First off, let’s get this straight — I grew up in a much simpler world with a whole different set of problems and many, many fewer problems in general. That said, I can’t compare the political convention starting today in Cleveland to those I remember when I was young.
I remember as a kid, watching demonstrations and speeches during the conventions with the delegates trying to get their candidate nominated. The conventions were where “it happened.” Today, the convention is a business conference, pep rally, social event get-together spectacle. Oh, and by the way, they also designate the party’s pick to hold the nation’s, and possibly the world’s, most powerful office. But the nominee is already picked…. so the activities in Cleveland will be centered around big money, big crowds and possibly big news and/or controversy.
I plan to watch the convention activities on TV, but it will not have the entertainment value and the political significance of those in my youth. Some of the figures I’ve heard are impressive and interesting. Cleveland expects 50,000 visitors during the convention. It will be attended by 2,472 delegates as well as 2,302 alternate delegates. 10,867 people have registered to protest during the convention… 30 groups have obtained permits for marches, rallies and demonstrations. Cleveland received a federal grant of $50 million to offset convention costs. More than 16,000 hotel rooms, 1,100 dorm units and 500 apartments have been contracted for the convention. Fifteen thousand credentialed medial personnel will attend the convention.
So the numbers are impressive and I expect that at least the convention itself will be more entertaining than the the last one in 2012. The only thing I remember about that one was Clint Eastwood talking to an empty stool….
I checked the speaker list this weekend and it occurred to me not only did it seem “different,” it seemed a little weird and by no stretch of the imagination racially and ethnically diverse in nature.
So settle in — let’s all get an insight to what Trump’s America is going to look like….
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