Obama To Accept Democratic Party Nomination At Bank Of America Stadium

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- President Barack Obama plans to accept the Democratic presidential nomination in the open air of Bank of America Stadium on the final day of his party's convention here next summer, repeating a page from his 2008 convention playbook.

Democrats also announced Tuesday that the convention will be shortened from the traditional four days to three to have a day to celebrate the Carolinas, Virginia and the South. That celebration would take place on Monday, Sept. 3, which is Labor Day, at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The convention would run Tuesday through Thursday at the Time Warner Arena.

Obama will deliver his acceptance speech on Thursday, Sept. 6. Moving the speech to the 74,000-seat stadium, which is home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers, will allow thousands more activists and others to attend, officials said.

The choice of Bank of America Stadium may reignite criticism over some of the bank's more controversial practices. A $5 monthly debit card fee, later dropped, caused a widespread outcry, with even the president criticizing it. Bank of America and other mortgage lenders are also in settlement talks with several state attorneys general over improper foreclosure practices.

In 2008, Obama accepted the Democratic nomination under the open skies of Denver's Invesco Field.

"From the start, this convention has been about engaging more people in the process," said Democratic Party Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. "We saw in Denver in 2008 how holding the president's acceptance speech at Invesco Field allowed more American's to be part of the process and part of this experience."

"These people didn't donate any money. They weren't delegates. They were supporters from across the West who received community passes to attend. And we want to replicate that experience right here in Charlotte," said Wasserman Schultz, a Florida congresswoman.

Wasserman Schultz and other Democratic officials said they hope the changes create enough excitement to boost Obama's chances of winning North Carolina again. Obama won the state by 14,000 votes in 2008, the slimmest margin of all the states he carried, becoming the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter to carry the state.

CORRECTION: This article has been corrected to reflect that events Tuesday through Thursday will be held at the Time Warner Arena, not the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Comments

[DangerousTalk]

03:42 PM on 01/21/2012

Bank of America bought Obama, so it is only fitting that he accept the nomination from their stadium.

[65irwin]

10:06 PM on 01/19/2012

What do you expect, BOA and many others like Boa, have bought and paid for Barrack!!

[Jeremy Gilchrist]

10:15 PM on 01/18/2012

Mic Check!

[Jeremy Gilchrist]

10:14 PM on 01/18/2012

Occupy!

[iamwired]

04:14 PM on 01/18/2012

A much better heading than yesterday's suggestive one. But I will agree with some here. He is speaking in an arena, that happens to be called BofA Stadium. I don't see the moment in it.

[yeti7]

11:45 AM on 01/18/2012

Bank of America and now the Times Warner Arena isn't this grand?

[MAyresify]

01:19 AM on 01/18/2012

So because a name is on a stadium, he should't speak there?

It's a name. On a stadium. A football stadium.

Again...a name. On a stadium.

He's not endorsing Bank of America. He is using the venue. Which happens to have their name.....on a stadium.

Name. On a stadium.

This country needs an injection of smart.

[yeti7]

11:46 AM on 01/18/2012

no sense of irony I guess.

[lagibby]

01:56 PM on 01/18/2012

It really points out a wider problem -- that it's difficult to take a stand against corporate ownership of our lives when even the venues where you hope to gather "the people" are named for the corps. But it didn't have to be that way. The Democrats COULD have chosen to meet in St. Louis, which was one of the finalists. Then they would be holding their convention in America's Center and their stadium blowout in Busch Stadium, surely a more "close to the people" name than BofA. And the stadium came by that name through a family sponsorship of sports and sports teams that spanned a couple generations. There's a difference between sponsorship and ownership and I'm afraid a lot of us are feeling "owned" by Bank of America.

[alee513]

12:41 AM on 01/18/2012

Hoo-ray, hoo-ray, hoo-raaaaay.

[Bob Calvin]

12:40 AM on 01/18/2012

One of the biggest issues here is NC has the lowest number of union members in the country. They made a commitment to use local labor but keep getting caught sneaking in union labor. Locals are ticked off. DNC is trying to raise 37 million here to pay for this shebang and it isn't happening. Duke Energy is covering up to 10 million. (I hope that is coming out of the stockholders dividends.)

[Bob Calvin]

12:34 AM on 01/18/2012

Virginia is gone and he knows it. This is a desperate attempt to keep NC. The big gthree counties he'll get, Mecklenburg, Wake and Orange. Ultra Liberals there especially Orange. Most of the counties on the far west and the coast are very poor with high unemployment, mostly native American Like Robeson and Cumberland which have 2-3/1 Democrat majorities. They won't be coming to the events. He's trying to light a fire under the University kids who have grown ambivalent. Plus, the money isn't coming in like they thought it would.

[mat6and33]

12:14 AM on 01/18/2012

BO hooking up w/BofA? Why not? All the billionaires and multi millionaires are Democrats. The Reps just have the little people.

[NAW]

12:04 AM on 01/18/2012

BHO has spent us in debt 6,000,000,000,000 dollars which is which is 12,000 Solyndras!!!

[MAyresify]

01:24 AM on 01/18/2012

I see you learned how to use your calculator. Very goooood! Now try doing that with your fingers instead.

[Slippery1]

02:50 PM on 01/18/2012

He's tripled the debt
He isn't done yet
mmm mmm mmm
BarackHusseinObama

[teardowneaston]

11:58 PM on 01/17/2012

now that is the biggest smack in the face in a while

[special38x2]

12:30 AM on 01/18/2012

Is he so far detached from mainstream...oh, just another example he is. Just pitiful.

[Agdoc]

11:57 PM on 01/17/2012

Accepting the nomination at a stadium named by one of the most corrupt and incompetent banking corporations in the country? There's an odd symmetry to that. Very fitting.

[purplewg]

09:33 AM on 01/18/2012

Amen!

[boparenti]

12:58 PM on 01/18/2012

Don't forget, Bank of America decided to give credit cards to illegals. They maxed them out and took off. How stupid.

[bla2009]

11:57 PM on 01/17/2012

Our good Prez may wanna change venues...just sayn...