I guess this is what happens when one’s economy gets downgraded — expectations for large audience also get downgraded…

Jeff Emanuel points out that by moving President Obama’s primetime speech indoors, the Democratic National Convention also cuts his audience by 75 percent. Was it really a weather problem, or did the plan to bus people in not pan out?

A picture is worth 1,000 words: Obama gets downgraded

If trying to reduce expectations for the outdoor speech was bad, though, what happened next was astronomically worse. the As Artur Davis memorably said at the Republican National Convention last week, “Maybe we should have known that night in Denver that things that begin with Styrofoam columns and artificial smoke don’t end well.” The next rung on Obama’s descent down the ladder from his 2008 high was hit today, when DNC organizers announced that Obama’s 2012 acceptance speech, scheduled for Thursday night, has officially been moved indoors to Time Warner Cable Arena — a venue which seats 20,200.

If you’re counting, that’s a decrease in capacity of 73% from Bank of America Stadium. At least every seat will (should) be filled now.