Or, how I went to the Democratic National Convention and all I got were these lousy articles
It was hot. And muggy. As bad as Washington. Maybe worse. That much, I can tell you.
After all, I wasn't tasked with writing about politics. At least not directly. I was tasked with writing about the scene. Which meant spending a lot of time wandering around downtown/uptown/whatever folks in Charlotte call it, and a lot more time sweating through my undershirts.
Fortunately, the scene was pretty interesting. Here's what I found:
By Patrick Hruby
The Washington Times
September 3, 2012
Republicans say Mr. Obama has been to entrepreneurs and the economy what New Coke was to soft drink innovation: a fizzy, overhyped flop. For the street vendors hawking T-shirts and trinkets outside the Charlotte Convention Center, however, the president is more like a one-man stimulus package.
Click here to read the full article at The Washington Times
By Patrick Hruby
The Washington Times
September 4, 2012
Like many cities that have hosted large political gatherings — including Tampa, Fla, home to last week’s Republican National Convention — Charlotte has created an official area where protesters are allowed to speak ... Ostensibly constructed to enhance convention security, the platform has produced a civil liberties riddle: If protesters such as Mr. Kunst exercise their First Amendment rights in a deserted designated zone, do they actually make a sound?
Click here to read the full article at The Washington Times
Surrogates play a high-stakes game of political footballBy Patrick Hruby
The Washington Times
September 5, 2012
For Democrats, this week’s convention is nothing short of a political Super Bowl: part partisan infomercial, part jamboree, an opportunity to meet, greet and put a collective best foot forward to the national electorate. For Republicans, by contrast, the event is a juicy, target-rich environment — an opportunity to poke and prod, issue rebuttals, and generally make like the snarky Statler and Waldorf from “The Muppet Show.”Click here to read the full article at The Washington Times
In DNC prayer room, lots of quiet timeBy Patrick Hruby
The Washington Times
September 6, 2012
If you want to escape religion at the Democratic National Convention, there is only one place to go: the official Charlotte Convention Center prayer room.
Located above a row of vending machines on the building’s second floor, the prayer room is a designated spiritual oasis amid a ceaseless churn of harried delegates, half-heard cellphone conversations and clattering laptop keyboards.
Mostly, the room is empty.
