DNC names '12 convention finalists: Charlotte, Cleveland, Minneapolis, St. Louis

[Smash255]

I may need to take a trip to visit my parents then

[Guderian]

It's Charlotte.

Good god, what a horrible city.

What a greta city.

NC will probably be the CO of 2012. I'd say Obama has a much higher chance of keeping NC now.

Republicans haven't won the state in which they held the convention since 1988... And Democrats had a streak of not winning the convention state before that. It's irrelevant. Most voters are uninformed idiots but thankfully very few are so stupid to base their vote on where the convention was held.

[Lambsbread]

Charlotte was a great pick. Democrats know that NC is a key swing state that they need for Obama to be re-elected.

Obama doesn't need NC to be re-elected. He can abandon it completly and be fine. Dems do need it there though if they want a landslide, which would involve picking up states in the south like Georgia and South Carolina.

Well, if he loses Virginia, NC, Florida, Ohio (won in 08), Pennsylvania (won in 08), New Jersey (won in 08) and Wisconsin (won in 08) (which he's probably guaranteed to lose at least WI, VA, OH and FL.) then it's not going to be good for him.

[exopolitician]

Charlotte was a great pick. Democrats know that NC is a key swing state that they need for Obama to be re-elected.

Obama doesn't need NC to be re-elected. He can abandon it completly and be fine. Dems do need it there though if they want a landslide, which would involve picking up states in the south like Georgia and South Carolina.

Well, if he loses Virginia, NC, Florida, Ohio (won in 08), Pennsylvania (won in 08), New Jersey (won in 08) and Wisconsin (won in 08) (which he's probably guaranteed to lose at least WI, VA, OH and FL.) then it's not going to be good for him.

If he loses all of that than he's losing by a decent margin. Plus, how is he guaranteed loses in Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio, and Florida?

[Landslide Lyndon]

Charlotte was a great pick. Democrats know that NC is a key swing state that they need for Obama to be re-elected.

Obama doesn't need NC to be re-elected. He can abandon it completly and be fine. Dems do need it there though if they want a landslide, which would involve picking up states in the south like Georgia and South Carolina.

Well, if he loses Virginia, NC, Florida, Ohio (won in 08), Pennsylvania (won in 08), New Jersey (won in 08) and Wisconsin (won in 08) (which he's probably guaranteed to lose at least WI, VA, OH and FL.) then it's not going to be good for him.

If he loses all of that than he's losing by a decent margin. Plus, how is he guaranteed loses in Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio, and Florida?

Because by now all Real Americans have seen the light, that he a homo-loving, Kenyan born, white-hating Socialist!!!

[Holmes]

Makes sense. I'm sure long term, Democrats care more about getting VA and NC in their column than OH or MO.

[Yelnoc]

Charlotte was a great pick. Democrats know that NC is a key swing state that they need for Obama to be re-elected.

Obama doesn't need NC to be re-elected. He can abandon it completly and be fine. Dems do need it there though if they want a landslide, which would involve picking up states in the south like Georgia and South Carolina.

Well, if he loses Virginia, NC, Florida, Ohio (won in 08), Pennsylvania (won in 08), New Jersey (won in 08) and Wisconsin (won in 08) (which he's probably guaranteed to lose at least WI, VA, OH and FL.) then it's not going to be good for him.

If he loses all of that than he's losing by a decent margin. Plus, how is he guaranteed loses in Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio, and Florida?

Because by now all Real Americans have seen the light, that he a homo-loving, Kenyan born, white-hating Socialist!!!

But don't "Real Americans" only constitute 27% of the population?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Charlotte was a great pick. Democrats know that NC is a key swing state that they need for Obama to be re-elected.

Obama doesn't need NC to be re-elected. He can abandon it completly and be fine. Dems do need it there though if they want a landslide, which would involve picking up states in the south like Georgia and South Carolina.

Well, if he loses Virginia, NC, Florida, Ohio (won in 08), Pennsylvania (won in 08), New Jersey (won in 08) and Wisconsin (won in 08) (which he's probably guaranteed to lose at least WI, VA, OH and FL.) then it's not going to be good for him.

He's not losing NJ...  and his numbers are relatively strong in VA and WI...only FL and OH are genuine toss ups for me.

NC I have as a slight lean to the GOP (only because I thought it was too good to last)

[Likely Voter]

The mayor of St. Louis, MO says that this is about the Dems and the South (from his blog):

You must be logged in to read this quote.

So perhaps the Dems think holding the line on NC (and VA) is more important than potentially picking up MO?

[tmthforu94]

The mayor of St. Louis, MO says that this is about the Dems and the South (from his blog):

You must be logged in to read this quote.

So perhaps the Dems think holding the line on NC (and VA) is more important than potentially picking up MO?

Interesting. I would have thought Missouri as a better choice, since you also have a Senate race there, and having the convention in St. Louis would no doubt help McCaskill.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

This also means that Beverly Perdue will get a speaking slot most likely. lol.

[DS0816]

For 2012, Republicans picked Florida. Last election a winning Republican carried the state that hosted the party's convention was in 1988, with Louisiana ending up in the column of George Bush. (Florida has voted with the winner in 19 of the last 21 elections, with exceptions of 1960 and 1992.)

For 2012, Democrats picked North Carolina. Last election a winning Democrat failed to carry the state that hosted the party's convention was in 1960, with California barely holding for home son Richard Nixon after Dwight Eisnhower carried it in the 1950s. (On election night, Calif. was erroneously called as a pickup for JFK.)

Florida will vote with the winner, once again, in 2012.

If President Obama gets re-elected in 2012, and I'm among those predicting he will, selecting Charlotte will bode well. (I'm not among those who think N.C. has to revert back to the GOP because 2008 was supposedly freakish. I dismiss that notion.)

[milhouse24]

Obama will lose NC, but I think its great for the region's economy and really highlights the "new growing economy" of the South.  I think Obama will lose re-election, but maybe he's trying to hold onto VA which is very close to NC.

As for St. Louis, perhaps it was too Midwestern and close to Illinois.  He wants to spread his wings from the region.  Obama and the Dems know they will lose big in 2012, in the Senate and the House, and I think they just want to give a boost to a growing region, rather than playing it safe in a losing effort.

[Brittain33]

It's good for Obama's supporters in nearby non-competitive states to have this event to take part in. This is a win as much for the people of Atlanta as it is for the city of Charlotte.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I've never understood why people would change their vote because there was a convention in their city. I never met anyone who said they were going to vote for McCain because of the convention here.

Charlotte is a good city to hold a convention in, but insisting it has to be a swing state it is pretty stupid (at least the parties didn't buy into this stupidity in 2004.)

[Joe Biden 2020]

I like the selection of Charlotte, North Carolina to host the Democratic National Convention 2012.

IIRC, it hasn't hosted a major party convention in a long time.  Someone could probably fill me in with the history.

Charlotte is probably my favorite Southeastern City.  I desperately want to go there one of these days.  I don't want to move there, necessarily, but I do want to visit.

[milhouse24]

If Obama couldn't win Missouri in 2008, with all the momentum, there is NO WAY he will win Missouri in 2012 in a much tougher year.
He won NC in 2008 and this is a fitting reward for a rapidly growing Yankee migration zone.

[Joe Biden 2020]

If Obama couldn't win Missouri in 2008, with all the momentum, there is NO WAY he will win Missouri in 2012 in a much tougher year.
He won NC in 2008 and this is a fitting reward for a rapidly growing Yankee migration zone.

I think Obama can kiss Missouri, North Carolina, and Indiana good-bye in 2012.  It's a much tougher election.  He was dealt a serious blow earlier this week when his health care reform was ruled unconstitutional.  That could be a very serious blow to his chances, especially if the ruling is upheld by the US Supreme Court which is still a 5-4 Conservative tilt.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Makes sense. I'm sure long term, Democrats care more about getting VA and NC in their column than OH or MO.

Tell John Kerry about OH