On Wednesday, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) announced that the likelihood of bad weather in Charlotte, North Carolina has forced the DNC Convention to move President Barack Obama's prime-time speech indoors on Thursday, to the disappointment of thousands of eager Democratic enthusiasts. Obama had been schedule to deliver his nomination acceptance speech at the Bank of America Stadium on Thursday before at least 65,000 people, but the campaign has now moved his speech to the Time Warner Cable Arena, the site of the first two days of the Convention. With severe thunderstorms in the forecast, Democrats did not want to take any risks.
"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.
Mother nature, it would seem, has wreaked havoc on both Republicans and Democrats in 2012. For the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Hurricane Isaac forced the GOP to delay the start of the convention by a day. Now, Democrats find themselves in a similar situation.
Of course, Democrats have zero control over the weather in Charlotte. But, conservatives are running wild with this story, using it as evidence that President Obama is losing his widespread appeal. Take a look at the homepage of leading conservative news site Drudge Report, which is running the headline, "No Stadium: "Lightning Threat."
The implication here is that Democrats are conveniently using the cover of the bad weather to cover up for the fact that they will not actually be able to fill the stadium. Democrats had hoped to fill the stadium with 65,000 people in order to reclaim the glory of 2008 in Denver, when Obama delivered his rousing address at Mile High Stadium.
That remains total speculation, however, and more political posturing than a true news report.
Meanwhile, the DNCC has announced that Obama will address community credential holders in a conference all on Thursday. “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," said Kerrigan.
Whether Obama can recapture the magic of 2008 while indoors remains to be seen. The largest crowd that Obama has drawn at a campaign event in 2012 is 14,000 people. Moreover, the campaign had been planning to use the gathering to register voters through text message and Twitter. The largest crowd that Obama has drawn at a campaign event in 2012 is 14,000 people. We'll have to see how, if at all, this decision impacts those efforts.
