Green: Obama eyes up the South

President Barack Obama has his eye on the South. Like Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker, so shall he… President Barack Obama has his eye on the South. Like Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker, so shall he attempt to lure North Carolina away from its life in the Republican-reigned Bible Belt to the Democrat-dominated “dark side” — the mid-Atlantic!

Last Tuesday, Obama announced Charlotte, N.C., as the host city for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. This decision sends a clear message that Obama will attempt to hold those traditionally Southern states that voted Democrat in the last election — including North Carolina and Virginia— in the upcoming 2012 race.

Charlotte was selected from a group of three other frontrunners, which included St. Louis, Mo., Minneapolis and Cleveland — which are all Midwestern states with traditional political battlegrounds.

But the decision to host the convention in Charlotte might indicate a change in political geography. Though Obama carried North Carolina against Sen. John McCain by a very small margin — 50 percent to 49 percent — 2007 was the first time the state went blue since 1978.

And it seems the support for Obama was not a one-time fluke. According to Public Policy Polling, the president had a 49-percent approval rating as of Jan. 25, and when polled against Republican 2012 hopefuls, he came out victorious against every prospective candidate.

Many believe that this is reflective of an evolving North Carolinian population. According to The New York Times, Obama’s advisers “believe the advantages of North Carolina include a population that is 22 percent black, an influx of new residents because of research and banking jobs and laws that allow last-minute voter registration.”

Indeed, North Carolina — Charlotte in particular — seems to be a state caught between two worlds. On one hand, it boasts the second-largest banking center in the United States after New York City — headquarters to Bank of America (and former headquarters of the now-defunct Wachovia) — and an up-and-coming technological center populated by Northern imports from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Yet on the other hand, the state has a rich Southern history — not to mention it’s the NASCAR capital of the United States.

Still, I find South Carolina and its limitless supply of NRA rallies and its coterie of over-tanned, over-zealous politicians considerably more frightening.

I have a recurring nightmare in which Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Jim DeMint hold my mother hostage until I agree that global warming is a hoax.

In comparison, Charlotte is one of the fastest growing “green” U.S. cities, according to Planet Green, and voted in a bipartisan Congressional leadership. With all this in mind, perhaps North Carolina — and Virginia, for that matter — is “seceding” from the “Deep South” to become what some have dubbed the “New South.”

Regardless of terminology, Charlotte was a politically savvy choice on the part of the Obama administration. Not only will it build up hype in North Carolina and neighboring Virginia, but it will pump much-needed dollars into the Charlottean economy, which will reflect well on Obama.

Likewise, by choosing a Southern state, Obama is sending a message to the rest of the South that he cares about states beyond those that traditionally vote blue. In 2008, Howard Dean employed a similar strategy — coined the “50 state strategy” in his selection of Denver, rather than a Northeastern, traditionally Democratic city such as Boston, to at least some success. Obama swept Colorado by a margin of victory of 8.95 percent.

Finally, we must also consider the city’s attractions for visiting Democratic volunteers and Republican protesters to enjoy — because what is a convention, really, but a chance to party with nerdy former political science majors?

Everyone knows a city or state is only as good as its propaganda. Who can deny the allure of the celebrity-ridden “Come to California” commercials?

Although Charlotte doesn’t have a costumed Mickey Mouse impersonator or the Governator, it’s also not Cleveland — which will likely fester in a puddle of its own sewage. Instead, Charlotte’s travel and tourism website praises its “coasters at Carowinds, the rousing races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the boisterous Broadway performances at NC Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, and so much more to engage, excite, and exhilarate.”

One thing’s for sure — North Carolinians sure know how to use alliteration.

E-mail Molly at mog4@pitt.edu.