an end stage configuration. The set up allows the speakers to be surrounded by delegates on three sides and helps visually display the convention theme of Americans Coming Together.
DNCC Theo LeCompte said he was excited to share the completed construction with Charlotte residents.
"Today marks the kick-off of official convention events and the end of months of diligent planning and work. I am thrilled that Charlotte residents got a first glimpse of the arena's complete transformation into a state-of-the-art convention center," said LeCompte.
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