Why Am I Not Surprised?

When I heard a few weeks ago that Charlotte might be hosting a Democratic Presidential debate, I was excited. When I heard last week that the state Democratic Party was involved and that Raleigh was now in contention to host, I just knew Charlotte would be passed over. And I was right.

The state party's longstanding pattern of excluding Charlotte is getting more than a little annoying. I'm enough of a yellow dog that it won't affect my vote, but I can't say this won't effect my donations. I'll give money, but I would be more likely to be more generous if I got more out of it than a thank-you page on a website.

Making a 5 hour round trip to Raleigh doesn't make for a fun day, and springing for an overnight hotel stay is just money that the party is missing out on. But these would be things I would consider more seriously if I didn't have the distinct impression that the state party isn't willing to hit the road and visit the largest, richest city in the state from time to time. There are supporters with money here — don't ignore that.