Democratic officials say they're moving President Barack Obama's convention speech indoors tomorrow night because of the possibility of severe weather.

Time Warner Cable Arena
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Obama had planned to accept his party's nomination in an outdoor stadium before a crowd of up to 74,000 people. But officials say forecasters are predicting severe thunderstorms between 9 and 10 p.m. tomorrow, raising concerns about the safety of the crowd.

 

 

 

So, the entire program is being moved indoors, including Vice President Joe Biden's speech. The events will be held in the area that is the site of the first two days of the convention.

Republicans -- who canceled the first day of their own convention because of severe weather approaching Tampa, Fla., are suggesting there's another reason behind the decision.

A Republican National Committee spokeswoman wonders if there were "problems filling the seats" at the big outdoor stadium.

But Democrats say more than 65,000 people signed up for credentials to attend the speech -- and that those people now cannot be accommodated because of the smaller venue.

Delegate Jan Bauer of Iowa says she's thrilled about the move indoors -- because "it's not very comfortable sitting in the rain."

Bill Clinton speaks tonight

William Jefferson Clinton
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They haven't always been on good terms -- especially when Bill Clinton's wife was trying to keep Barack Obama from getting the Democratic presidential nomination -- but Clinton will be making an appeal for Obama's re-election tonight at the Democratic National Convention.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who served under both presidents, says Clinton "can do nothing but help" Obama.

 

 

 

But Republican former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu writes in the New Hampshire Union Leader that Clinton will remind the world of a time when Democrats "took fiscal responsibility seriously."

Last night, Michelle Obama used her convention speech to frame her husband as a president who knows the struggles of everyday Americans because he endured them himself.

The first lady also told delegates that she had "seen firsthand that being president doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are."


 


(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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