Back on April 10, 2020 I
blogged about Donald Trump
Shifting
blame elsewhere and provided a
Wheel of Blame for keeping track. The latest
addition to that wheel (shown above) is yet another Democrat - North Carolina’s
governor Roy Cooper. Almost two years ago the
Republican National Convention
(RNC) was planned for the 20,000 seat
Spectrum Center owned by the City of
Charlotte. It had previously hosted the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
On April 2, 2020 there was
an editorial in
The Charlotte
Observer which asked (due to the Coronavirus and
rising numbers of new cases in
North Carolina)
The Republican convention is becoming unlikely. Who’s going to
tell the president? On May 15, 2020 there instead was
a Republican press
release titled
100 Days until Convention Begins with the following glowing description:
“The 2020
Republican National Convention will be held at Spectrum Center in Charlotte,
North Carolina on August 24-27, 2020. Nearly 50,000 visitors– including
delegates, members of the media and guests – are expected to gather to witness
history as we re-nominate President Donald J. Trump as President of the United
States. This 5-star event will play an integral role in promoting local
businesses and generating millions of dollars across the region. It will leave
a lasting impact – not only in the ‘Queen City’ of Charlotte, but also across
the nation as we celebrate together American greatness.”
Let’s Pretend There is No Pandemic and Things Are Normal!
But on May 25, 2020 there was
an article in
The Charlotte Observer
titled
Trump threatens to pull GOP convention from Charlotte unless ‘full
attendance’ allowed and the president tweeted:
“I love the Great State of North Carolina so much that I
insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end
of August. Unfortunately, Democrat Governor Roy Cooper is still in Shutdown
mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full
attendance in the Arena. In other words, we would be spending millions of
dollars building the Arena to a very high standard without even knowing if the
Democrat Governor would allow the Republican Party to fully occupy the space.
Plans are being made by thousands of enthusiastic Republicans, and others, to
head to beautiful North Carolina in August. They must be immediately given an
answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be
fully occupied. If not we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all the jobs
and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site.
This is not something I want to do. Thank you, and I LOVE the people of North
Carolina!”
The Convention provided a sideshow for diverting attention
away from the May 25, 2020 death of
George Floyd. There was
an article in
The Charlotte
Observer on May 29, 2020 titled
Trump calls Cooper, asks for full GOP
convention with no social distancing or masks, and
an article on May 30, 2020
titled
GOP planning for 19,000 in attendance, full bars and restaurants for
Charlotte convention. Another
article on June 2, 2020 was titled
NC’s top
health official signals that bid for a packed GOP convention is a non-starter. On
June 2, 2020 the president
tweeted:
“Had long planned to have the Republican National Convention
in Charlotte, North Carolina, a place I love. Now NC Governor Roy Cooper and
his representatives refuse to guarantee that we can have use of the Spectrum
Arena – Spend millions of dollars, have everybody arrive, and then tell them
they will not be able to gain entry. Governor Cooper is still in Shelter-In-Place
Mode, and not allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and
promised. Would have showcased beautiful North Carolina to the World and
brought in hundreds of millions of dollars, and jobs for the State. Because of
NC Governor we are now forced to seek another State to host the 2020 Republican
National Convention.”
The usual way to find another host would be to simply
contact the other cities who had submitted bids to hold the RNC convention. But
an article by Steve Harrison at
NPR on June 2, 2020 titled
Trump suggests GOP
move convention after N.C. Gov. refuses to allow packed arenas said that ONLY
Charlotte had bid for it.
Is the Spectrum Center big enough to hold a socially
distanced convention? Probably yes. On January 17, 2020 there was
an article
from WBTV3 in Charlotte titled
What you need to know about the Republican
National Convention and how it works. It explained:
“There will be 2,550 delegates in Charlotte, a similar number
of alternate delegates, and then each alternate and delegate has guest passes.
So you’re looking at about 10,000 people showing up just to be in the
convention hall.”
Just the delegates easily would fit inside, and both the delegates
and alternates might fit. What alternatives are there around Charlotte for holding
20,000 for a spectacular show like the president wants? They both are outdoor
facilities. The
Bank of America stadium seats 75,000, and the
Charlotte Motor
Speedway seats over 94,000. An
article by Reid Wilson at
The Hill on June 7,
2020 discussed
Why Republicans aren’t likely to move their convention out of
Charlotte.