Minneapolis is bidding to get the 2012 Democratic National Convention, reports the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal.
The city’s convention and visitors bureau will make the official pitch, using Target Center, the Metrodome, TCF Bank Stadium and the Minneapolis Convention Center as reasons for the Democrats to come here for what should be a “four-more-years” love-fest for President Obama.
Minneapolis was quite involved with the 2008 Republican National Convention — held at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. Many delegates stayed in Minneapolis hotels and attended dinners and parties in the Mill City, after riding buses back and forth to St. Paul.
Both cities were very involved in security aspects, too. And you can bet protesters will be back again in force, if Minneapolis gets the bid.
Says the Business Journal:
Denver hosted the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The event attracted more than 50,000 visitors, generating an estimated economic impact of $266.1 million to Denver metro area.
The 2008 Republican National Convention, meanwhile, generated an estimated economic impact of $170 million, according to a study conducted by Dave Brennan, co director of the Institute for Retailing Excellence at the University of St. Thomas.
I wonder if Minneapolis will promise to miltarize the police and have the riot gear ready, too. It was a scary place, downtown, during the St. Paul convention. Not from the radicals, but from the cops.
I agree with Mike; downtown St. Paul was a creepy police state during the RNC.
It’s interesting that Denver made a lot more money from the Democrats coming to town then we did from the Repubs. One would think the Republicans would be a wealthier bunch. (Perhaps a bit tighter fisted? Scrooge McDuck comes to mind here.) Maybe the next time the GOP comes to town they’ll take a page from Sarah Palin’s playbook and go on Denny Hecker-sized shopping trips to the MOA.