Charlotte to host 2012 DNC

[Southern Yankee]

I'm very excited about this announcement (http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/02/01/2027540/charlotte-wins-2012-dem-convention.html). Should be an interesting couple of years here.

[Marley23]

I'm not sure how much these things matter, but Charlotte seemed like the best choice of the four finalists. Holding on to North Carolina and being competitive in the South will be very important for Obama in 2012.

[Southern Yankee]

Obama took NC by less than 14k votes in 2008. I'm not sure he can hold it in 2012. The huge influx of people moving here from the NY/NJ/CT area has slowed dramatically. On the other hand, the two major population centers (Charlotte and Raleigh) were pretty strong for him. Turnout in those cities will be crucial again.

[Marley23]

Hmm. That may not be realistic. But going on offense and being competitive in North Carolina, Virginia, and other states is still going to be important.

[KneadToKnow]

Anybody want to rent a room?

[Southern Yankee]

I'm not sure we have enough hookers either...

[Mr. Moto]

I'm not sure we have enough hookers either...

John Edwards will probably be asked to keep clear, so this should cut down on demand.

[Oakminster]

Not so sure this is a wise choice. Charlotte is Ric Flair country. Nobody pops a crowd like the Nature Boy, and he's a Republican....Wooooooooooo!

:D

[Voyager]

Anybody want to rent a room?

I was program chair at a conference in the Convention Center in 2004. An engineering conference, so the hookers knew enough to stay away. Nice convention center, nice city, nice hotels. What is missing are restaurants near the Convention Center. Very few. You guys need to get on the ball and open some.

[Southern Yankee]

I was program chair at a conference in the Convention Center in 2004. An engineering conference, so the hookers knew enough to stay away. Nice convention center, nice city, nice hotels. What is missing are restaurants near the Convention Center. Very few. You guys need to get on the ball and open some.

A lot has changed since 2004. That's about when I moved here. Maybe not so much in quantity, but definitely in quality.

[KneadToKnow]

I was program chair at a conference in the Convention Center in 2004. An engineering conference, so the hookers knew enough to stay away. Nice convention center, nice city, nice hotels. What is missing are restaurants near the Convention Center. Very few. You guys need to get on the ball and open some.

Well, if you rent a room at my place, I'll do all the cooking. ;)

[Voyager]

A lot has changed since 2004. That's about when I moved here. Maybe not so much in quantity, but definitely in quality.

I never had a complaint about the quality. All good, and some very good. But in Austin there are a ton of good restaurants right at the convention center, and if you walk a few blocks to Sixth Street there are a ton more.

[lawoot]

I'm not sure we have enough hookers either...

To steal from Field of Dreams...

"Build it and they will come..."

[Cisco]

I was shocked that Obama won NC in '08 and I'll be even more shocked if he carries it again in '12. I grew up about 15 miles from Charlotte and the people there make Arizonans look like turbo commies. As seen on my Facebook page: all my "friends" from back home are "defiantly" eating at Chic-Fil-A right now and suggesting everyone else do the same, because Chic-Fil-A apparently came out against gay marriage or some such.

[etv78]

Did they level the "Hive"? If not, is it big enough?

[Qin Shi Huangdi]

I wonder if a more distinguished North Carolina native than Mr. Edwards, Rev. Billy Graham will come-he has been with both Republicans and Democrats and remains technically a Democrat.

[Southern Yankee]

Did they level the "Hive"? If not, is it big enough?

Yes, a few years ago. It's been replaced with the Time Warner Cable Arena right in the middle of Uptown. It's where the Bobcats play.

[etv78]

Yes, a few years ago. It's been replaced with the Time Warner Cable Arena right in the middle of Uptown. It's where the Bobcats play.

Could the TWCA host the convention?

[Southern Yankee]

Could the TWCA host the convention?

Oh yeah, that's where it's going to be.

[SpazCat]

I wonder if a more distinguished North Carolina native than Mr. Edwards, Rev. Billy Graham will come-he has been with both Republicans and Democrats and remains technically a Democrat.

I doubt it. He's getting up there in years and he seems happy to be retired. The pattern lately seems to be that if you want to see Billy Graham, you go up to Montreat yourself to visit.

[Maus Magill]

Maybe some of the delegates could visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame. God knows, somebody needs to.

I was program chair at a conference in the Convention Center in 2004. An engineering conference, so the hookers knew enough to stay away. Nice convention center, nice city, nice hotels. What is missing are restaurants near the Convention Center. Very few. You guys need to get on the ball and open some.
There are many more resturants in the area now, plus the addition of the Light Rail system opens up the South End area with its plethora of eating establishments.

I wonder if a more distinguished North Carolina native than Mr. Edwards, Rev. Billy Graham will come-he has been with both Republicans and Democrats and remains technically a Democrat.

Doubt it. His son, Franklin, is running things now, and he has his nose so far up Sarah Palin's ass it's not even funny.

[KneadToKnow]

Maybe some of the delegates could visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame. God knows, somebody needs to.

To be honest, though, how big was the overlap between "people who love NASCAR" and "people who visit museums" ever going to be? ;)

[zamboniracer]

To be honest, though, how big was the overlap between "people who love NASCAR" and "people who visit museums" ever going to be? ;)

Sorry for the hijack, but shouldn't the NASCAR hall of fame look like a garage or a honky-tonk, and not like this? (http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000B3MgA2pOKHw/s/750/750/The-NASCAR-Hall-of-Fame-in-Charlotte-NC) No wonder nobody goes to it! :D

[Voyager]

Maybe some of the delegates could visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame. God knows, somebody needs to.

When I went my daughter's bf at the time was an immense NASCAR fan. I could never find any junk there to buy for him. I never made it to the museum, but I didn't have a car and I can't be surprised that a NASCAR museum is not accessible by public transportation.

BTW they had light rail back then. It runs right through the convention center. I'm still surprised that none of our attendees got run over.

I have to look up where the arena is. Maybe there is food there.

[KneadToKnow]

Sorry for the hijack, but shouldn't the NASCAR hall of fame look like a garage or a honky-tonk, and not like this? (http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000B3MgA2pOKHw/s/750/750/The-NASCAR-Hall-of-Fame-in-Charlotte-NC) No wonder nobody goes to it! :D

You're not getting the full effect. Those horizontal stripes in the curved wall? They're lit and the lights zoom around like your looking up through the bottom of a really steeply-banked racetrack. It's very alarming if you don't realize where you are and you only half-glimpse the moving lights out of the corner of your eye at the stoplight.

[Maus Magill]

When I went my daughter's bf at the time was an immense NASCAR fan. I could never find any junk there to buy for him. I never made it to the museum, but I didn't have a car and I can't be surprised that a NASCAR museum is not accessible by public transportation.

BTW they had light rail back then. It runs right through the convention center. I'm still surprised that none of our attendees got run over.

I have to look up where the arena is. Maybe there is food there.

In 2004, there was just the Trolley, which ran for only a couple of blocks. The Lynx Light Rail is a proper train. As far as I'm concerned, it's the only way to get downtown.

[Gyrate]

Maybe some of the delegates could visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame. God knows, somebody needs to.To get there from the venue, go out of the parking lot and turn left....then turn left again...then turn left...