The Democratic National Chairman, former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, has just announced the four finalists to host the Democratic National Convention, beginning September 3, 2012!
They are: Charlotte, North Carolina; Cleveland, Ohio; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and St. Louis, Missouri!
Notice that three of the four are in the battleground Mid West, and North Carolina is another battleground!
But also note that North Carolina, Ohio and Minnesota all ultimately went to Barack Obama in 2008, although all three will remain tough races for the 2012 Presidential election!
Missouri went to John McCain by just a few thousand votes, but in so doing, it was only the second time since 1900 that the “Show Me” state failed to go to the winner of the Presidency!
The only other time was 1956, when Adlai Stevenson somehow won the state over President Dwight D. Eisenhower, running for reelection!
It seems to the author that, therefore, the best case can be made for St. Louis, the home of the Gateway Arch, and a city sitting on the Mississippi River, marking the symbolic center of the country!
It is a state that Obama needs to win, and it obviously is a bellwether state more than any other!
Just as Tampa, Florida, made the most sense for the Republican Party for their 2012 convention–a state which went to the other party but is essential for victory–so does St. Louis, Missouri make the most sense for the Democratic Party!
The author months ago made a prediction that Tampa would be the GOP choice, so he is going out on a limb and predicting that St. Louis will be the Democratic selection!
Now let’s just wait and see if I can bat one thousand on selections of national conventions! 🙂