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Countless hours went into preparing for the Convention in Cleveland. Back on July 8, 2014, the Republican National Committee announced that its Site Selection Committee had voted to recommend Cleveland to host its 2016 convention; the full RNC approved the selection on Aug. 8, 2014 (+). The RNC Committee on Arrangements started work in 2015 to prepare for the gathering of 2,472 delegates. The Cleveland 2016 Host Committee raised contributions and organized volunteers and the City of Cleveland, under Mayor Frank G. Jackson played an integral role. continues...
Counter RNC 2016 Resist the 2016 Cleveland RNC Special Event Zone Activity (list as of 7/13/2016) [PDF] Permit Applications Drop Box ACLU of Ohio Ohio Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild Broadcastify feeds |
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Convention Platform Committee Monday, July 11 - Tuesday, July 12 (+) Location: Huntington Convention Center Convention Rules Committee Thursday, July 14 (+) Location: Huntington Convention Center RNC Summer Meeting: Tuesday, July 12 - Thursday July 14 *General Session on Wednesday, July 13 (+) Location: Hilton Cleveland Downtown |
|
DEMOCRACY IN ACTION |
Mon., July 18 1:00 p.m. start |
Tues.,
July 19 5:30 p.m. start |
Wed., July 20 7:00 p.m. start |
Thurs., July 21 7:10 p.m. start |
Make America Safe Again |
Make America Work Again |
Make America First Again |
Make America One Again |
Headliners: Melania Trump, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Michael Flynn, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jason Beardsley and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (Mont.) (+). | roll call Headliners: Tiffany Trump, Kerry Woolard, Donald Trump, Jr., U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Ben Carson and Kimberlin Brown. (+) |
Headliners:
Lynne Patton; Eric Trump; former Speaker of the U.S. House Newt
Gingrich, and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. (+) |
Headliners:
Peter Thiel, Tom Barrack, Ivanka Trump and Donald
Trump (+) |
Selected Press Releases
[send
press
releases
and suggestions to action08 at
gmail]
Committee on Arrangements and RNC
July 17, 2016 - 2016
GOP Convention Program Announced
July 16, 2016 - 2016
GOP Convention Announces the Delegation Seating
Arrangement
July 14, 2016 - 2016
Republican National Convention Speakers List Announced
July 12, 2016 - 2016 Republican National Convention announces Freedom Plaza
July 11, 2016 - State of the Art Media Space unveiled for 2016 GOP Convention
July 6, 2016 - GOP
Convention Launches New Innovative Smartphone App
July 6, 2016 - RNC Announces Sergeant-at-Arms For Republican National Convention
June 22, 2016 - Republican
National
Convention
Names
Official
Vendors
for
Freedom
Marketplace
Nov. 23, 2015 - 2016 Republican National Convention Logo
Unveiled
Cleveland 2016 Host Committee
+
July 19, 2016 - [JobsOhio] CEOs and Leaders to
Discuss Key
U.S. Economic and Health Issues at RNC
July 16, 2016 - Three Dog Night to
Headline Cleveland
2016 Host Committee Welcome Party at North Coast Harbor
July 15-22, 2016 - [Cuyahoga Arts
& Culture] Arts Interventions at the 2016 Republican National
Convention
July 15, 2016 - New
#AskCLE
Hashtag
to Monitor Visitor Inquiries During the RNC
July 6, 2016 - Announces Retail
Additions in the
Historic Arcade in time for Convention
June 23, 2016
- Names Official
Providers
June 8, 2016 - Selects ASW Global
as Official
Merchandise Firm
May 31, 2016 - Beautification
Effort to Enhance Experience of Convention Attendees
May 19, 2016 - "A Community Thank
You Party" for
Northeast Ohio Residents and Volunteers
April 11,
2016 - Casting Call for
Visitor Welcome Signage
City of Cleveland
July 18-22, 2016 - Media briefings from Convention Week
May 25, 2016 - Mayor Jackson Announces
Official Parade, Park
Use and Speakers
Platform Regulations and Revised Mobile and Stationary Vendor
Regulation
Events and
Activities
A sampling of some of the over 300 events at the Republican National Convention
July 21, 2016 - Statement by [11 of 19] District of Columbia
GOP
Delegates Regarding Convention Voting Controversy
July 19, 2016 - Avast Software: Amidst
Charged
Cyber
Security
Dialogue,
Republican
National
Convention
Attendees
Show
Negligent
Behavior
July 19, 2016 - Esri: County and Agencies Keep the Peace with Esri
at the Republican
National Convention
July 18, 2016 - Freedom from
Religion Foundation: FFRF cites
Reagan in Cleveland message to GOP
July 18, 2016 - Vidsys: City of Cleveland Leverages Vidsys for Republican National Convention Security
July 15, 2016 - U.S. Department
of Homeland Security: Secretary
Johnson Inspects Convention Security Operations in
Cleveland
July 15, 2016 - Republican Main
Street Partnership: Republican Main
Street Partnership Launches Unity and Strength in
Action
July 14, 2016 - Urban League of
Greater Cleveland: RNC Engages 11
Local Minority Businesses
July 14, 2016 - Heart to Heart International: Heart to Heart International Deploying Mobile Medical Unit to Republican National Convention
July 13, 2016 - UHBikes: UHBikes Pre-Launch to Roll Out in Time for
Republican National Convention
July 12, 2016 - Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority: RTA announces special service plan for the RNC
July 12, 2016 - Shurtech Brands,
LLC: Demonstrate Your American
Pride by
Exercising Your Right to Vote in the Duck® Brand REAL Vote Campaign
July 12, 2016 - Delta Scientific:
Delta Portable Anti-Terrorist Barriers to
Protect GOP Convention
July 12, 2016 - Federal Aviation Administration: FAA Releases Flight Advisory with Temporary Flight Restriction Information for Upcoming RNC
July 11, 2016 - TourismOhio: TourismOhio to Launch Virtual Reality Experience at Republican National Convention in Cleveland
July 9, 2016 - Log Cabin
Republicans: Log Cabin
Republicans Announces Full Slate of Events for GOP
National Convention
July 2016 - Cleveland State
University: RNC Week @ CSU
June 28, 2016 - U.S. Coast
Guard: Rule posted in the Federal
Register
June 24, 2016 - Case Western Reserve University: Email from Case Western President Barbara R. Snyder
June 23, 2016 - Making Change at Walmart: Making Change at Walmart Demands Walmart to Withdraw Support of the 2016 Republican National Convention
June 14, 2016 - ACLU of Ohio: ACLU Sues City of Cleveland Over RNC Rules that Violate Free Speech
June 14, 2016 - Family Research
Council Action: Family
Research Council Action Announces Coalition to Ensure Adoption of a
Conservative Republican Party Platform
May 18, 2016 - FirstEnergy
Corp.: Update: FirstEnergy
and The Illuminating
Company Prepare for 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland
May 13, 2016 - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Louder Than Words: Rock, Power and Politics opens May 20 at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
May 4, 2016 - Mace Security
International, Inc.: Northeast
Ohio Companies Help Law Enforcement Gear Up for the Republican National
Convention
April 15, 2016 - Republican Party
of Cuyahoga County/CSU Center for Excellence & Innovation: Red, Write and Blue Challenge
March 30, 2016 - ColorOfChange:
Coca-Cola Responds to Pressure
from Advocates to Cease Support of Republican National Convention
March 21, 2016 - ACLU of Ohio:
Open letter to Mayor Frank G. Jackson and
Council President Kevin Kelley on concerns regarding public safety and
the deployment of security equipment [PDF]
Both Conventions
July 19, 2016 - U.S. Travel Association: Party Conventions to Create $360 Million in Direct Spending for Host Cities
July 18, 2016 - SOLiD: SOLiD
Delivers In-building Cellular Coverage and Capacity at Republican and
Democratic National Conventions
July 17, 2016 - Zignal Labs: Zignal Labs Command Centers to be Featured at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions
July 15, 2016 - HeadCount:
Grace
Potter, Dawes, Moon Taxi to Play HeadCount Convention Jams
July 14, 2016 - Amnesty International: Amnesty International to Send Delegation of Human Rights Observers to the Republican and Democratic 2016 National Conventions
July 13, 2016 - Grassroots Global Justice Alliance: Grassroots Leaders from across the US and Honduras converge on the conventions
July 12, 2016 - Americans for the Arts Action Fund: ArtsSpeak at the 2016 Political Conventions
July 11,
2016 - Feeding
America:
Elected
Officials
Take Time Out From National Political Conventions To Learn
About Hunger In America
July 8, 2016 - Uber: Donkeys,
Elephants and Uber
July 1, 2016 - Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: Franklin Graham Holding Live Prayer Events for Upcoming Political Conventions
June 27, 2016 - Verizon: Verizon enhances network for Republican and Democratic convention delegates, media and visitors
April 29,
2016 - Microsoft: Microsoft’s
support
for
the
2016
Republican
and
Democratic
National
Conventions
Protests, Demonstrations and Other Events
July 18-21, 2016 - CODEPINK
July 20, 2016 - Wall Off Trump
July 18, 2016 - Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC
July 18, 2016 - End
Poverty Now! March for Economic Justice
July 18, 2016 - Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
July 18, 2016 - America
First
Unity
Rally
July 17-19, 2016 - Nuns on the Bus
July 17, 2016 - Circle the City with Love
July 15-17, 2016 - People's
Justice
&
Peace
Convention
See also: Media
AL | AK | AZ | AR | CA | CO | CT | DC | DE | FL | |
GA | HI | ID | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY | LA | ME | |
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MD | MA | MI |
MN | MS | MO | MT | NE | NV | NH | |
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WY | PR | AS | GU | USVI | CNMI |
seating chart >> |
...continued
from
above
In the months leading up to the Convention and particularly in April
2016 there was intense
speculation about whether the frontrunner Donald Trump would obtain the
1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination. There was much
manoeuvering surrounding the
selection of delegates in congressional district and state conventions,
particularly by the Cruz campaign. With his win in the
May 3 Indiana primary Trump became the presumptive nominee and talk of
a contested convention faded.
Then there was considerable talk about the possibility of a
"convention coup." A
movement percolated for several months pressing for delegates to be
allowed to vote
their consciences,
undergirded by an argument that the delegates are in fact
unbound. In May several
Illinois
delegates started an effort called "Save Our Party," proposing to,
"Organize separately as delegates to the 2016 Republican convention at
an undisclosed location until such a time as we can not be held to a
vote for any particular candidate (+)."
In
June
Courageous
Conservatives
PAC,
which
formed
in
Oct.
2015
to
support
Ted
Cruz's
candidacy,
launched
a
petition
campaign
demanding
that
delegates
be
allowed
to
vote
their
conscience
(1,
2).
"Free
the
Delegates,"
an
effort
led
by
Kendal
Unruh
and
Regina
Thomson,
delegates from Colorado, came to the fore in mid-June (>).
"Delegates Unbound," a 501(c)(4) headed by M. Dane Waters and Eric
O'Keefe, ran TV ads in late June (+). Virginia delegate
Caroll B. Correll even took the question to court; at issue were both
RNC rules and Virginia statute, Section 545(D),
which states in part that "delegates and
alternates shall be bound to vote on the
first ballot at the national convention for
the candidate receiving the most votes in
the primary." The court found that the statute imposed "an
unconstitutional burden on his [Correll's] First
Amendment rights of free political speech and political
association [PDF]."
Nonetheless, the Trump campaign hailed the ruling as a great victory (+). To get the unbinding question to
the full convention
required support of one-quarter of the members of the Rules Committee
(28 people). At the closely watched
Rules Committee meetiing on July 14 the effort fell short (+). Delegates working on the
unbinding effort sought to pursue the matter during the Convention's
opening business session on July 18, and it looked like they had enough
state delegations to at least cause a roll call vote until three
state delegations reversed course under murky circumstances.
The Platform
Committee
(formally
known as the Committee on Resolutions) was announced in late May and
finished work during its meeting of July 11-12 (+). The Trump imprint is seen in
addition of languange on points such as building a wall, a trade
section emphasizing the need to negotiate better trade deals, a call
for repeal of the Johnson Amendment affecting 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4)
organizations including religious groups, and reintroduction of
Glass-Steagall. Most of the work was done behind
the scenes, in contrast to the Democrats more open process.
The NBA Cleveland Caveliers basketball team's run into the
playoff finals
created a challenge for the Convention team; Convention organizers only
received the
keys
to the arena on June 17 (after the Caveliers pulled to a 3-3 tie in a
game at Quicken Loans Arena on June 16). This gave the
convention team about a month to prepare the arena; by comparision in
2012 the transfer occurred about 40 days
before
the start of the convention (+).
Another major logistical challenge, the distance between the media
center in the Huntington Convention Center and the convention hall at
Quicken Loans Arena, was addressed by a shuttle system which wound
through the secure area.
Leading up to the convention, Trump was
dismissive of the notion of having political speech after political
speech and said he wanted something more entertaining, for example
featuring sports figures or holding a "winners' evening." Neither
of those ideas came into fruition, but the convention was unique in the
extensive use of Trump's family. Trump campaign chairman Paul
Manafort outlined four goals for the convention: to tell who Donald
Trump is, the personal story; to highlight the failures of the
Obama-Clinton administration; an indictment of Hillary Clinton as
the ultimate establishment candidate; and to unify the party. To
do this the campaign used family and personal acquaintances, people
affected by world events, and political figures. Also
of note were the absences; various
Republican
officials
seeking
distance
from
Trump
did not
attend
the
Convention, most notably home state Gov. John Kasich, and Sen. Ted
Cruz's non-endorsement was a major story. Many of the speakers
emphasized the need to defeat Hillary Clinton, exemplified by Gov.
Chris Christie's "indictment" or former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's fiery
speech. Delegates took to chanting "lock her up."
Democrats set up a counter-convention presence, holding morning
briefings a few blocks away from the media center. Under the
theme "Better Than This," they played up the
notion that Trump is an unqualified and dangerous figure.
Delegates, alternates and guests had full
days,
typically starting with their state delegation breakfasts (+). In addition to the
official
activities, they could attend hundreds of events, receptions, forums
and parties organized by Republican, conservative and
allied groups Vendors hawked pro-Trump and anti-Clinton T-shirts,
buttons and hats; Trump bobbleheads were a popular item.
There were also daily protests. Incidents
of
violence
at
several
Trump
appearances
during
the
primaries
had
raised
concerns
about
what
might
happen
in
Cleveland. When the nomination was
still in
doubt, Trump supporters planned a
"Stop the Steal" rally and march on July 18 (+); after
Trump became the presumptive nominee this evolved into an America First
Unity Rally. A major nonpolitical event, Circle the City With
Love, took place the day before the convention started. A
"Coalition to Stop Trump and March on the RNC" planned a major
protest on July 18. On
July 20 immigration activists put up
banner wall "around Trump's hateful politics at his convention."
CODEPINK managed to get several activists inside the Q, where they
attempted to disrupt speeches. Public Square in downtown housed
the officially sanctioned speakers platform and
was
a
center
of
activity
for
groups
and
individuals
seeking
to
make
a
point
or
a
few
dollars.
Both
conventions were
designated
National
Special
Security
Events
and
dozens
of
law
enforcement
agencies coordinated on security
operations. The City of Cleveland received a $49.9 million grant
from the
Department of Justice on April 1, 2016 [PDF].
A
host
of
regulations
(+) were in
place for the Official Event Zone [PDF] during the convention
period. Area hospitals spent months preparing for the possibility
of a mass casualty event, whether due to terrorist attack or violent
protests (+). Despite the worries the
convention turned out to be surprisingly peaceful, and there were only
about two dozen arrests.
Finally,
some fifteen
thousand
media
representatives
from news organizations big and small, local, national and
international covered
the
activity at the Convention in Cleveland as Donald Trump officially
became the Republican nominee.
Following the Convention, the Host Committee commissioned two analyses, using different methodologies, of the convention's economic impact on the region (+). The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University used a micro analysis based on questionnaires completed by visitors and estimated $67.8 million in direct spending and a total economic impact of $142.2 million in a seven-county region [PDF]. Tourism Economics used a macro analysis based on an economic impact model and found $110.1 million in direct spending and $188.4 million total economic impact on the region [PDF]. Also of note, in June 2017 the Public Relations Society of America awarded Destination Cleveland two Silver Anvil awards for "their work to improve Cleveland's narrative as a place to live, work and do business, play and visit through the region's hosting of the 2016 Republican National Convention (+)."
Also See: | |
Curly Haugland and
Sean
Parnell. May 2016. UNBOUND:
The
Conscience
of
a
Republican
Delegate.
Woodbridge, VA: Citizens In
Charge Foundation. "Unbound: The Conscience of a Republican Delegate makes a powerful case that delegates to the Republican Party convention are not bound to vote for any particular candidate based on primary and caucus results, state party rules, or even state law. Co-authors Sean Parnell and Curly Haugland document nearly 240 instances at past conventions in which delegates invoked their right to vote their conscience." |
Recent Conventions: 2012 Tampa-St. Petersburg - 2008 Minneapolis-St. Paul - 2004 New York City - 2000 Philadelphia