Year of the Elephant: Tampa & RNC 2012 (Creative Loafing/Tampa)

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 by Mitch Perry
August 18, 2011

Despite Florida's Democratic voter majority, Republicans dominate the state elections. And because the Sunshine State is as critical a battleground as any in the country, it makes sense that the GOP would hold its national convention in Florida.

But it's not just anywhere in Florida, of course — it's in Tampa, where organizers say they're ready for an expected 45,000 people (mostly delegates, reporters and protesters) to jam into the Cigar City the week of August 27, 2012, to observe the Republican Party's 40th national convention. The city was left at the altar in both 2004 and 2008 in its attempts to host the event, but as Mayor Bob Buckhorn would say, "This is our time." So what's going to happen?

Show us the money
 
When you write about a convention, you've got to employ a lot of dollar signs, since that seems to be really what the whole thing is about: cash.

And optimistic officials with the RNC Host Committee are expecting to bring in a lot of it — a boost to the Tampa Bay economy of approximately $175 million, the bulk of it to be spent on hotels, transportation, food, entertainment and security.

Is that number real? Other cities' track records suggest it could be. A study conducted by the Minneapolis/St. Paul 2008 Host Committee found that the GOP convention generated a direct economic impact of more than $153 million and an indirect impact of an additional $15 million. The Beacon Hill Institute says the 2004 GOP New York City convention generated $163 million.


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How Will Rick Perry Spin This?

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All those numbers can make a well-coiffed head hurt. Rick Perry is telling everyone on the campaign trail that Texas added more jobs to the economy than any other state. Yet this week Texas' unemployment numbers came out, and the state has its highest unemployment rate since 1987. Ronald Reagan was in the White House and gasoline cost 91 cents a gallon. I think Bob Andelman even had hair in 1987.

Now, maybe unemployment in Texas is so high because it is so desirable to live in this state. So all these carpetbaggers are coming in here looking for jobs and finding nothing. Or maybe Rick Perry is just full of crap.

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Hear Michele Bachmann Warn Of ‘Rise Of The Soviet Union’ During Radio Interview (Mediaite)

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Stick a cork in Rush Limbaugh; he's done (Isn't he?)

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ProPublica: Our Handy Guide to the Best Coverage on Gov. Rick Perry and His Record

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by Braden Goyette
ProPublica, Aug. 18, 2011

This is the first installment in a series of reading guides on 2012 presidential candidates.
Rick Perry has made plenty of headlines since he announced his presidential bid. But with the deluge of day-to-day coverage, it’s hard to get a sense of his actual record. We’ve selected some of the best reading on Perry to help you get oriented.

The basics:

If you want to go beyond the bio on Perry's campaign page, Texas Monthly reporter Paul Burka’s guide for Yankee journalists is a good place to start. It’s a list of eight insights gleaned from covering Perry since the 1980s, including the ways that Perry has reinvented the role of governor in Texas, and how his rural upbringing has shaped his politics.

Perry is considered one of the most conservative 2012 GOP contenders. An interesting story in the National Review details how Perry is more conservative than his predecessor, former President George W. Bush. (The piece also dishes on Perry’s tense relationship with Bush.)

Perry is also known for being among the first politicians to embrace the Tea Party movement. Perry believes that homosexuality is wrong and has written about how secular humanism is bad for society. He has expressed skepticism about many Federal government programs and has called Social Security “a Ponzi scheme.”

At a rally in 2009, Perry told reporters that Texas might secede if it got too fed up with Washington. Perry’s campaign said this week that Perry does not advocate secession.

The Texas Observer also details Perry’s ties to the New Apostolic Reformation movement, a strain of Christian belief in which politics and faith are intertwined.

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VIDEO: Christine O'Donnell walks off Piers Morgan Tonight after question on gay marriage views (CNN)

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