The following ran as an editorial at today’s San Diego Free Press:
We un-nominate San Diego as a convention city in case Hurricane Isaac forces the Republicans to flee Tampa. What?
Today’s news had two items of interest: Hurricane Isaac barreling toward Florida just may disrupt or adversely affect the Republican Convention being currently set up in Tampa. Romney & Co may have to relocate their shindig.
The other bit – actually an editorial in the U-T San Diego – had this headline: “If Isaac Roars, San Diego Should Welcome GOP”, and goes on to declare:
“But if the worst should happen, and Republican officials are suddenly forced to relocate the GOP national convention to begin Monday in Tampa, we nominate San Diego as the new convention host city.”
It goes on and gets into what’s available here:
“The logistics in moving the convention anywhere at this stage remain monumental, of course. While the San Diego Convention Center is not booked this week, the halls are busy with preparations for events the following week.”
And then, while hotel magnate Manchester licks his chops, his editorial staff continue:
“Then there’s the no-small chore of figuring out where thousands of Republican official, convention delegates, alternates, staff and guests 3woud stay once they managed to switch direction and head to San Diego. … San Diego should have the can-do spirit to overcome those problems (of a drastically scaled-down convention). … With leadership from City Hall, convention center officials annd the tourism industry, it could be done. … San Diego should extend a welcome hand just in case.”
Let us take this moment then, and reiterate: We un-nominate San Diego as the city for the GOP – we’re still paying for the last time the Republicans held a convention here.
It’s fairly accepted now that the City of San Diego spent $50 Million to host the 1996 GOP convention here. That money went mainly into infrastructure and personnel costs. And guess what? Then-Mayor Susan Golding raided our treasuries for this partisan confab, and led to the underfunding of the pensions. The largest personnel cost was for police; and the City needed to keep their top-line police officials from retiring, so they installed the DROP program which allowed city people to put off retirement, especially the top cops.
Since the City of San Diego is obviously still suffering from the raid on our money to facilitate the Republican Convention of that year, we certainly cannot afford to host another one.
We sincerely hope the good people of Florida and Tampa are well-sheltered in this coming storm. But if the hard rains come, GOP delegates – please don’t come to San Diego. We can’t afford you.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
If a hurricane threatens the GOP convention, it must be the hand of a god or goddess telling them they have been sinners for too long. If the hurricane doesn’t hit land, then they can crow that the hand of a god or goddess has blessed them.
For conservatives, making a poor person pay for a rich person’s bills is a bonus. Raiding a union’s pension is a double bonus. They are probably still patting themselves on the back from the last visit.
If they come back we should spit on them.
(Also their fireworks display sucked. :P )
Hell, OB is not over the attempt to hold the GOP convention in San Diego in ’72.