Expect to see leaner conventions from now on…

Congress managed to do its job last week, passing legislation to boost research funding for pediatric disorders and presenting a bill to President Obama that the White House says he’ll sign. The nation should be dancing in the streets (Congress actually accomplished something and for sick children, no less!) but the national party committees are less-than-pleased about the cost.

The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, which was championed by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, provides $126 million over 10 years to fund research into pediatric autism, cancer, and other diseases. But it’s paid for by taking away taxpayer funding for national political conventions. Continue Reading...

Never too early to start making noise about 2016. First Indianapolis:

Disappointment was evident when Indianapolis lost out in its effort to host the Republican National Convention in 2000.

As the city skyline will attest, a lot has changed in the last 11 years. Continue Reading...

And the next cycle begins:

After the Super Bowl, could a national political convention be in Arlington’s future?

The Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau confirmed Tuesday that the Democratic National Committee briefly considered Arlington as a location for its 2012 convention. A DNC spokesman declined to comment. Continue Reading...