This morning, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz made two important logistical announcements about the forty-seventh quadrennial meeting of the Democratic Party, scheduled to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the first full week of September.
At a media event in the City of Trees, Schultz revealed that the Democratic National Convention will run for three days instead of four, and also unveiled the party’s plans for the convention’s final night, when Barack Obama is expected to be renominated by the party as its candidate for president.
To make the convention more open and accessible, the organizing committee (with the blessing of the Obama campaign) has decided to hold the final night of the 2012 Convention at the unfortunately-named Bank of America Stadium, which, like Denver’s Invesco Field, is a venue designed for football.
Readers who remember the 2008 Democratic National Convention will recall that Invesco Field hosted the final night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. President Obama delivered his acceptance speech there before a record crowd of 84,000; NPI covered the event live here on The Advocate.
Bank of America Stadium — originally known as Carolinas Stadium — has a capacity of 73,778 seats. It is much roomier than Time Warner Cable Arena, where the other two nights of the convention will he held.
“We want this convention to be about more than just the pageantry and speeches you see on television. This is about engaging Americans in a meaningful way,” said DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz in a news release explaining the decision.
Presidential nominating conventions usually begin on a Monday and run for four days. But the Monday of convention week this year is Labor Day. Rather than schedule a night of speeches, the party has decided to hold Labor Day celebrations at Charlotte’s Motor Speedway. A specific schedule of events has yet to be announced, but will no doubt be forthcoming before too long, along with the themes and the speaking lineups for the three following days.
The Republican Party will be holding its 2012 convention the week before in Tampa, Florida. Both Florida and North Carolina are expected to be fiercely contested battleground states in this year’s presidential election.
One Comment
It’s not “the unfortunately-named Bank of America Stadium” at all. It’s very appropriate that WallStreet Obama’s re-coronation will occur in place with that appellation. What a waste of time. At least they cut out one day of waste of time.