Thursday, April 06, 2006
RNC says decision driven by Olympics, Dems and tradition
WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
The RNC explains the choice of dates for the 2008 Republican National Convention:
The RNC said Thursday that it wanted to adhere to a longstanding tradition that the party in the White House holds the later convention.
“We wanted to follow that tradition,” RNC spokesman Aaron McLear said. “We’re really happy with the dates we chose.”
McLear said that the selection of the September 2008 convention date was influenced not only by the Democrats’ decision but also the timing of the 2008 Summer Olympics, which will be held between Aug. 8-24 in Beijing.
This was really the only choice the GOP could make. It’s a good thing they’re happy with it.
Update: From the Washington Post, another sign that the RNC was put on the spot by Dean’s early announcement of the late convention dates:
Republicans privately seethed, arguing that the DNC’s move was intended to box them into holding their convention before the Summer Olympics, which run Aug. 8-24.
There’s no way the GOP would have gone in early August. I would expect these back-to-back to conventions to become the norm in the future.
Posted by Matt at 10:06 PM 
I have not always been a fan of Governor Dean, but his choice of 2008 convention dates was excellent. In 2004, Bush had five weeks to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money while Kerry’s hands were tied financially. This is why the “Swift Boat Vets for Truth” were able to launch their attacks during that period without fear of a substantial response by the Kerry campaign.