President Obama will be campaigning for reelection in Charlottesville on Wednesday of next week. UVA is the most likely location for his visit, though specifics are not yet available. Rumor has it that first dibs will go to folks who held tickets to the Michele Obama’s cancelled visit last month.
08/24 Update: In an interesting twist, UVA has declined the Obama campaign’s request to use their facilities. There were two locations that the campaign inquired about (adjacent to Alderman Library and the McIntire Amphitheatre), and using either of those locations would have been enormously disruptive on the second day of classes. The university offered the use of the John Paul Jones arena, but it wasn’t what the campaign was looking for. The downtown amphitheater is said to be the next most likely place.
Campaigning in Cville? Kinda like trying to sell bacon to a butcher.
That’s not quite right. Bacon to a fat guy?
A pig to a butcher?
Well, maybe it will fire up the base, those who voted Dem last time.And hopefully drum up some support for Tim Kaine and John Douglass.Had the pleasure of meeting Douglass on the 4th of July, think he would be great.(Even though no longer in Charlottesville, I still live in the 5th District).
It’s like bringing breakfast to Bodo’s-
“UVA is the most likely location for his visit”
I’m not necessarily disagreeing here, just noting that it’s my understanding that most UVA students tend to be both a) far more conservative than your average Charlottesville resident, and b) registered to vote elsewhere.
(Although presumably a bulk of the more Republican-leaning UVA students are from elsewhere in the State, so maybe visiting the University is a good opportunity to visit a bulk of young Virginians who might be tempted to vote Democratic this time around.)
Does anyone know where can I get tickets? Will he be arriving at the airport?
I will not be around. Have to take some pasta to Italy.
Will Douglass be at the event? Will he be smacking around any Hurt staffers that get in his way?
I’d love to go, but I have to return some videotapes.
It appears UVa is the location–somewhere, not announced yet. And Roger, they will be giving tickets to anyone who volunteers to phone bank at the local Dem HQ.
Is this why the local tea-hadists were out in force at McCormick and 250 yesterday?
I counted six flag waving patriots, although later on the news, the crowd was estimated at about 4000.
“Keep the Government out of my medicare!”
Lot of difference between 6 and 4000.
Some of these Tea Party people remind me of a character from a Joe Hill song called Mr.Block. A plain ordinary guy of what we now might call the 98% that thought in Hill’s words that “the Asterbilts and John D.Rockefell” had his best interests at heart.
I should offer the belated disclaimer that I worked for the White House up until March, and I’m currently an (unpaid) policy advisor for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, specifically as a member of the Open Data Working Group, which just means I’m at the White House once a week talking about tech stuff. None of this has the slightest thing to do with the campaign, with which I’ve never had any contact.
UVa sez no way, which they should. They are an educational institution and have suffered enough politicization lately. PLus BO wanted them to pay for everything…how shocking that he expects others to pay for his wants.
Pay for what? The President does his own advance and security is courtesy of the Secret Service. UVA might ask new BOV member Linwood Rose. 7 days before the 2008 election, JMU (where Rose was President) hosted Barack Obama to a standing room only crowd at the convocation center. Thousands were turned away, and outdoor screens were set up. Students saw the visit and campaign speech as a rewarding once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Rose, a Republican, understood the value to his student body. The free publicity for JMU was also evident. For a day, JMU was in the national press.
It’s not accurate to say “BO wanted them to pay for everything,” because “everything” is a big old vague awful lot of stuff, but it’s true that UVa would apparently have had to bear the costs of “security,” which I’m not sure what that means, but there you go. I would have absolutely loved it if he had spoken on Grounds, but I can understand the university declining, because of the disruption to the first week of classes.
I’m sure there are a lot of security among other expenses that UVA would rather skip. I can’t find the statement link, but they also said they felt if they said yes to Obama, they’d need to offer Romney the same. So more money spent. And as said, quite a disruption to classes. I heard they’d have to shut down nearly 200 classes.
Update: the new venue will be at the downtown pavilion. You can get tickets at any of the OFA offices.
I wonder whose decision it was to decline to host this event, Bob McDonnell’s cronies on the Board of Visitors? Sure it would’ve been disruptive but isn’t there an educational value or aspect to something like this? Maybe more so if it wasn’t so close to the election and therefore higher on campaigning than policy…
Declining the opportunity to host Obama for this event is an embarrassing, self-inflicted blemish on the University.
(seems to be ongoing issue with UVA lately….)
I remember that in the late ’80s, UVA hosted (then-former) President Reagan as well as (then-current) President GWH Bush. Even as a liberal, I was excited to have them come to town and give speeches. You don’t have to agree with what they say; the President of the United States of America is in the house!
The issue of UVA potentially being on the hook to also host Romney is such a BS excuse that I wonder how it could possibly be believable. To paraphrase: “We don’t want to host the President of the United States of America because if we did, we might have to also host the possible *next* President of the United States of America.”
As an educational institution, that would be bad for UVA…why?
“Oh, our students would much rather hear their professors lecture for an hour instead of hearing the President of the United States of America.”
@Pete. It is not like the students will be unable to see Obama. Just take a stroll to downtown. But it is a lot of jack to sort out and face it, a major PITA with the saftey requirements. People downtown, who wanted to watch from the top of their apartments were warned they might be shot last time he came around.
It’s inaccurate to simply say that the university declined without including the point that they declined the campaign’s first two choices, and offered the use of the JPJ. They didn’t say “no,” they said “yes, but at this different, more appropriate place.” I think the university’s response was wholly appropriate.
“Sure it would’ve been disruptive but isn’t there an educational value or aspect to something like this? Maybe more so if it wasn’t so close to the election and therefore higher on campaigning than policy…” He is not coming here to conduct government business as the President. He is coming here to conduct his own personal business as a campaigner for re-election. His campaign should pick up the expenses. I have not heard a campaign speech recently that had any true educational value. I would be surprised if he says any thing he hasn’t already said. If Romney should come here he should pay his own way, too, as with any other campaigner. Just because Mr. Obama happens to have a public title doesn’t mean “all expenses paid.”
As for the students, they have never had difficulty finding their way to the Mall and they can have free transportation on Rt. 7 and the Trolley. JPJ was declined because the campaign could never fill it with enough people to give the impression of adoring throngs. The downtown area will do that just fine.