JAX potential new host of 2020 GOP convention

[thelakelander]

But even more testing with more people officially having covid simply solidifies this thing is more prominent locally than most of us probably imagine it to be. Seems like we're still in a state of not really knowing what's going on.

[MandarinNole]

Who else is excited to have their citizens threatened by the President for exercising their First Amendment right to protest?  Lumping protestors in with anarchists, agitators, looters, and "lowlifes" is exactly the divisive nonsense we don't need right now.  I am not sure when decency became political.

[MusicMan]

Trump has been threatening American's since day one. He's pathetic.

[marcuscnelson]

I am not sure when decency became political.

June 16, 2015. That's exactly when.

[Florida Power And Light]

Jacksonville's Convention Embrace ( by some) is wreck less, considering potential  " unlawful" impacts, destruction.

Large disturbance in Orange Park today.Clay! Ha!
Fast Forward

[marcuscnelson]

June 16, 2015. That's exactly when.

Ha ha ha ha. You should study our political history a little. I think you would find it rather entertaining.

I was being snappy and hyperbolic, but good point. It is easier to point to the starting date of our current disaster than try to pinpoint a moment in at least the mid twentieth century that led us to now, or even just admit that most political history has simply had the appearance of decency, and not any actual substance of it.

[Charles Hunter]

Six campaign staffers for the Trump rally in Tulsa tested positive for COVID-19
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/20/politics/trump-campaign-staffers/index.html

[jaxlongtimer]

Looks like DeSantis, Curry and local Republicans could be holding Trump's bag after seeing Tulsa results.  In Tulsa tonight, the 19,000 seat arena was far from full (surprising, since Trump's campaign said they had "1 million requests for tickets"!).  Trump and Pence were supposed to also address an "overflow" crowd outside but didn't amid reports only a few dozen people were milling around. 

Imagine, an RNC convention with lots of empty seats on the floor and up into the rafters amid a big uptick in local COVID cases and the presence of "radical" protesters.  Let's see if there is a resulting increase in the spread COVID, the fanning of the flames of unrest and little or no local economic benefit while sticking Duval taxpayers with un-reimbursed expenses.  There is a real possibility that RNC, Trump and Jacksonville may be headed for an embarrassment of global proportions and that Curry drives the final nail in his political career.  For sure, lot's of risks headed our way.

Tulsa report:  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/20/us/trump-rally-tulsa.html

Adding an interesting CNBC article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/20/republican-national-convention-heres-what-it-takes-to-host-it.html

[Emphasis added]

Years of planning, millions of dollars: What it takes to host a Republican National Convention

...."My personal opinion is planning a traditional convention of the size and scale that you normally see in a two-month period is not possible," said Joe Roman, former vice president of the Cleveland Host Committee, which organized the 2016 convention. "There are so many dots that have to get connected to pull this off."

Neither planning nor preparation appeared to concern Trump, who repeatedly threatened to move the convention out of North Carolina because of social distancing guidelines that would have severely restricted the number of participants during the four-day event scheduled to start Aug. 24.

Putting on a successful convention of this magnitude is a team effort between the GOP, the federal government, and the host committee that organizes it. That committee is usually made up of individuals who have had a key role in shaping the city that's preparing to host the convention....

....Under more normal circumstances, a city that's itching to host either the Republican National Convention or the Democratic National Convention will put together a bid for review, outlining the reasons why that city is the best choice.

For previous conventions, host committees began the planning process years before the nominee was even known.

"We were awarded the event about two years out," said David Gilbert, former president and CEO of the Cleveland Host Committee. "There's so much that goes into the bid. A lot of that information lays the groundwork. If you think about it in those terms, the planning really begins 2½ years out."

After a bid is accepted, the committee has to put together funding to prepare the venue in which the convention will occur. That money also helps solidify transportation and pay people like construction workers who are making renovations happen.

Conventions like this can cost up to $100 million, according to multiple past organizers. The Department of Homeland Security fronts about half for security to protect high-profile politicians and provide technology enhancements. The rest of the money comes from private donations.

"The biggest venue need, which does eliminate a number of cities, is a top-tier competitive indoor arena -- the kinds of arenas that cities traditionally host their NBA or NHL franchises in," Roman said. But to turn that indoor arena into something like a concert hall is the real challenge. Construction workers have to reconfigure and add seating, build production studios, and create a "dramatic" stage "that pops," he said.

"You go from playing basketball to hosting the equivalent of the Grammys. So you need a stage that is going to be front and center in front of hundreds of millions of people for four nights," Roman said. "That's not what a basketball arena was created to be."

The members in a host committee, a nonpartisan group, have an incentive to bring a large-scale convention to their city to highlight its development and present it as a hot spot for economic growth and activity, Gilbert and Roman said. So whether it's the DNC or the RNC, the committee is working to bring one of them home. Both teem with "political tourists" and thousands of credentialed media, likely bringing in a huge return on investment, the added. About 45,000 people, including 15,000 credentialed media, came to Cleveland in 2016 for the RNC....

....The Republican National Committee announced the selection of Charlotte on July 20, 2018. Since then, Charlotte's host committee, led by John Lassiter — a longtime Republican and former city council member — has been working to raise $70 million to prepare for the big event.

This involved months of outreach to local community members, groups and corporations to fund parts of the initiative.

Vance Opperman, former co-chair of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul host committee for the 2008 Republican National Convention, told CNBC he has "friends in North Carolina who are overjoyed that they're not going to have it."

Charlotte's host committee did not respond to a request for comment from CNBC.

Eight years ago, Charlotte hosted the Democratic National Convention, meaning the city had already undergone many infrastructural changes. That experience may have been an factor in the RNC's decision to choose Charlotte for 2020.

"They have the muscle memory in Charlotte for knowing how to do this, and I could see where that would be extremely relevant," Roman said....

[MusicMan]

All good points, but there are also a lot of out of work actors who could use $100.......

[MandarinNole]

I can't wait til the Soros buck symbols is made public!

[Lunican]

Could be an epic dud like the Tulsa rally.

[jaxlongtimer]

Imagine the RNC convention being moved to an airport hanger or high school gym!  LOL.

[Emphasis added]

Trump aides debate future size and look of signature rallies after Tulsa debacle

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/22/politics/trump-future-rallies/index.html

....Few people around Trump believe rallies will be eliminated altogether. But the empty seats and vacant overflow lot in Tulsa were an indication that their formula needs rethinking amid a continuing pandemic and an altered political landscape.

There are discussions about finding outdoor venues where supporters might feel safer convening, the people familiar said. One campaign source suggested holding more airplane hangar rallies, a common feature of Trump's last campaign that allowed him to visit a location without ever leaving the airport.

Other officials acknowledged that Tulsa was a sign even Trump's supporters remain wary of large crowds as coronavirus continues to spread, a reality that may force his campaign to book smaller venues for greatly reduced audiences.

Trump has convened smaller rallies in the past, particularly as he campaigned during the 2018 midterm elections. He has filled suburban high school gyms and hangars at small regional airports easily, though the President himself has stated he prefers playing massive arenas where rock stars and sports teams sell out....

[tufsu1]

^ oh our wonderful amphitheater would be just perfect

[Florida Power And Light]

Governor and Mayor have placed Jacksonville in front of a train wreck.
incessant efforts with elevating Jacksonville might finally  implode.

[Papa33]

The way things are and where things are seemingly headed, it would not surprise me to see the RNC put the kibosh on the convention.