An Obama campaign official confirmed to THE WEEKLY STANDARD that President Obama “personally” intervened to alter the Democratic platform to include a reference to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The new platform, adopted this evening at the Democratic convention in Charlotte, now includes pro-Israel language that the previous document did not.

The president did want to make clear what his personal beliefs were because they were not in the original platform,” the campaign official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

The new language reads, “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths.”

However, while the new Democratic platform apparently now reflects the “personal beliefs” of President Obama, it is now at odds with Obama administration policy.

In July, when White House spokesman Jay Carney was asked to name the capital of Israel, he refused to do so. Acknowledging that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, the Obama administration insists, would pre-judge one of the “final status issues” in the peace process.

The campaign official acknowledged this discrepancy. “The president has a personal view, but the president and the administration’s view as a matter of policy is ultimately that Jerusalem is a final status issue,” said the official.

She elaborated, “It doesn’t make sense for a U.S. a president impose his personal beliefs in a policy context. … But it’s important for him to make clear where he stands on these issues.”

So while Obama personally believes Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, his administration will not say so.

The official insisted, however, that it is commonplace for presidents to hold conflicting personal and policy views on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, citing Presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan as examples.

But let us not forget what President Obama said last year concerning the borders of Israel.

From the National Journal:

“The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states,” Obama said. “The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state.”

President Barack Obama

Here is Wolpe’s prayer:

Dear God, we are grateful that our nation is founded on the highest principles of freedom and resourcefulness and creativity and ever-renewed strength. And we understand that those worthy ideals stand alongside the commitment to compassion, to goodness, our sacred covenant to care for those who are bereaved and bereft, who are frightened, who are hungry, who are bewildered and lost, who seek shelter from the cold.

As your prophet taught us: “shiftu yatom, rivu almanah.” Defend the orphan and fight on behalf of the widow. We know that our lamp is lifted not only to illuminate our way but to serve as a beacon to others that here, this land, is a place where the dreams of a weary world flourish and endure.

Ours is a holy charge. A single moment, a touch, a glance, a word, can change a life. Our children look to us with aspirational eyes, with the hope that their world will be kinder, sweeter, smarter, than the one we have known.

Each of these changes touches us all, for you have taught us that we must count on each other, that our country is strong through community and that the children of Israel, on the way to that sanctified and cherished land, did not walk through the wilderness alone.

‘Rachmana,’ merciful God. May we be guided by your wisdom, and so become more understanding of the convictions of others. May our souls be enlarged by empathy and uplifted by leaders and thinkers and teachers who believe in strength of soul and wild, wonderful visions. So together, with right and left worshiping the same God, our nation – this strong, blessed nation, filled with spirit and called to noble cause – will become more passionate, more purposeful, more burnished and bright through the warmth of your embrace and the extraordinary power, dear God, of your love. Amen.

As mentioned, any reference at all to the State of Israel or Jerusalem is missing. There really wasn’t even a reference to Jews, except for a tiny reference to the “children of Israel”, which Wolpe used as a metaphor.

Is this any real surprise though? Considering that the original 2012 DNC platform didn’t mention anything about the state of Israel or about where the actual capital was, our embassy is still in Tel-aviv, and Jay Carney dances around questions about Israel, I am not surprised at all. This is just the continuation of Obama and his administrations war on Israel.

Rabbi David Wolpe delivers the Benediction Wednesday evening at the 2012 DNC

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10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Caucus Session 1. Women’s Caucus (Ballroom ABC).

2 p.m.-4 p.m.: Caucus Session 3. Rural Council (Room 203AB).

11:35 a.m.: First lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will speak at the Women’s Caucus Meeting.

11:45 a.m.: International Leaders Forum: Madeleine Albright; Michele Flournoy; Jack Lew, White House chief of staff.

12 p.m.-2 p.m.: Caucus Session 2. LGBT Caucus (Room 203AB). Senior Council (Room 211AB/212AB).

12:10 p.m.: Dr. Jill Biden will speak at the LGBT Caucus meeting.

1 p.m.-3 p.m.: The Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network will host the nation’s prominent black clergy and civil rights leaders at NAN’s ministers’ luncheon to declare a state of emergency over voter suppression. Participants: the Rev. Al Sharpton, president of NAN and MSNBC host; Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus; the Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, chairman of the Conference of National Black Churches; the Rev. Freddie Haynes, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church; Roslyn Brock, chairwoman of the NAACP; John Kee, gospel singer.

2 p.m.-4 p.m.: “Electoral Dysfunction” screening — After discovering that the Constitution does not guarantee the right to vote, political humorist CBS correspondent Mo Rocca sets out on a road trip to see how voting works — and doesn’t work — in America.

8 p.m.: Web-only convention special hosted by actor Kal Penn that will include interviews with campaign officials and guests, including Marc Anthony, Elizabeth Banks, Aisha Tyler, Olivia Wilde, Fran Drescher, Zach Braff and Alexis Bledel.

The 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina

First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama delivering her 2012 DNC speech

Following first-lady Michelle Obama’s speech last night, nationally syndicated Conservative Columnist Charles Krauthammer, he displayed his displeasure with the speech, saying he “didn’t buy a line of it.”

Obama’s speech began with the account of her and Barack’s early life as a couple, and how they became the couple they are today. In the speech, Michelle recalled when her husband picked her up for their first date in a rusted out car, and how together they owed more in student loans than they did on their mortgage.

“I know from experience that if I truly want to leave a better world for my daughters, and all of our sons and daughters, and if we want to give all our children a foundation for their dreams and opportunities worthy of their promise…if we want to give them that sense of limitless possibility – that belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it…then we must work like never before,” she said with a very excited crowd.

View Krauthammer’s analysis of the speech here:

Krauthammer commented:

“She told the story of a Gandhi, and you know…looking at how he’s conducted himself in the present scene, particularly in the campaign, with ruthlessness, and determination and drive, it’s not quite a plausible story. I’m sure in the arena it was a plausible story, I saw the tears, but I‘m afraid I didn’t … I’m sure it was a great speech but I didn’t buy a line of it.”

However just because he didn’t think it was a genuine speech, that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t an effective one:

“Nonetheless I would say within that, and despite the repetition that have, Michelle Obama’s speech I thought was a brilliant speech, and brilliantly delivered… All of the other speakers would talk about what Obama does — the achievement and legislation and whatever, and the political implications. Her whole task was to say why, her answer was, ‘Why? Because essentially he’s a saint. Because of his upbringing and because of his emotions and because of his humanity he does this because he cares and the brilliance of it is this.’ It drained Obama of any ideological motivation or any having to do with self-interest or ambition, which I think is sort of more plausible explanation.”

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“Democratic officials confirm to POLITICO that President Obama’s prime time address will be moved indoors to the Time Warner Center. The Thursday address was scheduled to be at Bank of America stadium — an outdoor venue with more than 70,000 seats. But forecasts are predicting thunderstorms, forcing a last minute change in venue.”

However, per the National Weather Service, Charlotte only has a 30% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow evening. This is weird considering the outdoor speech would be made “rain or shine”, but a 30% chance of scattered thunderstorms is enough to bring the event indoors.

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5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (LOCAL)
Call to Order
The Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa
Chair of the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee
Mayor of Los Angeles, California

Invocation
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, 10th Episcopal District
First Woman Elected Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church

Presentation of Colors

Pledge of Allegiance

National Anthem
Branford Marsalis
Saxophonist, Composer, and, Bandleader

Remarks
The Honorable Luis V. Gutierrez
Member of the US House of Representatives, Illinois
The Honorable Diana DeGette
Member of the US House of Representatives, Colorado

The Honorable John A. Pérez
Speaker and Member of the California State Assembly
The Honorable Thomas M. Menino
Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts
The Honorable Judy Chu
Member of the US House of Representatives, California
Steve Westly
Former State Controller and Chief Financial Officer of California

An Economy Built to Last Video: Small Business

Remarks
The Honorable John Larson
Democratic Caucus Chair and Member of the US House of Representatives, Connecticut
Ken Myers
Deputy Sheriff, Carroll County, Iowa

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (LOCAL)

Remarks
Richard Trumka
President of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO)
The Honorable Steve Israel
Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Member of the US House of Representatives, New York
The Honorable Patty Murray
Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Member of the US Senate, Washington
The Honorable Pedro R. Pierluisi
Chair of National Community Mobilization for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Non-Voting Member of the US House of Representatives, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico

An Economy Build to Last Video: Energy

Remarks
Tom Steyer
Co-Founder of Advanced Energy Economy
The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
Member of the US Senate, New York

Remarks from Members of the Congressional Black Caucus

The Honorable Karen Bass
Member of the US House of Representatives, California
The Honorable Al Green
Member of the US House of Representatives, Texas
The Honorable Emanuel Cleaver, II
Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and Member of the US House of Representatives, Missouri

Remarks
The Honorable Dannel Malloy
Governor of Connecticut

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (LOCAL)

Remarks
Denise Juneau
Superintendent of the Montana Office of Public Instruction
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Democratic Leader and Member of the US House of Representatives, California
The Honorable Tom Vilsack

Women of the US Senate

Remarks
The Honorable Barbara Mikulski
Member of the US Senate, Maryland
The Honorable Arne Duncan

Progress for People Video: Education

American Voices Remarks
Johanny Adames

Remarks
The Honorable Jim Hunt
Former and Longest-Serving Governor of North Carolina

Remarks and Video Presentation in Memoriam
Presented by Harvey B. Gantt
Former Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina

Live Performance
Jessica Sanchez
Singer/Songwriter

8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (LOCAL)

Stronger Together Video: Women’s Health

Remarks
Cecile Richards
President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America

The Honorable Steny Hoyer
Parliamentarian of the 2012 Democratic National Committee Convention
Democratic Whip and Member of the US House of Representatives, Maryland
The Honorable Barney Frank
Honorary Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee GLBT Council
Member of the US House of Representatives, Massachusetts

American Heroes Video: Veterans

Remarks
The Honorable General Eric Shinseki
The Honorable Michael Nutter
Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Honorable John Hickenlooper
Governor of Colorado
Sister Simone Campbell
Executive Director of Roman Catholic Social Justice Organization, NETWORK
The Honorable Jack Markell
Governor of Delaware

9:00 PM – 10:00 PM (LOCAL)

Remarks
The Honorable Kamala D. Harris
Attorney General of California

Stronger Together Video: Immigration

Remarks
Benita Veliz
DREAM Act Activist
Cristina Saralegui
Journalist, Actress, and Talk Show Host
Sandra Fluke
Attorney and Women’s Rights Activist

Austin Ligon
Co-Founder and Former CEO of CarMax, Inc.

An Economy Build to Last Video: Auto-Industry

American Voices Remarks
Karen Eusanio

Remarks
Bob King
President of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW)
Randy Johnson, Cindy Hewitt, and David Foster
Former Employees at companies controlled by Romney’s Bain Capital

The Honorable Chris Van Hollen
Former Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Member of the US House of Representatives, Maryland

10:00 PM – 11:00 PM (LOCAL)

Remarks
Jim Sinegal
Co-Founder and Former CEO of Costco
Elizabeth Warren
Candidate for US Senate, Massachusetts

Nomination Process Set-Up

Remarks
The Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa
Chair of the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee
Mayor of Los Angeles, California
President Bill Clinton
42nd President of the United States

Closing Segment

Roll Call Vote
Alice Germond
Secretary of the Democratic National Committee

Benediction
Rabbi David Wolpe
Sinai Temple, Los Angeles, California

Retire Colors

The 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina

According to the Rock the Red Facebook page, the event is expected to be held at the Hunter Farms in Weddington, North Carolina which is just outside of Charlotte, on Wednesday, September the 5^th.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., and U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., are listed as expected speakers during the event, and organizers said on the site that some local and conservative bands are still set to perform.

Tickets for the event are just $5, and free for children under the age of 12 and all current and past military personnel.

You can find more information and purchase tickets for the event at the event’s website.

9 a.m. – 10 a.m. Morning Prayer Gathering (Room 211AB/212AB).

10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Caucus Session 1. Women’s Caucus (Ballroom ABCD).
9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. R+D and America’s Energy Outlook. Moderator: Amy Harder, Energy and Environment correspondent, National Journal. Panelists: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.); Marvin Fertel, president and CEO, Nuclear Energy Institute; Mike Howard, CEO, Electric Power Research Institute; Michael Levi, senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Richard Newell, Gendell Associate Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, and director of The Energy Initiative.

10 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Introduction – Speakers: Madeleine Albright, former secretary of state and chairman of the National Democratic Institute; Kenneth Wollack, president, NDI; Dan Murrey, executive director, Charlotte in 2012 Host Committee.

10:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. The 2012 Campaign: The Role of Primaries, Nominating Conventions and Presidential Debates. Panelists: Frank Fahrenkopf, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates; Paul Kirk, former senator, co-chairman emeritus of the Commission on Presidential Debates, and former Democratic National Committee chairman; Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont and former DNC chairman; and Elaine Kamarck, Harvard lecturer and former Clinton White House senior policy adviser Moderator: Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, The Washington Post.

11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Latino leaders luncheon: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, chairman of the Democratic National Convention, will be honored.

Location: Marriott City Center (Grand Ballroom), Charlotte .

12 p.m. – 2 p.m. Caucus Session 2. LGBT Caucus (Room 203AB). Senior Council (Room 211AB/212AB).

12 p.m. – 2 p.m. The U.S. Conference of Mayors delegation holds a luncheon and press availability.

Location: Omni Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 132 East Trade St., Charlotte.

2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Caucus Session 2. LGBT Caucus (Room 203AB). Senior Council (Room 211AB/212AB).

3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. How They Would Govern – Panelists cover how the next administration would turn campaign promises into reality, including working with Congress and setting priorities, all within the context of our contemporary political process and challenges in the U.S. and throughout the world. Panelists: Tom Daschle, former Senate majority leader, co-chairman, ONE Vote 2012, and vice chairman of the NDI; Vin Weber, former congressman and former chairman of the National Endowment for Democracy; John Podesta, chairman and counselor of the Center for American Progress, former White House chief of staff under President Bill Clinton; Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent for The New Yorker; Scot Lehigh, columnist for The Boston Globe – Moderators: Norman Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute; John Fortier, director of the Democracy Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

3 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Voto Latino hosts policy forum “People Powered Politics,” addressing immigration, economics and education. Participants include: Rosario Dawson, Maria Teresa Kumar, Cecile Richards, Javier Palomarez, Lily Eskelsen, Jose Antonio Vargas and Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.).

3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. Religious Liberty Panel – Catholics for Choice hosts a panel discussion on “Keeping Faith in the Democratic Party: Protecting Religious Liberty for Everyone,” featuring speakers from member organizations of the Coalition for Liberty & Justice.

Location: Holiday Inn Charlotte Center City, 230 North College St., Charlotte.

Speeches from the Time Warner Cable Center:

5:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.:

1. • Call to Order by DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz
2. • Invocation By His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas, Bishop of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Detroit
3. • Presentation of Colors, Disabled American Veterans, The Stanly County Chapter 12 Honor Guard
4. • Pledge of Allegiance, 3rd Grade Class, W.R. O’Dell Elementary School from Concord, North Carolina
5. • National Anthem by ‘Glee’ actress Amber Riley
6. • Stephen J. Kerrigan, Chief Executive Officer of the Democratic National Convention Committee
7. • Welcome Video
8. • Presentation of Credentials Committee Report from Co-Chairs
9. • Presentation of Rules Committee Report from Co-Chairs
10. • Appointment of Convention Officers
11. • Gaveling-in of Permanent Chair
12. • The Honorable Steny Hoyer
13. • Andrew Tobias
14. • Alice Germond
15. • Roll Call for Attendance

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.:

1. • Platform Committee Remarks by Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.) and Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy (Retired)
2. • Platform Video and Remarks by Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker
3. • Remarks by N.C. Gov. Bev. Perdue
4. • American Hero Video: Education
5. • American Voices Remarks by Ryan Case
6. • Mary Kay Henry from International President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
7. • Rep. Charles Gonzalez (Texas) and Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (N.Y.)
8. • Gov. Pat Quinn (Ill.)
9. • Ohio firefighter Doug Stern
10. • Va. Senate candidate and former governor Tim Kaine

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

1. • Charlotte Mayor Anthony R. Foxx and Sen. Harry Reid (Nev.)
2. • An Economy Built to Last Video: Education
3. • Women of the US House of Representatives
4. • Jimmy Carter Video
5. • Ken Salazar
6. • Kennedy Family Tribute Video
7. • Remarks
8. • Joe Kennedy III, Mass. House candidate
9. • Singer Ledisi
10. • Fomer Rep. Robert Wexler (Fla.)

8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

1. • Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak
2. • Rep. Jared Polis (Colo.)
3. • Stronger Together Video: Reproductive Choice
4. • Maria Ciano, American Voices
5. • Nancy Keenan , President of the National Abortion Rights Action League – Pro-Choice America (NARAL)
6. • Progress for People Video: American Veterans
7. • Nate Davis, American Voices
8. • House candidate Tammy Duckworth (Ill.)
9. • Gov. Lincoln Chafee(R.I.)
10. • Rep. James E. Clyburn (S.C.)
11. • Progress for People Video: Health Care
12. • Stacey Lihn
13. • Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.)

9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

1. • Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland
2. • HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
3. • Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel
4. • Kal Penn, actor and former Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement
5. • Craig Robinson and Maya Soetoro-ng, Brother of Mrs. Obama and Sister of President Obama
6. • Stronger Together Video: Equal Pay
7. • Lilly Ledbetter
8. • Gov. Deval Patrick (Mass.)

10:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

1. • Gov. Martin O’Malley (Md.)
2. • Joaquin Castro, Texas House candidate and brother of keynote speaker
3. • Julián Castro, Mayor of San Antonio
4. • Michelle Obama Video and Remarks by Elaine Brye
5. • Michelle Obama
6. • Benediction
7. • Recess

The 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina

As our plane landed we said our goodbyes and Rick and Patti wished me luck on the rest of my journey. Dallas to Charlotte was largely uneventful, save one baby who screamed bloody murder for the first 20 minutes of the flight! Thankfully she pooped out and we all breathed a sigh of relief (mom especially, I’m sure). I arrived on time and in good spirits. My first stop was the car rental place. My shuttle driver was a gentleman named Phil. I asked Phil how things were going in and around Charlotte. “Oh boy”, he said with a sigh. “We’re all glad for the business but if I’m being honest I can’t wait until this week is over.”  I giggled a bit when Phil said “I admit, I’m a conservative, but I don’t trust any of these politicians”, almost apologetically. I asked what the vibe was in Charlotte; were people happy to be hosting the DNC? “Charlotte is a bright blue spot in a red area of the state. People are happy. But this week is going to be tough for all of us”.  At the car rental I was greeted by a clearly frustrated young man and I waited patiently as he finished serving the couple in front of me. When I asked him how his day was going he rolled his eyes and said “Crazy. I mean, I love Obama but all these Democrats from the coasts get on my nerves!” I asked him why, and he responded “Because they act like they know everything! They think we’re slow, dumb southerners. Gets on my nerves! The New Yorkers are worse than the ones from L.A., but they’re all annoying”.  I certainly agree that many people from our two major coastal cities have a tendency to be quite snobbish about those of us who live in the rest of the country, but as I talked to this young man I found myself becoming a bit annoyed. Should you really be talking about your disdain for customers to other customers? It might not be a glamorous job, but it’s work. There are a lot of folks out there who would take this man’s troubles for a paycheck.

Once I got the car I headed into Charlotte to meet up with tea party leader Earl Phillips and his group. They were screening “They Come to America”, a documentary on illegal immigration. You should see that. You’ll wish you hadn’t, but still…you should watch it. We finished the film, chatted about the upcoming schedule for LibertyStock 2012 and made plans to meet up tomorrow.

After that I headed to my hotel, just outside of the city  where I write to you now. Tomorrow looks to be a crazy day for Charlotte, with rain/thunder showers on the horizon. So far my plan is to head toward the convention center and see what trouble I can find. I’ll be updating my Twitter feed all day. You can follow me @kiradavis422 for all the latest and I’ll wrap up things tomorrow evening when I get back to the hotel. Stay tuned!

crossposted at kiradavis.net

simone.brunozzi (CC)

So, if we’re running on the premise that there is some prompting from the Dems here, what does that mean about their strategy going forward? Yes, they will be going for whatever they can to keep the spotlight off the economy, and Obama’s massive failures in general. But, does this also mean that the Obama camp might be thinking that their only hope is to rely on the popular vote?

It’s no secret that the Obama camp is in near panic mode, begging for money at least once daily via email, and any other way it can. And then there’s the situation with Hillary Clinton. In case you missed it, she’s going to the Cook Islands for a very important conference with a bunch of nominal nations that rely heavily on the U.S. for many things – like trade – but rarely show up in the headlines here unless there’s some sort of atrocity or natural disaster there. Yep, that’s MUCH more important than the DNC next week! Needless to say, people aren’t even bothering to whisper that this is probably to protect Hillary as much as possible from Obama fallout in 2016 – they’re shouting it from the rooftops at this point.

So what’s a floundering presidential campaign to do when it can’t manage to fill venues for its “coming out party”? Well, it could invite 20,000 Muslims. Why not? It’s not like the folks of Charlotte weren’t already annoyed with the Dem party endorsing gay marriage – sure, they didn’t vote to make such unions absolutely illegal, right?

If you’re getting lost here, my point is that the Obama camp has sunk so low at this point, throwing Al Gore in the mix couldn’t possibly make it worse, could it? I think maybe we should ask Clint Eastwood’s version of Obama on that one – at least we’ll get a more intelligent answer! But, here’s to Al Gore, for bringing up yet another non-issue to distract everyone. Next!

‘Rock the Red’ was planned for the afternoon and evening of September 5th at the 11,000-seat Bojangles’ Coliseum. Many important politicians from the Carolinas were scheduled to speak, as well as others that included Maricopa county Sheriff Joe Arpaio. In addition to Conservative political speakers, many popular conservative bands and musicians were scheduled to play including the Charlie Daniels Band, Travis Tritt, and Lee Brice.

A spokesman from the CRVA (Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority) said that ‘Rock the Red’ signed a contract and was aware of the financial obligations, but have since failed to meet them.

The attorney representing ‘Rock the Red’ said that Ticketmaster did not display the event as a concert, instead calling it a ‘Republican’ event instead.

‘Rock the Red’ also claims that CRVA did not properly market the event. CRVA said that the event was ‘a straight facility rental with few ‘deliverables’.”

Rock the Red 2012 – The Conservative alternative to the DNC

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It wasn’t the price of reporting this years event that rankled Mr. Washburn, which includes their designated “spots” to do their stand up reporting going for $1200 to $1800 bucks, or the six packs of Budweiser having to be bought from the areas vendor for $31.50 a pop, or even the revelation that the “media suites” would cost the reporter’s expense accounts about $25 grand.  All of that was taken with a grain of salt, as many media elitists stated, “it was less than they paid in Denver four years ago.” What rankled Mr. Washburn during the media tour for the 2012 DNC convention was the “cone of silence” demanded of them during the first order of business discussion. Mr. Washburn had the audacity to stand up to speak out against being told that things discussed at this meeting would be “off the record.” In his own words,  Mr. Washburn doesn’t like off- the-record. He prefers in-the-newspaper.  Good for him.

So what happened when Mr. Washburn stood up and spoke out against the gestapo-style cone of silence being imposed on them by Karen Burchard, the director of media logistics for this event? Mr. Theodore LeCompte, the chief operating officer for the convention committee promptly stood up and set Mr. Washburn straight: “If there are issues with the ground rules, you are perfectly welcome not to attend this session,” he said.  This comes a day after the DNC,  in announcing this years changes to the convention also promised to make it the “the most open and accessible in history.” Where have we heard that kind of false rhetoric before? Oh yes, during Barack Obama’s 2008 undefined hope and change campaign where we were told he would run the “most open and transparent” administration in history if elected.  This most recent statement of open and accessible DNC propaganda concerning this years convention, is just as credible today as it was back in 2008, which has now been proven to be just a bunch of hot air and Democratic party propaganda.

In another show of gestapo-style information management at this “media meeting”, popped up when Mr. Washburn notes that around lunchtime, “Chris Miller, morning news reporter on WBT-AM (1110) and one of the journalists in town you probably don’t want to push around, had been pulled aside by a convention press aide. She was concerned about a tweet he had sent that began, “DNC official just announced everything is now off-the-record.” He says she reminded him everything was off the record. Real-time monitoring of reporters tweets at a media meeting? Censorship comes to mind there, real nasty thugocracy and media bullying 101 on full display for all to see. Of course the DNC “director of communications and public affairs”, Kristie Greco takes openness and transparency to a whole new level when Mr. Washburn confronted her about being approached by DNC staff and told to shush. “Those are off-the-record conversations,” she said. “We will not confirm these conversations.”

Somewhere, Josef Goebbels is sure to be smiling at this blatant example of  DNC media manipulation  and the usage of progressive propaganda to make people think the DNC convention is all about “openness and accessibility.”  ( while swearing reporters to secrecy)