The Republican National Committee Summer Meeting in Tampa officially kicked off with a news conference this morning, during which chairman Reince Priebus weighed in on the recently enacted debt ceiling deal, the possibility of penalizing the Florida delegation for moving up its primary date, and other items related to the party's national convention which takes place in Tampa a little over a year from now.
Despite all of the discussion about federal spending, over $100 million may be sent to the two cities hosting national political conventions next year Charlotte and Tampa for security purposes. So CL asked chairman Priebus, with the emphasis on cutting back, why are federal taxpayers shelling out so much money for what amounts to a four-day celebration for a political party?
"I'm going to leave that up to the powers that be," he replied, saying it was important that there was a "secure perimeter," for the presidential nominee. "I think we'll do whatever is required to keep people safe….I think it's very acceptable and reasonable in our country that nowadays that we make sure that we provide for a secure perimeter."
This article appears in Aug 4-10, 2011.