When I heard Charlotte received the nod to host the 2012 Democratic Convention, the first thing I thought was "that was a shrewd move on the DNC's part." Obama won NC in 2008 by the slimmest of margins, 0.33%. Obama has also made several appearances in this state since the election, even vacationing in Asheville.
Maybe this will push Charlotte into a realm they've been seeking for a while. They've tried so hard to shake their provincial status. UNC-C is now called "Charlotte". The Coliseum in Charlotte has on the court "Charlotte USA". I guess Charlotte thinks they are too 'good' to be associated with the rest of NC.
This state went Democrat for the first time in a presidential election for the first time since 1976. There is no doubt that 2012 will be a close race as well for this state. Having the convention here will give the Democrats invaluable visibility in NC and with a margin so narrow as in 2008, every vote counts. A few thousand or even a few hundred votes here and there could make the difference between carrying this state or not.
Some may ask, why did I show a picture of Obama wearing Harvey Gantt t-shirt? Well, Obama is the president, and he will almost certainly win the Democratic nomination. There were some right-wing pundits saying Obama may receive a serious primary challenge in '12, but I wouldn't bet on it. Second, Obama supported Harvey Gantt for senator when he ran against the cagey Jesse Helms.
Harvey Gantt was the mayor of Charlotte. It seems like every decade, a Charlotte Mayor gets the notion that if he can run Charlotte, then he can run the whole state. And almost inevitably, the Charlotte Mayor loses. NC political analysts have even called this the "Charlotte Curse."
This has nothing to do with the current blog post, but I'm catching up from the past few days, and I can't help but crack up whenever I see that teacher's face...!
ReplyDeleteShe obviously doesn't care about the children! :=(
ReplyDelete