I know that Egypt is taking up a lot of the news attention, as it should. However there was some other news of interest (if smaller for now). The Democratic National Convention will be held in Charlotte NC in 2012.

I know JJP peeps in NC went woop woop! yesterday. There’s a lot of talk about how Obama carried North Carolina during the 2010 election and is indicating with this maneuver that he’d like to do so again in 2012. That’s smart thinking. While NC has leaned conservative in the past, the first Obama campaign got North Carolinians of color pretty excited. Charlotte is a good example of how the demographics have changed in NC (via Wikipedia):

According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the racial composition of Charlotte was:[23]

When you add up black folks, plus Latinos and Asian-Americans, you get to 49% of Charlotte’s population being minority. If you add in multiracial folks, it tips the balance to majority-minority. If most of those folks voted for Obama and you add in all the cool white people who also voted for him, and that plays out in a few other major cities in NC, well, you’ve got a state that’s blue. This is strategic. What’s different this time around is that Obama will need to convince struggling black and other families there to give him more time to heal the nation’s economy and soul. There’s still a lot of love among African-Americans for the First Family but probably a lot less enthusiasm. The battle to re-engage hearts and minds needs to start now and be more than just words if Obama and the DNC don’t wanna hear a cascade of grumbles, shrugs, eyerolls and lip smacks.

Here’s what Michelle Obama (or someone who works for him) had to say in an email announcing the decision:

I am thrilled to make sure you are the first to hear some very exciting news. Charlotte, North Carolina will host the 46th Democratic National Convention in 2012.

Charlotte is a city marked by its southern charm, warm hospitality, and an “up by the bootstraps” mentality that has propelled the city forward as one of the fastest-growing in the South. Vibrant, diverse, and full of opportunity, the Queen City is home to innovative, hardworking folks with big hearts and open minds. And of course, great barbecue.

Barack and I spent a lot of time in North Carolina during the campaign — from the Atlantic Coast to the Research Triangle to the Smoky Mountains and everywhere in between. Barack enjoyed Asheville so much when he spent several days preparing for the second Presidential debate that our family vacationed there in 2009.

And my very first trip outside of Washington as First Lady was to Fort Bragg, where I started my effort to do all we can to help our heroic military families.

All the contending cities were places that Barack and I have grown to know and love, so it was a hard choice. But we are thrilled to be bringing the convention to Charlotte.

We hope many of you can join us in Charlotte the week of September 3rd, 2012. But if you can’t, we intend to bring the spirit of the convention — as well as actual, related events to your community and even your own backyard.

More than anything else, we want this to be a grassroots convention for the people. We will finance this convention differently than it’s been done in the past, and we will make sure everyone feels closely tied in to what is happening in Charlotte. This will be a different convention, for a different time.

To help us make sure this is a grassroots convention — The People’s Convention — we need to hear from you. We want to know what you’d like to see at next year’s convention, how and where you plan on watching it — and the very best way we can engage your friends and neighbors.

Friend, please share your input with us right now — how can we make The People’s Convention belong to you and your community?

The link takes you to a form with a few questions like:

“How do you think the convention could be brought to your community?”

and

“What would get your friends and neighbors more interested in the convention?”

Now’s your chance – lay it on em…

What do you think — is Charlotte a good choice for the 2012 election?

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