I mean, none of this could be predicted, right? First, the Times goes deep on the money problem:
The abrupt uprooting of the Republican National Convention from Charlotte to Jacksonville has created a tangled financial predicament for party officials as they effectively try to pay for two big events instead of one.
Tens of millions of dollars have already been spent in a city that will now host little more than a G.O.P. business meeting, and donors are wary of opening their wallets again to bankroll a Jacksonville gathering thrown into uncertainty by a surge in coronavirus cases.
Organizers are trying to assuage vexed Republicans who collectively gave millions of dollars for a Charlotte event that has mostly been scrapped. The host committee there has spent virtually all of the $38 million it raised before the convention was moved, leaving almost nothing to return to donors, or to pass on to the new host city.
GOP donors are rightfully wary about giving money given the risk of the accompanying perks – Parties, VIP suites, etc, not materializing due to the virus. And speaking of the virus:
Jacksonville, Fla., is now requiring people to wear face masks while indoors and in public spaces where they can’t stay 6 feet away from other people, hoping to slow a spike in coronavirus cases.
… “City officials said the mandate was still too far away from the RNC to determine if it’ll have any impact on it.”
Jacksonville is the 2nd largest city to have a Republican mayor. What will be more important: Public health, or GOP fidelity to Trump. (I think we know).
This is AWESOME!!! Along with the money that have to spend on advertising in places like Arizona, Georgia and the Florida panhandle — OUCH. And a lot of those events are paid for by lobbying shops and other companies who aren’t going to want to put THEIR people at risk….this is all just delicious.