CHARLOTTE — Young Democrats who travelled hundreds of miles on a packed bus to witness Barack Obama accept his reelection nomination have been turned away because of the campaign’s last-minute decision to change venues.
At least half a dozen representatives from the Wake Forest College Democrats have had their access to the convention revoked, according to a student who identified himself as Gerard.
"We were told by the [North Carolina] delegation that we would get tickets, but now they’re telling us we can’t get in … tonight or tomorrow," he said outside of the Time Warner Cable arena.
The arena hosted the first two nights of the Democratic National Convention, but the campaign hoped to launch President Obama’s speech from the larger Bank of America Football Stadium in an echo of his acceptance speech four years ago at Denver’s Mile High Stadium.
The Democrats announced on Wednesday that the event would be moved back into the smaller basketball arena, which holds 50,000 fewer people than the stadium, citing weather concerns. That has left eager Obama supporters like Gerard and his friends out in the—very light—rain.
The campaign has had trouble filling the 70,000 seat football stadium, going so far as to give away tickets to the event in bars, leading to speculation among Beltway observers that the Obama team wanted to avoid the spectacle of speaking to a sea of empty seats.
"You can’t believe a thing this administration says," former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu said at a press conference after the announcement. "Their campaign promised you rain or shine the president would be speaking there. Then when they couldn’t get a crowd they moved it inside."
Gerard and the other young Democrats are disappointed that they have been denied the opportunity to witness their political hero’s highly anticipated speech, but that has not erased their support.
"It happens … we’re still excited to be here in Charlotte when Barack Obama speaks," he said to whoops from his peers.