GOP Convention: Cleveland's Blessing or Curse?

When it was announced that that the 2016 Republican Convention would be held in Cleveland, the city and its inhabitants were delighted. Another sign of Cleveland's resurgence. What could go wrong? The 2016 Republican Convention would bring planes loaded with wealthy, white, males from all over the country to the shores of Lake Erie. Except for a few evenings designed for television, these guys would have nothing to do but eat, drink, gamble, party, and visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame --  all good for the local economy.

In addition to the 2,472 delegates, a phalanx of GOP apparatchiks, the candidates with their entourages, the usual swarm of paid lobbyists, and Corporate America will descend on Cleveland to wine and dine the party faithful.

Since rooms near the convention are at a premium, some Clevelanders with
desirable condos and apartments are renting them out for large sums and taking vacations in Europe or the Far East..

Although modern political conventions provide very little real news, the networks still feel compelled to cover them and that results in national, if not international television coverage. Always a good thing for a city.

The bottom line: a win-win situation for Cleveland and northeast Ohio.

But then Donald Trump happened. And then the "Anybody-but Trump" movement resulted in the possibility of a brokered or contested convention. As a result, the 2016 GOP Convention is shaping up to be much different than anticipated, and  may have unanticipated consequences for the city.

Street Riots at 1968 Democratic Convention

If Donald Trump does not have the requisite number of delegates (1,237) going into the convention, there is a real possibility of a contested convention in which the delegates after the first round of voting can vote for someone other than their own candidate. With some justification, Trump supporters fear other candidates or GOP insiders will lure away their delegates.

A Trump friend, Roger Stone has promised to organize protests at the hotels of state delegates "supporting the BIG STEAL,” i.e.  "stealing" the nomination away from Trump. On top of that it is reported: "Trumps Brown Shirts Already Issuing Death Threats To Republican Delegates."

Trump himself has promised "riots" if is not nominated.

That's not what the beleaguered Cleveland Police Department wants to hear. They obviously were prepared for the standard variety of protests that occur at all political conventions, but the threat of violence among the convention participants was probably not anticipated. The CPD is bringing reinforcements from other police forces, and now it appears they will be needed. 

Fortunately, although the Republicans think Americans should be able to carry guns wherever they want, firearms will not be permitted at their convention. That's a good thing for Cleveland.

Another blow to the Cleveland convention is the news that major corporations will not be participating. Most of their gala wine-and-dines are being cancelled.  Adios to those lavish corporate receptions and the dollars that paid for them. Another financial loss for the city.

And since the mega corporations are sitting out the GOP convention, they will skip the Democratic Convention in order to prevent the appearance of partiality. “Corporations don’t want their name or brand near Trump, and if they don’t participate in Cleveland, that means they can’t play ball at the Democratic convention. They have to do both or nothing,” said a person planning events at both conventions.  

Even some of the GOP politicians, particularly those running for office in this election, are finding reasons why they will not be in Cleveland for a Trump inauguration.  

• Senator John McCain (R, Ariz) told reporters that he is skipping the RNC for the first time in years.
• Senator Rob Portman (R, Ohio) isn't sure his schedule will allow him to attend his party's convention in his home state. He will, however, be in Cleveland for his own political events.
• Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill) have indicated they will probably not attend.
• Senator Dan Coats (R.Ind) is retiring at the end of the year, and has advised his colleagues they are better off staying at home.

Entertainers too are avoiding the GOP Convention. Joe Walsh withdrew from performing at the convention saying the Republicans misrepresented the event by indicated the concert was for veterans. Cheap Trick turned down $100,00 to perform at the convention.

But fear not, Cleveland. Not all is lost. Although she will not be permitted to carry her deer rifle, Sarah Palin will bring her road show to the shores of Lake Erie and provide some comic relief. In addition, the Ku Klux Klan may make an appearance to show support for their candidate. More fun for the CPD.

The television networks and news organizations may be the big winners if the convention is either contested or brokered. In recent years presidential conventions were non-events. The only news-value story has been the revelation of the nominee's running mate. If Trump does not have it wrapped up by then, this convention will generate wall-to-wall coverage,

And it remains to be seen how world-wide coverage will reflect on Cleveland's image. What originally seemed to be a slam-dunk win for Cleveland may prove otherwise.

Not Your Father's Racism

Racism in the United States has changed in the last forty years.  It’s still here, perhaps as vitriolic as ever, and it still is generated by a fear which demonizes “the other”, but it is the nature of that fear which has changed.

In the 1940;s and 1950’s racism was based on the idea that black skin indicated inferiority. The stereotypes portrayed blacks as shufflin’, illiterate, subservient, lazy, subhuman ne’er-do-wells. The poorest uneducated whites were thankful that there were blacks whom they could look down on. No matter how bad their lot, they were not black. As long as whites could pretend that blacks were inferior, all was right with the world. If blacks were inferior, separate bathrooms and drinking fountains made some sort of perverted sense to the racists of that time. Even lynchings were somehow acceptable

Granted that blacks were making the stereotypes look ridiculous. The Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinsons, Cassius Clays (latter known as Mohamed Ali), Wilt Chamberlins, Arthur Ashes did not appear to be inferior; the entertainers, musicians, opera singers, and serious actors whose skin was black did not seem to be inferior.

However, the racists of the day were still able to compartmentalize the ability of blacks by saying: “Of course they can sing and dance; of course they are fast; and of course they can really jump. We get it, but other than having those limited skills, people with black skin are inferior in all other ways. We can allow them to entertain us, but don’t ask us to treat them as equals.” And the racists used every tool, legal and illegal, to maintain their white supremacy.

That brings us to 2016; we now have a new version of racism in the US.

Some would argue that with the GOP presidential candidates pandering to a racist segment of our society, racism is more prevalent and pernicious today than it was twenty years ago. Whether or not such is the case, the media is providing the stage for its ugly display; but it is clear that the new racism is generated, not by a sense of superiority, but by a sense of inferiority. The whole dynamic has changed.

Today’s racists fear blacks because the racists suddenly feel inferior. A total reversal! Poor, uneducated whites see highly successful, highly educated black people in leadership positions in all parts of society. Black women and men are frequently on the cutting edge of advances in science and medicine; they are leaders in academia and education  and financial institutions; and they continue to excel in the sports and entertainment industry (with the exclusion of the Academy Awards folk).

                           1st Black President

This reversal came to fruition in 2008. A black man became President of the United States of America.

At the time of his inauguration, a black, a Harvard-educated constitutional lawyer, a US Senator from Illinois  named Barrack Obama, became the commander-in-chief of this country. (And, of course, the one thing in his resume that had modern racists running to their nearest NRA gun dealer was that he had black skin.)

White supremacists suddenly became white inferiorists whose irrational fear of successful blacks was driving them into so-called “patriot” movements or any neo-confederate group.

Their sense of inferiority was exacerbated by the reaction to the Charleston Church massacre. Suddenly even Republican officials recognized the confederate flag for what it was — a symbol of racism, and were willing to take steps to have the flag removed from public property. In response many rushed to Wal-mart to buy confederate flags to remind the country that racism was not going gently into the night.

In addition, the feeling of inferiority will increase when racists consider the country’s demographics. In 2012 America’s racial and ethnic minorities accounted for nearly half of the under-5 age group. Census statistics indicate the white majority in the US will be gone by 2043. A white minority must appear sacrilegious to our racist friends, or perhaps they think it portends the end of civilization.

Racism is racism no matter whether it evolves from a feeling of superiority or inferiority, but the two should not be confused. As people of color become more and more successful, today’s racists will feel more inferior. They will have the choice of competing on a more-and-more equal playing field or being left behind.