New York City’s famed Empire State Building was lit up in blue on Monday night – and will be again on Tuesday – to honor the Democratic National Committee in the hope of luring the party’s quadrennial convention and its hundreds of millions of revenue dollars to the Big Apple.
The partisan political stunt has passed with little controversy in the heavily Democratic city, although the rules on the building’s website declare that the building ‘does not light for political figures and campaigns.’
The 1931 skyscraper is owned by a private real estate trust that floods its top spire with colored lights about every three days to celebrate holidays, honor sports victories and observe milestone anniversaries for American institutions.
Forty such lightings punctuated the Manhattan skyline between May and July, including the national colors of World Cup finalists Germany and Argentina; red, white and blue to acknowledge the 100th anniversary of Little League baseball; bright green to mark the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr; and blue and yellow to honor ‘E.U. Day.’
But last week the building’s website added two last-minute observances as the Democrats tasked with choosing a 2016 convention city prepared to visit New York and hear Mayor Bill de Blasio’s pitch.
Republicans are not amused, but also not surprised.
‘Welcome to de Blasio’s New York, where being a liberal Democrat is the top priority,’ Republican National Committee Press Secretary Kirsten Kukowski told MailOnline.
via Empire State Building lights up in blue to lure Democratic convention to New York | Mail Online.
News 