The GOP decided yesterday that they will hold their 2016 convention in Cleveland. Some say it is smart and may help the Republicans win Ohio, which they have to do in order to win the Presidency. I say the reverse is true: it will give Ohioans, especially those in the Cleveland collar counties that may think about voting GOP, a close up and personal look at the freak show that is a GOP convention, especially when you consider that the most likely nominee will either be Rand Paul or Ted Cruz. Meanwhile,
Politico tells us that the Cleveland convention for the GOP will be held much earlier that usual this time, like at the end of July or beginning of August. Well, actually, that is the way it used to be. Conventions were not held back to back at the end of August or beginning of September. The person who started that tradition was none other than George W. Bush, who wanted to move the 2004 convention to the week of September 11 so that he could fully and cravenly politicize the terrorist attack that he allowed to happen on his watch. Such a late convention for the GOP forced the Dems to move theirs up to late August so that it would not be three months since their convention. And that pattern stuck around in 2008 and 2012. Normally, the opposition party held its convention in July, and the incumbent party held theirs in mid August.