Ditching the car, it took an hour to make it inside through twisting paths marked by security fences and confused guards. And that was before making it to a dark, covered, leaky passageway featuring wet blue Astroturf.
This is no way to run a convention, and it isn't even raining yet.
The reason, according to Reince Priebus, the Republican Party chairman, is that the Secret Service insisted on closing its tents as Tropical Storm Isaac approached, reducing the number of entrance points to the convention center complex. And that produced mass confusion with journalists and others trying to make their hit times for live TV appearances. When the convention actually starts, this could mean endless headaches for everyone—not just the media—trying to get to their seats and work spaces.
...
"What are we going to do with all of these people standing out in the rain for long periods of time?" sighs an exasperated Priebus.