The 2016 Republican National Convention kicks off today in Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loans Arena. Along with many other questions we have about this convention, like will Trump actually become a legitimate presidential nominee, one that we can answer is why host the convention in Cleveland, Ohio?
Like most things in politics, the answer to this question depends on who you ask.
If you ask Cleveland, it saw hosting the RNC as an opportunity to overcome its reputation as being known as the “Mistake by the Lake.” And really, who could blame them. If you thought you were a mistake wouldn’t you want to gain popularity and show the world that you are a sound, decent person who is undeserving of all the misconceptions people have about you? Okay, maybe this connection is a little too far fetched, but moving on…
What the GOP will tell you is that they picked Cleveland because Ohio, a swing state, is considered a critical link to the GOP’s chances of winning the White House, seeing as no Republican president since Calvin Coolidge has won the White House without carrying Ohio. So for the sake of our nation, we’re hoping that Ohio isn’t feeling too red hot this year.
What the GOP won’t tell you is that they essentially picked Cleveland to host the 2016 RNC because it’s not Dallas, TX. That’s right, in the end it came down to Cleveland or Dallas as the two locations to host this year’s convention and the GOP sided with Cleveland for what was called the ‘George W. Bush Factor.’
There was a concern that the media would be looking backwards, focusing too much time writing about Bush and his administration instead of the current on the GOP is trying to create. While we do understand where they are coming from, we are fairly confident that there will be no time to harp on the past with Trump doing so many crazy things in the present.
