Garcia is obviously right that the convention would be a huge economic boost to the city, but he's missing the bigger point. The Republicans invited San Francisco to bid because they know what would happen: insane leftists would protest, or riot, in the streets.There are a number of good reasons San Francisco should be going great guns — sorry, Gerardo — to land the Republican convention, even though with 30 competing cities, our boiling liberal cauldron is clearly a long shot.
For starters, the last time I looked Republicans were still using the same currency as the rest of us, and those dollars could certainly help The City lift itself up by the bootstraps and carry it out of its deficit ways. New York City, another largely lefty bastion, managed to embrace the parade of flag-bearing Republicans in 2004 and cashed in to the tune of $163 million. I realize that many San Franciscans would rather flee town than share sidewalk space with the likes of Dick Armey and Orrin Hatch, but they could just use the week as a much-needed vacation from, well, the rest of the nation.
The Republicans aren't very attractive this year, with pork, corruption, incompetence, and an unpopular war. But put them next to televised coverage of San Francisco's angriest anti-Bush wackos rioting in the streets, and the Republicans will win by a landslide.
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