DNC at the Bank America stadium North Carolina

[Joe Cocker]

The Democrats can't stand having a BANK being named and they are having a convention there. They have rename it the PANTHER STADIUM.

Corporate cooties! DNC rebrands Bank of America Stadium as ‘Panthers Stadium’

Welcome to 'Panthers Stadium'

By MAGGIE HABERMAN |
7/17/12 7:38 AM EDT

National Democrats have repeatedly touted their stand against taking corporate money for their convention in September, and so it was striking to see two emails from the DNC host committee referring to the Charlotte venue where President Obama will speak as "Panthers Stadium."

It's the place where the Panthers play, but it's actually called Bank of America stadium.

(PHOTOS: Political football)

A recent email from the host committee signed by former Al Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile urged people to win a trip to Charlotte for the event, which will wrap "Thursday night at Panthers Stadium with President Obama."

Another email in June made the same pitch about the stadium.

A host committee spokeswoman didn't respond to an email. But it's not like the stadium was ever called Panthers Stadium - first opened in 1996, it was Carolinas Stadium, and later Ericsson Stadium. Then the current corporate iteration.

(Also on POLITICO: Charlotte merchants not feeling the love)

UPDATE: A host committee spokeswoman called to say that the stadium is referred to locally that way and that they've used Panthers and Bank of America interchangeably. She said Bank of America was used in an email to the list in February, for instance. It's unclear if it's been used since in email solicitations, though it is in places on the website.

www.welcome-to-panthers-stadium-129146.html

[danceswithdogs]

Gee, that's odd, considering this:

Absolute Must Watch: Anti-Red Tape Speech in House Receives Standing Ovation 31 Conservative Celebrities 2 Ads That Crush Obama Home2012 NewsObamaVideosAbout Us
Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.Corporate Donors Are Paying For the DNC Through a “Special Fund”
Bert Atkinson Jr. May 14, 2012 9:22 am



Democrats have decided not to accept corporate donations for the Democratic National Convention this summer, opting instead for a more ‘grassroots’ campaign to include the middle class it has been so obviously recruiting.

However, the Wall Street Journal says “through a special fund,” planners involved with the convention are “are accepting millions of dollars in corporate contributions to help pay for many of the activities outside the convention hall – as well as some expenses directly related to the event.”Some of the corporate donors include Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Duke Energy Corporation.

New American City Incorporated, the fund the convention uses to accept corporate donations, has filed with the Federal Election Commission to “defray administrative expenses incurred by the host committee organizations themselves, such as salaries, rent, travel, and insurance.”

Is it just me or is it obvious that when you have to pay for a convention, you have to pay for the things that come along with it? If you say you aren’t accepting corporate donations, don’t accept corporate donations. Don’t tell me you aren’t going to accept corporate donations and then use them to “defray” costs. We aren’t stupid.

To make it even more obvious, Democrats made no move in 2008 to distinguish between activities directly or indirectly related to the convention. Corporations contributed about $40 of the $60 million raised for the convention that year.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Duke Energy, a Charlotte-based energy company, has extended a $10 million line of credit and their CEO, James Rogers, a co-chairman of the host committee, said “a lot of the money” from Duke Energy Corp. had been “given before convention planners banned corporate contributions.

It is worth noting that the host committee is a separate legal entity form the Democratic National Committee, but either way, if the party made no distinction last time, this is a political ploy. I personally don’t feel like there is anything wrong with taking money from corporations, but saying you will not be, then creating a non-profit to distribute funding to activities related to the convention is sleazy.