Minneapolis/St. Paul to Host '08 GOP Convention

[Lunatikk]

Republicans Pick Twin Cities For '08 Convention

(AP) WASHINGTON Republicans will hold their 2008 presidential convention in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, choosing a location in the politically pivotal Midwest, GOP officials said Wednesday.

The selection was expected to be announced later in the day, said the Republican officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been made public. The convention is slated for Sept. 1-4.

Losing out were New York City, Cleveland and a joint bid from Tampa and St. Petersburg, Fla., other cities that had sought the convention.

The four-day event will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., a concert venue and the home of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild.

By picking the Twin Cities for 2008, the GOP will ensure plenty of news coverage in media markets in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa -- all battleground states in the 2004 election and ones expected to be competitive in the next presidential race.

"There will be a political spotlight on these three north central states like we haven't seen before," said Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.

Minnesota had been seen by some as an unlikely host, with just 10 electoral votes and the nation's longest streak of voting for Democratic presidential candidates.

In 2004, Democrat John Kerry won the state 51 percent to 48 percent. The last Republican to win a presidential race in the state was Richard Nixon in 1972 and the last national convention happened in 1892, when the GOP backed President Benjamin Harrison in his unsuccessful re-election bid.

Minnesota's political landscape, however, has shifted to the right in recent years. It has become less of a Democratic bastion and more of a swing-voting state, a change attributed in part to population growth in the Twin Cities suburbs.

The state was a hard-fought battleground in the 2004 and 2000 presidential elections, and in 2002, Minnesota elected Republican Tim Pawlenty as governor and Republican Norm Coleman as senator.

"Our stereotype is that we're cold and liberal and Democratic, and we're still cold," Schier said.

With the convention, the GOP hopes to court voters in a region Republican and Democratic strategists alike say will play a critical role in winning the White House in 2008. The GOP held its last convention in New York City, a Democratic stronghold where GOP delegates nominated President Bush for a second term.

For 2008, the Twin Cities also are in the running for the Democratic convention. Democrats plan to hold their convention Aug. 25-28.

The Democrats, who last met in Boston, will announce a decision later this fall. A spokesman said 11 sites expressed interest in having the party's convention, but only four completed the proposals. New Orleans later withdrew its bid, leaving Denver, New York City and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has said that because of timing and logistics, the Twin Cities can't host both conventions. The two conventions are scheduled for consecutive weeks.

The Twin Cities are the two largest in the state with a combined population of more than 650,000, and the metropolitan region straddles the Mississippi River.

In Minnesota, the effort to woo a national political convention has been a bipartisan affair, with the two big-city mayors, both Democrats, joining forces with top Republicans. They argued that Minnesota is a critical part of an Upper Midwest region that combined offers 27 electoral votes.

The GOP convention will coincide with the Minnesota State Fair, and state officials have predicted a national political convention would boost the Twin Cities economy by about $150 million.

woohoo

[bhk]

Maybe they'll show a video of the Paul Wellstone memorial/pep rally at that convention.

[al_bundy]

as long as ron silver is there

i thought it was kind of cool that the GOP had a porn star speak at the convention

[Michael Ballack]

Originally Posted by al_bundy

i thought it was kind of cool that the GOP had a porn star speak at the convention

Stop talking about the Bush twins that way.

[Bushdog]

You sure do love your itty-bitty city.

[marty888]

Thank heavens it won't be NYC again! I never understood why they were even considering NYC, since Manhattan (where Madison Square Garden is located) was 81% for Kerry.

Hmmm ... being in the twin cities will probably give them a rationale for talking out of both sides of their mouths.

[Canadian Bacon]

Originally Posted by Michael Ballack

Stop talking about the Bush twins that way.

[Michael Ballack]

Originally Posted by Canadian Bacon

Come on now, the Bush twins aren't that skanky.

[VinVega]

Tampa was the runner up. No Republican crazies coming here.

[classicman2]

Hmm! I thought Gotebo, Oklahoma, was in the running. I wonder what happened?

[Tracer Bullet]

Originally Posted by marty888

Thank heavens it won't be NYC again! I never understood why they were even considering NYC, since Manhattan (where Madison Square Garden is located) was 81% for Kerry.

[cough]9/11[/cough]

[VinVega]

Originally Posted by classicman2

Hmm! I thought Gotebo, Oklahoma, was in the running. I wonder what happened?

I can't speak for OK, but the RNC said that Tampa got the axe because they're scared of hurricanes. I don't understand why that should be a problem. I figured Bush would tell the military to turn off the hurricane making machine at least for the length of the convention.

[CRM114]

Originally Posted by marty888

Thank heavens it won't be NYC again! I never understood why they were even considering NYC, since Manhattan (where Madison Square Garden is located) was 81% for Kerry.

Hmmm ... being in the twin cities will probably give them a rationale for talking out of both sides of their mouths.

It was Philly before that. The Repubs don't have much of a following there either.

[wendersfan]

Originally Posted by classicman2

Hmm! I thought Gotebo, Oklahoma, was in the running. I wonder what happened?

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Gotebo is a town in Kiowa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 272 at the 2000 census.

Any four star hotels in Gotebo?

[CRM114]

Originally Posted by wendersfan

Any four star hotels in Gotebo?

Or strippers?

[Palpadious]

It's stupid how political parties think it's going to help them in the state in which they hold their conventions. I bet the Democrats will be in Denver for their convention.

[classicman2]

Seriously: I wonder why the national political conventions are still held.

Nobody pays any real attention to them.

[CRM114]

Originally Posted by classicman2

Seriously: I wonder why the national political conventions are still held.

Nobody pays any real attention to them.

So the party can stay in four star hotels and go to strip clubs?

[classicman2]

They're out of date. Nothing is really decided anymore. Long ago - the party's nominee was not determined by the convention but by the primaries. There aren't platform fights anymore. They once were interesting as hell. Everything is decided before the convention.

Speaking of party conventions, I remember watching a Republican convention once many many years ago. I believe it was the 1980 convention - am not sure. There was smoke in the convention hall. A reporter interviewed a black Republican delegate (yes they really had one). He said 'someone tried to set me on fire.' I thought, what did you expect?

[VinVega]

Originally Posted by classicman2

They're out of date. Nothing is really decided anymore. Long ago - the party's nominee was not determined by the convention but by the primaries. There aren't platform fights anymore. They once were interesting as hell. Everything is decided before the convention.

Speaking of party conventions, I remember watching a Republican convention once many many years ago. I believe it was the 1980 convention - am not sure. There was smoke in the convention hall. A reporter interviewed a black Republican delegate (yes they really had one). He said 'someone tried to set me on fire.' I thought, what did you expect?

Did that being a tear of nostalgia to your eye? (smoke filled back room)

[Geofferson]

<------ Not looking forward to the traffic jams and protest rallys that week.

[CRM114]

I wonder if they will have another "free speech zone?"

[Tracer Bullet]

Originally Posted by CRM114

I wonder if they will have another "free speech zone?"

Wasn't that at the Democratic convention in Boston?

[CRM114]

Originally Posted by Tracer Bullet

Wasn't that at the Democratic convention in Boston?

I believe so. The fenced off areas and massive security forces...

[Tracer Bullet]

Originally Posted by CRM114

I believe so. The fenced off areas and massive security forces...

So what does this have to do with the Republican convention?