Thursday, September 6, 2012

Charlotte on Stage, Thu evening edition

Demand creates commerce and sometimes enough demand creates price-gouging.

Reuters news agency looked into whether the tens of thousands of visitors to Charlotte for the Democratic National Convention caused merchants to charge unreasonable prices for their wares and services. While everything from turkey bagels to campaign buttons to the most basic hotel room seems pricey this week, officials told Reuters they don’t have evidence merchants are breaking North Carolina law.

"Nothing that we've seen so far comes close to meeting our state’s law on price gouging," Tom Bartholomy, president of the Better Business Bureau of Charlotte told Reuters.

Bartholomy said his organization hasn’t received any formal complaints during convention. That, despite various low-income families being pushed out of economy hotels this week, with some prices being jacked up five-fold or more.

Bartholomy told Reuters hotel prices rise higher during NASCAR race weeks than they have during the DNC.

SIX-FIGURE COSTS: Speaking of costs, the Los Angeles Times said some of the country’s top media outlets – cable networks Fox News, CNN and MSNBC or the Washington Post or Wall Street Journal – spent over $100,000 each on work space this week.

The Times reports Hargrove, Inc., is contracted to the convention to provide tables, carpeting, security and food (outside food is forbidden to carry into the area surrounding Time Warner Cable Arena). Since this is the pro-labor DNC, union labor adds to the media outlets’ costs at a time when newspapers’ profit margins are shrinking.

The cost hasn’t shrunk attendance: There are roughly 15,000 media members in Charlotte, or roughly 2 1/2 media members for every DNC delegate.

ABE … HONEST: In Las Vegas, you get Elvis impersonators. In Charlotte, Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer columnist Myron Pitts was charmed by Charlottean Sam Miller, a street performer dressed as Abraham Lincoln and holding a sign reading, “Republicans for Obama.’’ Delegates came by to have their pictures taken with Abe. “He worked for tips,’’ Pitts wrote, “and his tip cup looked to be full.’’

MAKE YOUR OWN SPACE: Fayetteville’s Pitts ended up using the park-and-ride system down South Boulevard, getting uptown on the Lynx light-rail. Except the park side of the arrangement was used up. Spaces were long gone in the lot, so Pitts reluctantly drove over to a grassy area where he feared he’d be towed. Two Charlotteans walked over to tell him he’d be fine parking there, to great relief.

SOME TABASCO WITH THAT? At 3:18 Thursday afternoon Wisconsin delegate Kevin Kopplin tweeted from Birdsong Brewing Company in NoDa, “Jalapeno beer. It exists … and it’s in my belly.’’

Charlotte on Stage during the DNC, Thursday p.m.


DNC causing price-gouging in Charlotte?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/dnc-prices-soar_n_1860812.html

A Kansas delegate wonders why Charlotte calls its downtown "uptown''
http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/dispatches-from-dnc/2012/sep/5/as-kansas-delegates-explore-charlotte-mi/

View from Vermont: Sun Belt a more optimistic place;
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20120906/OPINION/709069973/1018/OPINION

Someone missed a great chance to sell a lot of balloons:
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/09/05/2676748/a-dampened-tradition-no-balloon.html

Nothing like a good Lincoln impersonator
http://blogs.fayobserver.com/campaign2012/September-2012/DNC--Democrats-Mostly-Happy-as-President-Obama-Com

Mother Jones on the contrast in the two conventions:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/comparing-republican-democratic-conventions-tampa-charlotte

LA Times: 2 1/2 media members for every delegate:
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-dnc-media-20120905,0,7857371.story

Variety on actors' presence in Charlotte for the DNC:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118058755

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

What they're writing about Charlotte at the DNC

Difficult as it might seem to get around Charlotte during the Democratic National Convention, it would be a lot worse in the absence of the 5-year-old Lynx lght-rail line.

That’s the conclusion drawn by the Tampa Bay Times, comparing Charlotte’s DNC experience to that of Tampa and the Republican convention last week. Tampa voted down a sales tax that would have built alight rail system similar to Lynx, a 10-mile system that runs from uptown, near Seventh Street, south to I-485. Half of the cost of Lynx (more than $400 million) was covered by federal funds. Plans are in the works to double Charlotte’s light-rail system.

On Monday, Lynx rried a reported 33,000 passengers. Moving RNC visitors in Tampa, mostly with charter buses, was problematic, causing some delegates to miss portions of convention sessions or getting them back to their hotels after 3 a.m. According to the Times, Tampa used more than 400 buses compared with about 250 for Charlotte.

“Compared to this, getting around in Tampa was impossible,’’ said Andrea Braboy, a Tampa resident who's here for the DNC. Added Sarah Meachen, also of Tampa, “Charlotte is light years ahead of Tampa. We’re not even close. I think I want to move here.’’

Party mood: Several media reports have characterized the mood among Democrats as more party-oriented than Republicans in Tampa. That’s likely good for the Charlotte restaurant and bar business, but not necessarily for Obama’s re-election hopes.

The Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal described Charlotte this week as about “songs and cute outfits and ornate hats,’’ while Republicans exuded “a sense of four years of scorn, bitterness and a loss not forgotten.’’

The Rev. Al Sharpton, an MSNBC host, said: “If (Democrats) party in Charlotte in September, the Republicans could be partying in November.’’

Outside the hall: Some national media outlets have ventured outside Time Warner Cable Arena to report on how Charlotte’s challenges reflect on the country’s politics.

The Atlantic’s website is doing a three-part series on Charlotte’s economy. Wednesday’s segment concentrated on the loss of thousands of high-paying banking jobs here and how that undermined the tax base. City councilman David Howard was quoted that, “If you look at Charlotte as a pie, about a fifth of it in south Charlotte pays almost 50 percent of the city’s tax base.''

More uplifting was a story in the Washington Post about how government investment in job creation made for a Siemens AG plant, building gigantic gas turbines for industrial use. Siemens, a German firm, was recruited here partially by the international flights out of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport and a rail spur with state funding. But it was also about the engineers and technicians available in North Carolina that Siemens might not have had available off-shore.

How Charlotte is showing to national media, Wednesday edition


Washington Post: Siemens plant demonstrates what is right with Charlotte-area economy:


Light rail making for a smoother delegate commute in Charlotte than there was in Tampa

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/h/1648hnlc37kec/?&v=c&smi=13997e594bb82003#m_13997e594bb82003

Contribution numbers suggest Mecklenburg County isn't so Democrat-friendly:

New York Daily News on how jacked-up hotel rates put a squeeze on the poor during convention week:
 

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Charlotte on Stage, Tuesday p.m. edition

Charlotte and Tampa compete in the NFL Sunday when the Panthers play at the Buccaneers. But as convention hosts, the two cities are serving as partners in back-to-back weeks.

Charlotte organizers were in Tampa last week during the Republican convention to pick up tips on running the Democratic event. Tampa organizers flew to Charlotte this week to observe how we’re running things.

Dan Murrey, executive director of the DNC host committee, told the Tampa Tribune the best advice he got was to expect surprises: Like the last-minute security fence the Secret Service erected at the University of South Florida’s medical learning center. Or the German shepherd security dogs that jumped spontaneously into the car of Murrey’s Tampa counterpart, Ken Jones.

Matt Becker, chief operating officer for the Republican convention, offered this advice to Murrey: "Wear thick socks; he will be doing plenty of walking.’’

-- Washington Post opinion writer E.J. Dionne Jr. writes: "The contrast with the Tampa convention was conspicuous. The Republican affair felt so terribly businesslike. Tampa was not nearly as invested in the GOP as Charlotte is in the Democrats. I tested my perceptions with those of colleagues who had also been in Tampa, and to a person, they sensed the same thing: The Charlotte Democrats seemed to be having the better time, and the mood here was seemed more ebullient."

Green theme:
The Boston Herald noted how dramatically more environment-friendly the DNC in Charlotte is, compared to the Republican convention. The areas in and around Time Warner Cable Arena are filled with reusable water containers and refill stations, recycle bins and a display measuring power usage in uptown. By comparison, the Herald noted, Tampa’s convention venue was filled with garbage bags of waste that could have been recycled.

Johnson returns: Former Charlotte Bobcats owner Bob Johnson was back at TWC Arena Tuesday for the convention. In an interview with Fox News, Johnson said that, despite high unemployment numbers among minorities, he expects Obama to draw huge support from African-American voters. "He represents, to us, aspirations,’’ Johnson said, "and we’re going to give him a second chance.’’

Traffic apocalypse?

The Irish Times wrote that the Democrats’ reluctance to accept contributions from corporations this time around has put added strain on the police presence to direct traffic for Obama’s speech Thursday. The Times wrote: "Some have predicted a traffic apocalypse that will be especially trying for those who have been forced to seek lodging across the border in South Carolina."

Reviews:

Mac’s Speed Shop got a glowing review from the Washington delegation on the website nwprogressive.org: "We are dining on some of the most sumptuous macaroni and cheese, pulled pork, veggie burgers and hickory smoked beef brisket I’ve ever tasted, with banana pudding and warm chocolate brownies for dessert. Great service makes great food taste even better" ... Robin Abcarian of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the Levine Museum of the New South "offered convention-goers a fascinating take on life here since the end of slavery."

Some fresh takes on how Charlotte is showing to world during the DNC

The Atlantic on whether Charlotte still fits "boomtown'' description:

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/09/anatomy-boomtown-real-story-behind-rise-charlotte/3129/

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter on his struggles to navigate around the Queen City this week:

http://blogs.ajc.com/jamie-dupree-washington-insider/2012/09/03/tidbits-from-the-democratic-convention-ii/

Tampa and Charlotte can learn from each other in how to throw a big event. It's not a competition, as such:

http://www2.tbo.com/news/politics/2012/sep/03/3/charlotte-hopes-to-learn-from-rnc-in-tampa-ar-481457/

Marketwatch on the challenge Obama faces in winning North Carolina and Virginia again this election:

http://stream.marketwatch.com/story/2012-democratic-national-convention/SS-4-10273/SS-4-10401/

Charlotte's mood more festive than Tampa's

Tampa had bad weather, heavy police presence and temporary fences last week for the Republican National Convention. Charlotte has bad weather, heavy police presence and temporary fences, hosting the Democrats.

One key difference, according to the Tampa Bay Times: Charlotte still found a way to host an inclusive, festive event Monday, something Tampa never achieved. The street fair uptown included thousands at a street market with funnel cakes, souvenirs, children’s amusements and songs by North Carolina’s James Taylor,

 “There was nothing like this in Tampa,” political activist Mona Mangat of St. Petersburg told the Times in Charlotte. “The whole city was under lockdown. There was no live music, no street festival, no life to the street.”

The story went on to say: “Credit the holiday. Credit the festival. Or the Democrats. It didn’t matter. What was witnessed by reporters and delegates was a town where its residents were celebrating. What they found in Tampa was a city that felt desolate.”

In fairness to Tampa, that city was contending with Tropical Storm Isaac, while Charlotte’s just having typical summer thunderstorms this week.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Monday night edition

Charlotte is perceived nationally as a place not particularly friendly to all Democrat causes.
             Organized labor isn’t popular – just 2.9 percent of the workforce in North Carolina is unionized, lowest in the nation, the Boston Globe notes. The state recently passed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. And Charlotte’s banking center – second-largest in the country – is less than appealing to core Democrats after the economic meltdown of the past five years.
              So some Democrats aren’t so enthusiastic about the Queen City. California party Chairman John Burton, speaking to reporters on Labor Day about hosting the convention in a right-to-work state, said, “I didn’t pick it. It doesn’t make any sense to me, but that’s me.”
            When the DNC national chair, Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, was quizzed about Charlotte Monday on Fox News, she defended the choice adamantly. “We were planting the seed in the South … that we weren’t ceding anything” to the Republicans, she said.
              The Globe quotes Wake Forest professor John Dinan as questioning whether the convention could swing North Carolina toward Obama, but “I don’t think the Democrats are believing those union votes are going anywhere else.”
              “Police state?” Veteran Maryland political reporter Len Lazarick was shocked by the huge police presence and blocked streets that greeted him Sunday upon his arrival in Charlotte. The headline above his column on MarylandReporter.com read, “As open and accessible as a police state can be.”
               Lazarick said organizers promised Charlotte would be the “most open and accessible convention in history,” but first impressions were otherwise. Lazarick used to work five blocks from the White House and wrote the police presence here exceeds anything in Washington short of an inauguration.
              “Place to be” for protesters: Michael Zytkow of Occupy Charlotte said it was encouraging that Charlotte, not known as a “protest town,” has had numerous protests in the past year.
             “Charlotte really has been the place to be this year,” Zytkow told The New York Times. “Charlotte does have a great legacy of civil rights. We’re really trying to build on their legacy, walk in their footsteps.”
              Raindrops: The Daily Telegraph of London chimed in about how Thursday night’s potentially stormy weather is a worry for Obama.
             “The stadium has no roof, and some forecasts predict rain. We may yet witness the President of the United States delivering a speech to a half-filled arena with an umbrella over his head,” Tim Stanley wrote. “The president’s convention in Charlotte – already a potential PR disaster because of bad weather and declining enthusiasm – is thus made all the tougher by a reinvigorated Republican ticket determined to fight the election on the winnable terrain of the economy.”
               He adds: “It also can’t be denied that the president is a charismatic incumbent who attained a certain mystique after the death of Osama bin Laden. Whether it rains or not, we can expect a great speech from him on Thursday.”
          It’s Jordan’s team, by the way: The national media aren’t necessarily up to speed on Charlotte and its diversions. As Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly signed off her show Monday, she looked around Time Warner Cable Arena and asked, “Who plays here? The Charlotte Who?”

Some more reads on why some are and others aren't coming for DNC

Some more reads on what visitors to the Democratic National Convention think of Charlotte.

A Maryland political reporter: "As open and accessible as a police state.''
http://marylandreporter.com/2012/09/03/charlotte-as-open-and-accessible-as-a-police-state-can-be/


From the Washington Times: The celebrity factor will be down for various reasons:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/sep/2/democrats-glitterati-not-as-sparkly-as-2008/print/


From the New York Times: Charlotte fertile ground for protesters?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/us/politics/protesters-gather-in-charlotte-for-democratic-convention.html

Doesn't Fox have interns to look up this stuff?

Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly closed her afternoon show Monday by looking around Time Warner Cable Arena and asking, who plays here?
            Someone quickly brought her up to speed that it's the Bobcats of the NBA. You know, the team that Michael Jordan owns.
         By the way, Kelly is a fan of Charlotte already. She tweeted this before starting her Monday show: About 2 start our show, live from the DNC. Charlotte is gorgeous & we have a hot show! 


    

Panthers QB Jimmy Clausen no fan of DNC


Carolina Panthers quarterback Jimmy Clausen has lost his patience with the traffic snarls associated with the Democratic National Convention. From Clausen's twitter feed:

Can't wait to get out of town tom!!! This DNC stuff is ridiculous...can't even get into my own garage!  GRACIOUS!

The Panthers fly to Florida tomorrow to prepare for their opener Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and avoid the tie-ups at Bank of America Stadium associated with Barack Obama's Thursday speech.

Charlotte got the DNC, despite not being Democrat Central

           The Boston Globe offers a thoughtful read on the irony of Charlotte hosting the Democratic National Convention. The essential theme:
             North Carolina might have voted against single-sex marriage and might not be very union-friendly. And Charlotte is a banking center at a time when the Democrat base is frustrated with the banking industry.
              So why bring the party faithful to Charlotte? Because Barack Obama carried the state (narrowly by 14,000 votes) in 2008 and believes he can win it again.
             Numerous media outlets touched on this topic today. The Globe captured the issue as well as any:

http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/09/02/charlotte-provides-promise-pitfalls-for-democrats/iqWPrX8ViSckgsLuP7GrzH/story.html

Security makes Southern hospitality more difficult

When thousands of visitors show up in your city, pretty much all at once, and security is already on high alert for the Democratic National Convention, you’re going to have some travel hassles.

Based on Twitter comments from various delegates Sunday, some were charmed by Southern hospitality and others were peeved that streets leading to their hotels were closed much of the afternoon. As Massachusetts delegate Elaine Almquist commented, “We’re in Charlotte, but it doesn’t want us.”

Well, not exactly. The road closures and the 8-foot fences make it hard for Charlotte to show its best face, but that happens anywhere these national political conventions are held, particularly in a post 9/11 world.

The Tampa Tribune illustrated that well in a Sunday story that wrapped up last week’s Republican convention. The newspaper quoted Chris Heimburger of Houston as saying, “Tampa is beautiful, but with all the police and barricades and security, it also felt like an occupied country.”

Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn responded that his first responsibility was public safety, “even if we had to miss some of our better pictures.”

Not everyone had complaints. Delegate Keri Lorenzo, also from Massachusetts, had this to say on Twitter: “Amazing hospitality by residents of Charlotte in helping a tired pregnant lady make it to hotel after security shut down!”

Any soccer fans? CNN talk-show host and British soccer fan Piers Morgan scoped out where to watch Arsenal’s match against Liverpool early Sunday, but he was all by himself at Ri-Ra, the Irish Pub uptown.

Morgan tweeted at 8:25 a.m. that the bar was open for the match, but he was the only soccer fan in attendance. He included a picture to illustrate the point.

Pathetic, you said? Tommy Johnson, a political blogger out of Minnesota, is already a big fan of Charlotte before the actual convention convenes: “It’s big enough, but not too big – and the Host Committee is making the RNC in Tampa look pathetic already.” Based on the rest of his post, Johnson was won over by the media reception held Saturday at the North Carolina Music Factory.

We do ’Cue: Predictably, visitor tweets include dozens of questions and comments about that North Carolina delicacy, barbecue.

Philadelphia Inquirer political reporter Tom Fitzgerald asked, “So the air in Charlotte smells like pit barbecue - or is that just my imagination? (No, we pump it through the air-conditioning ducts to make visitors drool.)

Alex Horton of Virginia isn’t such a fan of Carolina ’Cue: “Best bet? Drive southwest for a couple days, then cross the Texas state line.”

Windy City view: The Chicago Tribune recommends these Charlotte bars to delegates looking for a drink: The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Connolly’s On Fifth, Alexander Michaels, VBGB, Courtyard Hooligans and The Dunhill Hotel.

Life is a Segway: A blogger for the Business Insider website took a different spin on learning Charlotte, signing up for a Segway tour of uptown Sunday run by CharlotteNCTours. It sounded like tour guide Luke was pretty entertaining. Among his observations:

Bank of America Corporate Center is “a weird thing that’s become kind of a landmark.” … Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan lives in a penthouse atop the Trust Building … The Knight Theater is occasionally used to film scenes from Showtime series “Homeland,” and … Charlotte’s last legal brothel closed in the 1950s.

-Rick Bonnell

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Piers Morgan's lonely morning of soccer

CNN anchor Piers Morgan was up early Sunday morning to watch soccer. He knew where to go. Apparently no one else in Charlotte had the same inclination:

https://twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/242237742296207360/photo/1

Saturday, September 1, 2012

NY Daily News: Charlotte the city that gets no respect

The New York Daily News tries to sound appreciative of Charlotte's growth, but this story is also a bit of a snark-fest:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/election-2012/charlotte-a-banking-mecca-major-sports-teams-a-burgeoning-arts-scene-north-carolina-largest-city-site-democratic-national-convention-disrespected-days-george-washington-article-1.1149798?localLinksEnabled=false

Why 'Fewer shrimp will die' for this DNC

Some interesting reads on Charlotte's interaction with the Democratic National Convention on the Saturday before the show begins:

The New York Times on our restaurant scene (a bit condescending, but not uncomplimentary):
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/dining/in-charlotte-nc-democrats-will-find-a-growing-food-scene.html

A glowing review of the Bechtler Museum in the Washington Times:
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/travels-peabod/2012/sep/1/charlottes-bechtler-museum-state-art/

Los Angeles Times predicts this won't be the lavish party of past years. Great quote: "Fewer shrimp will die for this convention.''
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-charlotte-democrats-convention-20120831,0,4256480.story

On Duke Energy's seemingly conflicted political giving:
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/246523-liberal-coalition-wants-utility-to-drop-support-for-conservative-group

We're nice in Charlotte, no matter who we support: Republicans delegates from the Charlotte area want the town to show well (as in no traffic snarls, no natural disasters) during the DNC:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/31/charlotte-republicans-wish-democrats-well/

From the Los Angeles Times Op-Ed section: As Obama tries to keep spreading his Democratic footprint, there's an irony that the party of organized labor will hold its convention in a non-union city on Labor Day week:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-oe-lichtenstein-labor-democrats-20120902,0,2668454.story