Obama tells supporters venue change is 'disappointing'
(CNN) - President Barack Obama told supporters on Thursday he regretted that some 65,000 of them would be unable to watch his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention that evening, and urged them to continue to stay engaged in his reelection effort.
"I want to begin by saying how much I regret that we're not all gathering together in one place to deliver my acceptance speech tonight," Obama told supporters on a conference call which the campaign organized after weather canceled plans for Obama to accept his party's nomination at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Instead, Obama will deliver his remarks at the Time Warner Cable Arena, which has housed the other major convention events. The call was announced Wednesday morning as thunderstorms and heavy rain loomed in Thursday's forecast. Convention organizers said they had distributed some 65,000 tickets for Thursday evening's events, which was to include speeches by Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and live music.
Those with the so called "community credentials" will not be able to attend the convention in person due to space concerns, although delegates and other guests will be allowed in. On Wednesday evening, as both he and former President Bill Clinton were in the hall, security officials for the event closed the hall saying it had reached capacity.
On the conference call, Obama acknowledged that the move was "disappointing" and spoke about the safety concerns which organizers said prompted the location change.
"I could not ask you, our volunteers, law enforcement, first responders, to subject themselves to the risk of severe thunderstorms," Obama said, adding that "getting 70,000 people into a place is tough, getting them out of there is even tougher, and if we had started seeing severe thunderstorms and lightning in particular it would have been a problem and we would have had a situation where we were putting you guys at risk."
Obama acknowledged that many supporters who were given "community credentials" to the event were volunteers who had been given the tickets in exchange for volunteering with his campaign, "I know they've been working nonstop for months."
He said the campaign would "do everything we can to get you into events taking place near you, and our staffs are going to be in touch with you about that so hopefully you'll have an even closer front row seat to the campaign, which won't be hard to do since you're part of the campaign."
The president gave few clues as to what would be in his acceptance speech, except to say that he was "looking forward to laying out what are the stakes in this election, what my vision for the future is," He also said that his campaign has "offered a clear contrast to what people saw in Tampa," where Republicans held their convention last week.
He praised the earlier speeches of his wife, first lady Michelle Obama, and Clinton, whom he said "broke down the issues as effectively as anybody could."
In 2008, Obama also held the final day of his convention in a larger venue, the Invesco Field stadium in Denver, Colorado, and his campaign told reporters on Wednesday that they saw inviting thousands of supporters to see the president's speech in person as a grassroots organizing tool.
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I don't know about anyone else, but I think that the GOP should return their salaries and benefits to the tax payers from 2010 to present. They have deliberately refused to produce any real, useful legislation for the past two years. They have only been plotting to defeat President Obama. Listen up GOP – WE THE TAX PAYER WANT OUR MONEY BACK!
Republicans are soooooooo backwards! They must be those voters who are 35-45 years old, with NO college. Cause it really, really shows in the way they think and investigate the voting process. They are followers who have to be led around by the nose! The smart people with college degrees and the super smart are the supporters of our President Obama!
@ Techgeekjim,you're delushional,more politically inept as well,your expresident Bush claimed also to be a business man and look what he got us into..So was his father and Pres.Clinton had to clean up his mess ,right!You republicans are historicly losers that always pick losers,check your score it ain't pretty .Reagan left us in a hole even after stealing from SocialSecurity to balance the budget,the first president to do so with Greenspan.Pres.Clinton not only cleaned up Bushs mess but left a surplus as well and now Bush Jr left us much like all your other republican presidents in catastrophic messes and Pres.Obama is now hired to clean this grand one up,are you happy GEEK!!A respected democratic expresident was quoted as saying to you hypocritical republicans :"I'll quit telling truths about you republicans only if you republicans quit telling lies about us democrates".It's the truth that hurts doesn't it,try it you might like it,truths are easier to remember too,just ask Romney,he's your multiple choice candidate because he can't remember a single lie he spoke,can he!!!
RDG- The GOP tried to compromise with Obama and got their head handed to them with remarks like "elections have consequences...I WON!" , And " you can go along but you have to ride in the back". Such arrogance doesn't lend itself to compromise.
I changed my mind after hearing Bill Clinton's speech last night. I've decided to vote for Mitt Romney. Bill sounded as convincing to me as when he said "I didn't sleep with that woman". Now I know why they call him slick Willy...Im independent.
Bubba baby! Yeah, hand over my social security savings (45 years of hard work) to wall street
And watch the CEOs buy yachts with it .. What a great idea from a so called Christian.. Hahaha.. Im
Laughing in your face..
DENNA- The GOP has done their job ! 34 Bills, mostly jobs related, have been passed and sent to the Senate, where Dumbard Harry Reid refused to even discuss them or present for a vote...just tabled them... Sounds like the Dims need to return their pay to the taxpayers.
@ Scott
Check your facts. The evening news showed that there were terrible rain storms there all afternoon.
I think that Fox news told their audience to go to this blog and blog against the president.
Oh, BTW, has anyone payed attention to the Stock Market today. Better do that before you keep bashing our president.
@ Latina – I changed my mind after hearing Bill Clinton's speech last night. I've decided to vote for Mitt Romney. Bill sounded as convincing to me as when he said "I didn't sleep with that woman". Now I know why they call him slick Willy...Im independent
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By all means, please vote for Oily Romney and Lyan Ryan. After all they care SO much for women in this country. Or are you a man hiding behind a hispanic screen name? Doesn't matter. If trickle down economics works for you, go ahead. I just hope you are a 1%er.
Keep the Change, Obama !!
You failed.
Romney 2012 and Chelsea Clinton after him.
Independent – Only lazy,uneducated, needy women need to be patronized by men. You speak for yourself! I'm a professional female; I got promotion OVER men because I knew my own worth and had the confidence to go with it.!
If you're going to be a REAL woman, stop whining, straighten your spine and ACT like it!
Venue change? I thought the whole 'Change and Hope" was disappointing
Venue change??? Uh, clear skies as far as the eye can see there in North Carolina. Looks like alot of Democrats had their own venue change. They stayed home.
oh by the way all you Obama coud not fill a stadium and using the weather as an excuse – From the weather channel – current Charlotte NC forecast Updated: Sep 6, 2012, 8:25pm EDT
Locations nearby are reporting thunderstorms
I am living in Canada and watching all this with great interest as I truly am interested in the USA.
I'm not going to respond to posters like Four in the Door and My Views. Their postings are drivel. No facts just spewing right wing "gotcha phrases " over and over again.
I will say this after watching all posts for months and months.
If President obama is not re elected Nov 2012 , the failure is not his. Nor the shame.
The shame and failure rest soley on the American public.
God bless Barak Obama and God bless the United States of America.
I just watched the DNC paying tribute to all our servicemen, it's still happening. I'm sitting here bawling like a baby. Where was this from 2001-2009? Where was it at the RNc???
Oh boy. Astounding and willful ignorance from GOP posters here about current weather in Charlotte. Even if god forbid lightning strikes you, you will still insist sky is clear and there is no reason for venue change. No wonder GOP is still in denial about climate change even if God is sending message in various ways from the sky.
MCFx: Venue change??? Uh, clear skies as far as the eye can see there in North Carolina. Looks like alot of Democrats had their own venue change. They stayed home.
@Ancient Texan – DENNA- The GOP has done their job ! 34 Bills, mostly jobs related, have been passed and sent to the Senate, where Dumbard Harry Reid refused to even discuss them or present for a vote...just tabled them... Sounds like the Dims need to return their pay to the taxpayers.
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Yeah, the Grand Obstructionist Party sent all these bills to the Senate. You neglected to mention that EACH AND EVERY BILL was loaded with anti-abortion and Defense spending increase riders, with the FULL pre-meditated knowledge that the Senate would NEVER pass them. Sounds like the GOP needs to try working with the other side instead of their ongoing game of sham and political theater.
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