Posted on 09/01/2012 6:09:04 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Obama campaign says it will fill stadium for convention’s finale By Amie Parnes - 09/01/12 06:00 AM ET
Team Obama promises it will fill every one of the seats in Charlotte’s mammoth football stadium Thursday night when President Obama closes the Democratic National Convention with a speech accepting his party’s nomination.
For weeks, Democrats have been concerned about filling Bank of America Stadium, home to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. They feared a devastating image of an enthusiasm gap if Obama spoke to empty upper decks at the venue.
But the Obama campaign says it’s got it covered, and that all 73,778 of the stadium’s seats will be spoken for. The campaign also insists this success will showcase a ground operation that will help Obama win North Carolina for a second cycle in a row this November.
“We’re confident we’ll be full,” Jen Psaki, the traveling Obama press secretary, told The Hill late last week. “We have a great ground operation in North Carolina and we’ve registered more voters than any other state.
“Our goal is to leave North Carolina better than we came in,” Psaki added.
Obama set himself up for a challenge when he decided to recreate the image that closed his 2008 convention — an address to a packed, enthusiastic crowd at Denver’s Invesco Field.
This speech comes four years into Obama’s presidency, and in the midst of a slow economy that is the Republican ticket’s No. 1 argument for replacing the Democratic president.
Obama’s supporters say the most pivotal part of Thursday night’s event is the president’s speech and not the optics and spectacle surrounding it, but they acknowledge a partially-filled stadium would give Republicans more fodder in a state where Romney leads in most polls.
“This isn’t 2008 and this isn’t Colorado,” said one former administration official. “And I think the fear is that the campaign aimed too high on this one. After all, this is a southern state, which leans red and only helped Obama win in 2008 by very slim margins.
Steve Elmendorf, who served as deputy campaign manager for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign, acknowledged that filling the stadium is a “challenge.”
“They’re taking on something that’s hard to do,” Elmendorf said. “And they’re doing it in a state that isn’t one of their core states. But I give them credit for trying.”
Late last month, a slew of tickets were still available for the acceptance speech at the stadium.
In an attempt to fill the empty seats, Team Obama put in place a “9-3-1” program that would provide supporters with one ticket to the acceptance speech after they volunteered for nine hours over three shifts, an effort it says will expand its grassroots.
Last week, credentials were handed out on a first come, first served basis, a campaign official said, with North Carolinians across the state having the opportunity to line up to receive a credential.
“Demand for these credentials was truly amazing,” the campaign official said. “Tens of thousands of North Carolinians received credentials, making this truly the most open and accessible convention in history.”
While the campaign won’t say how many tickets for the speech have been handed out to date, they say credential distribution has ended for the time being, with the caveat that anyone in the state who is still interested in attending can sign up through the “I’m there” program to know if and when additional seats will be given out.
Republicans say they don’t have any doubt that Team Obama will fill the stadium to the rafters but that the efforts will be contrived.
“The rule is standing-room-only,” said Ken Lundberg, a GOP strategist. “The campaign knows that, and there’s no question they will fill the stadium. If they have to bus union groups from Miami, New York and Kalamazoo into Charlotte, that’s what they’ll do.”
Several union officials and others close to labor say they hadn’t heard anything about busing in union members to help fill seats for the speech.
But Lundberg added that the “key indicator that night will be energy.
“People at the closing speech are the president’s strongest supporters; if their enthusiasm is anything short of the night Obama first won the office, that’s a clear sign of trouble,” he said.
Campaign officials say they are guaranteeing a memorable final night in the swing state.
“President Obama’s speech on the final night of the convention will be truly be historic, and we are so glad that so many North Carolinians will be there,” one campaign official said.
Well they are handing out tickets in a bar here in Atlanta for it. They might fill it but I don’t know if they will like who they fill it with
I can’t wait to hear the ones that do go on the free tickets complaining about the $12 beers and $9 hot dogs, let alone the climb to the nosebleed section.
Having watched Barack Hussein Obama in operation for four years now I would guess that he and the DNC will bus everyone in from Chicago and then leave them behind to let Charlotte deal with them.
Not understanding....I thought the convention was open only to delegates and the press and a few assorted guests of the speakers and the like.
After several days of seeing a half filled stadium it's going to be rather hard to convince the public the large crowd isn't astroturfing.
They should at least keep it realistic by having those bussed in wear green.
Why fill a stadium, for more possible wounded from a staged terrorists event?
Like will this be the resting place of the recently exposed ANFO purchase for “training” by the Feds?
I seriously doubt it will be true supporters, it will be paid flunkies or troops under orders, and a subtle reminder of a constant jet fighter cap overhead.
“Oh yes please. Rain, maybe some lightening. Does Charlotte have thunder storms?”
You bet they do! Some real humdingers too in July and August. And very unpredictable as well, as is all weather in the Charlotte area. However, I think things start to quiet down quite a bit in September.
Busing in union thugs?”””
Certainly-—they are used to being bussed all over the country to show up for Democrats. Chicago is the source of such behavior.
LOL!!
Free beer, cigarettes, and pot.
Sounds like they are calling the Jacksonville Jaguars and see if they have any tarps they could loan the DNC
It’s going to be expensive paying for a stadium full of “supporters” to show up.
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