Everyone knows that 2016 will be a major year. The Presidential election will be held that November, and the summer a couple months prior will be the National Conventions for both parties. Today, through a Facebook video of Democratic National Convention Chairwomen Debbie Wasserman Schultz pulling a cheesesteak out of a refrigerator to announce that the Democratic National Convention will be held in Philadelphia. This is huge for the city! The other two runner ups were New York and Columbus, Ohio. Wasserman Schultz in a press conference with reporters claimed that Phili fit the three criteria for the convention: logistics, security and resources. She goes off of that to point out the importance of having that walkability between the Wells Fargo Center and the local hotels. With 18500 hotel rooms and within in a 15 minute walk, this can be a great advantage for delegates to easily come back and forth and interact very cohesively with everyone else involved.
This is not the first time a national convention has been held in Phili. The last time was in 2000 when Republicans chose then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush as their party nominee.
The one cost of holding a National Convention is the actual cost. It is expected that the city of Philadelphia will have to spend more than $60 million on the event. However, Wasserman Schultz does point out the amount of revenue given back to the Phili's economy is predicted to be more than double of what was spent. Mark your calendars, for July 25, 2016 will be the big day.
Do you think it was good to choose Philadelphia as the host city? How do you think the turn out for running delegates will be? Will you be watching?
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/philadelphia-host-2016-democratic-national-convention-n305051
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/12/politics/democratic-national-convention-2016-philadelphia/index.html
7 comments:
Mariana, I agree with you that it was smart for them to host it in Philadelphia, not only does philadelphia have a large amount of democrats but it provides 18,500 hotels like you said which will allow many democrats to go to the convention and increase participation rates allowing the most beneficial influence to occur. This will also increase the cities revenue and increase the per income capita, something that is desperately needed especially in the poverished areas of Philadelphia. The other benefit of having it in a large city like Philadelphia is one of the largest cities in the country and can be a potential ground for influencing voters to vote democratic. This is especially important to the party since congress is in full control of the republicans right now. If they do not win the presidential election of 2016 then it could be a time of a new party era since the United States government will be primarily republican.
Mariana,
I think that it was a great idea to choose Philadelphia as the host city for the national convention. It is during this time that communication between the delegates is of the utmost importance, so the close proximity of all the hotel rooms is very important. Furthermore, I believe that the Democrats are hoping that Independence Hall and other symbols of America's beginning will provide a patriotic aura to the entire event. Representative Debbie Wasserman Shultz of Florida states that "In addition to their commitment to a seamless and safe convention, Philadelphia's deep-rooted place in American history provides a perfect setting for this perfect gathering" (New York Times).
One of the major reasons that Philadelphia beat out New York and Columbus is because it was deemed to be a safe bet both politically and financially. As a result of all these factors, I think that there will be a large turn out for running delegates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/us/politics/democrats-choose-philadelphia-for-2016-national-convention.html?_r=0
I think choosing Philadelphia will prove to be a wise decision to host the convention. The convenience provided within the city will allow for extreme efficiency with coordination and scheduling. Additionally, although other cities could have been chosen, Philadelphia offers a compromise so that the city is neither too barren or too overpopulated. Philadelphia is also considered a mid-atlantic state. In this sense, there is somewhat of an elimination of bias for location considering it is not too far north, south, or west. Using Philadelphia was a safer bet in making sure the convention ran effectively and simply. Thus, this decision was wise because many factors were considered and the location will prove to be an important part of the convention itself.
Mariana, I think holding the convention in Philadelphia is good for both the party and the city. A Wall Street Journal article I read stated that the convention was last held in Charlotte, North Carolina and that that town got 91 million dollars put into its economy as a result of the convention taking place there. That amount of money would be so valuable and holding the convention in Philidelphia is a great way for the city to get the money. In addition, the article pointed out that the convention is being held early this year (in 2012 it was held in September)so that the party can use funds earlier on. This may prove to be beneficial for the party and Philidelphia. This could be a great way for the delegates and the city to build a nice relationship and could draw attention to both politics and the city. Here is the link for the article I read:http://www.wsj.com/articles/philadelphia-to-host-2016-democratic-convention-1423753139
I agree with Ryan on this topic. He is correct in saying that Philadelphia is a great place to hold the 2016 Democratic National Convention because of its vast hotel ranges and large population of democrats. I also believe that Philadelphia would be a great spot for the Democratic National Convention because it would allow all the delegates to have the opportunity to speak to an extremely large audience at one time and rally a lot of support they would not get if they were to do it in a less populated area. Also, Philadelphia is located in a very good area geographically. It is neither to far north or south thus taking away and bias feelings and making travel easier for all in the east. Overall, I think Philadelphia would be a superb spot for the convention and it would be a great rally point for Democrats all over the country.
Mariana, et al., while I think it is wonderful that Philadelphia was chosen to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention (DNC), New York City and Columbus cannot be ignored. Frankly, to play devil’s advocate, I think Ms. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the DNC, picked Philadelphia more than “three factors.”
In a conference call with reporters, Schultz reportedly said, “The only three factors we considered when deciding which was the strongest city were logistics, security and resources… Extraneous issues were not a factor whatsoever.” However, the risk New York posed because of its “liberal epicenter” and “polarizing mayor, Bill de Blasio” was not outweighed by the positives of Philadelphia.
While the DNC justified choosing Philadelphia as “a close call among the three” that came entirely down to logistics, the supposed disruptions New York City and Columbus would have posed are minute. While both Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and the Columbus site are surrounded by apartments, churches and small businesses, these conduits of activity could not pose too much a threat. Rather, it is more likely Mr. de Blasio’s “nasty recent dispute with city police unions” was the reason New York City was not chosen.
Sources:
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/headline-source-philadelphia-to-host-2016-dnc-115143.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/us/politics/democrats-choose-philadelphia-for-2016-national-convention.html?_r=0
Mariana, I completely agree with you on all of your points regarding why this is a good choice for the democratic national convention. While not only will it be beneficial to the democratic party in terms of number of democrats, location, and hotel capacity it will be good for the city as well. In the past democratic national conventions have injected 100 to 200 million dollars directly into the host city's economy. The tourism and convention business will linger way beyond the convention itself and continue to benefit the city. As Ryan pointed out this is a very important mid year election for the party because of the republican control in congress. Since the republicans have so much power in congress at this moment, it is imperative that the democrats strategize and use every advantage they can, location of the convention being one of these advantages. Lastly, as Mariana pointed out, the historical significance of the city will have an impact in sparking interest and motivation in the convention, and getting more people involved. If utilized correctly, the national convention in Philadelphia could be very beneficial to the democratic party.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/12/politics/democratic-national-convention-2016-philadelphia/
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