Aug 26 - GOP To Promote ‘We Built This’ Convention Theme In Stadium Built Mostly With Public Funds

Next week’s Republican National Convention will tout the theme, “We Built This!” — a not-so-subtle jab at President Barack Obama‘s comment about small businesses that sparked strong criticism from his opponents. Ironically, that same convention will be held in an arena that was built largely with public funding.

The theme of the Tuesday night session draws off Obama’s remarks in which he said (about small business):

“Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”

Critics seized on this, attacking Obama for making a statement they believed to be against the spirit of American entrepreneurship and free enterprise. And thus a theme was born. And that theme, The Daily Dolt points out, will be promoted in the Tampa Bay Times Forum arena (the “Ice Palace”), which was built in 1996 with 62 percent government funds, according to National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School.

Of the total $139 million budget, $86 million was public funding. As The Atlantic points out, the arena’s recent $40 million renovation was privately funded — and the RNC has tossed in its own $20 million in renovations.