The Detroit Economic Club appears to have punked Mitt Romney. How else can you explain their decision to move Romney’s speech to the 65,000-seat Ford Field when they sold out smaller venues? Total attendance is being reported as 1,200.
The Detroit Economic Club arranged the event and sold tickets for it ($45 for members; $75 for non-members), and when two indoor venues sold out quickly, club officials moved the speech to Ford Field.
So, the idea is that your venue holds only, say, 800 people. You sell 1,200 tickets so you relocate to a professional football stadium? Really?
Of course, the DEC isn’t completely responsible for the debacle.
Beth Chappell, president and chief executive of the Detroit Economic Club, said in a statement: “The original plan was to host the Romney meeting in the atrium, which is where we host DEC meetings when at Ford Field. During our walk through with the security team there were further issues raised due to the size of the crowd so we moved the event to the field.”
As Romney wrapped up his remarks at Ford Field, he said, “This feels good, being back in Michigan,” and then reprised a riff that earned him mockery last week.
“You know, the trees are the right height,” he said. “The streets are just right. I like the fact that most of the cars I see are Detroit-made automobiles. I drive a Mustang and a Chevy pickup truck. Ann drives a couple of Cadillacs, actually.”
No amount of planning can save a man like Mitt Romney from making a fool of himself.
