Impact of self-inflicted problems remains to be seen

While the Republican convention in Tampa was shortened by a day due to weather, the Democrats’ gathering in Charlotte was truncated for a different reason: lack of money. 

Tonight the convention’s closer was also downsized by the sudden decision to shift it from a 73,000 seat outdoor stadium to the much smaller, and easier to fill, Time Warner Cable Arena, which seats 20,000.  So much for a replay of the big outdoor acceptance speech in Denver four years ago.

While the sudden venue changes might have the logistics people jumping out of windows, the real spectacle came yesterday as the party that has won the overwhelming support of Jewish voters for decades couldn’t seem to get “Jerusalem” right, and “God” proved controversial.  Los Angeles’ Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s flummoxed look proved priceless.

To remove all doubt about how little regard the party of “diversity” has for its own delegates, this photo surfaced of the teleprompter message reflecting a pre-determined outcome.

How did this go over with the DNC leadership?  Apparently not well, giving rise to this headline from Politico:

When party officials are suddenly cancelling interviews without explanation, it’s a pretty reliable sign that the train is officially off the tracks.