Olympics: No. Super Bowl: Kind of. Democratic National Convention? Why not!
“The progressive spirit of New York City has never been stronger or more vibrant than it is today,” writes Mayor Bill de Blasio in a formal proposal to host the 2016 festivities at Barclays Center, according to the New York Times. “We believe that this spirit can energize and captivate both the Democratic Party and the nation.” Jay Z for president?
While de Blasio’s own Brooklyn would be the center of the action, “accommodations and other events” would be shared with the other, less hip boroughs. New York City, the mayor noted, has the “capacity to execute large, world-class events,” and is “the safest big city in the country.” It is not, however, located in a swing state, which is where these things tend to end up lately.
Madison Square Garden has hosted, of course, most recently for the 2004 RNC, a prolonged disaster for the city. Bill Clinton was also coronated there in 1992. A lot has changed in the two-plus decades since — Brooklyn has an arena, for instance, along with a Whole Foods, artisanal mayo store, and school for baby DJs — but the guest of honor may very well have a familiar surname.
