That's Mud, Right? No, Seriously.

By Robert Wilonsky Wed., Apr. 29 2009 at 10:19 AM

Categories: Politics

Just hours after releasing its first radio ad, featuring Roger Staubach, the Enough is Enough'ers unleashed their first TV spot. Dunno how effective it'll be, though I do know of at least one 5-year-old who thinks it's a riot.

Enough is Enough Convention Center Hotel TV Ad from Dallas Observer on Vimeo.

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It's confounding to me that a right-leaning city would get in the way of free-enterprise, and have the evil government build a hotel. Am I missing something?
re: Barbara, It's been clear that they've been going after the non-thinkers from the start. For the thinkers, the logic of "if it were a winning, profitable idea, then all the rich people supporting it would have invested in it, themselves" is too difficult to surpass.
"Monorail! Monorail! Monorail!" That's really more of a Shelbyville idea.
by gum, it put them on the map...
Monorail! Monorail! Monorail!
Exactly what is the point, outside? Because I really can't ascertain one.
Damn you, typo. That should say: "I like the WAY Snrub thinks.
I like the was Snrub thinks.
Hello, my name is Mr. Snrub, and I come from some place far away.... Yes, that'll do! Anyway, I say we build that hotel!
Also, it doesn't make sense for the city to delay the release of the hotel study until after the vote unless the hotel study says the sucker isn't going to live up to the pie-in-the-sky projections the pr-hotel forces have been trotting out. If the study supports what's coming out of their mouths, it seems like they'd want that out there as soon as possible.
Ad makes a good point in a humorous way. I think folks on the fence will get the message.
"If a convention center hotel was going to fail or be unprofitable, it seems highly unlikely that Harlan Crow would spend $2.7 million to stop it. He must view it as a grand competitor to spend that amount, even if his unwitting lackeys don't." You know, Steve, both things can be true. The Convention Center hotel can book enough business to drain business away from Crow's hotels while also failing to meet the goals it has to meet to break-even or post a profit. It's not either empty or full. There are many layers of in-betweenness. Let's say the hotel averages 55% capacity (which is, as I understand it, roughly the current downtown hotel occupancy average), but only half of that is new business, the rest is cannibalized from other area hotels. That would mean that other city hotels, including Crow's, would be losing roughly 100,000 total room nights that they previously had while the convention center hotel would still be losing money because it isn't meeting its required break-even. "City officials say the hotel plan will succeed because the city can borrow at lower rates than private developers and a planned $50 million reserve account for the hotel will cover shortfalls." Interesting the Wall Street Journal apparently fails to mention that the reserve account has to be replenished. Any losses that fund covers will have to be made up elsewhere. That's according to the city anyway.
The only voice I could hear in my head when I saw an "Enough is Enough" yard sign this morning was my mother from a quarter century ago scolding me and my sister for fighting. I really appreciate my social betters taking over her role now that I am an adult and telling me that my negativism toward their project and their mayor is "enough." Oh, wait. No, I don't.
Steve, if the hotel is such a great idea how come a private company isn't willing to take the risk and build it? The point is that this thing isn't what city government is meant for. How about the focus on lowering the crime rate, or fixing city streets, or the other things they were elected to do. If I had my way the city would not only not fund this boondoggle, but would sell the convention center off as well.
If a convention center hotel was going to fail or be unprofitable, it seems highly unlikely that Harlan Crow would spend $2.7 million to stop it. He must view it as a grand competitor to spend that amount, even if his unwitting lackeys don't. It seems to me that the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau has been doing a great job so far. They sold several thousand room-nights at the cc hotel before the ground was broken. Gotta run. It sours my mood to be around a bunch of people spewing uninformed gloom. WSJ, on the other hand, knows a confidence game when it sees one... Hotel High Noon Wall Street Journal By KRIS HUDSON Dallas real-estate mogul Harlan Crow doesn't want his city to build a planned convention-center hotel. After all, he owns a big hotel a couple of miles away. Mr. Crow and his family's investment vehicle, Crow Holdings, are the primary financial backers of an initiative seeking to prohibit city ownership of convention hotels. The initiative is responding to a plan by the Dallas City Council to build a $356 million, 1,000-room hotel on eight acres adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center. Dallas voters cast ballots on May 9. The Crow-led antihotel effort has raised roughly $2.7 million, mostly from Crow interests. They argue the hotel will burden the city's balance sheet. Often left unsaid is that the Crow family owns the 30-year-old, 1,600-room Hilton Anatole hotel, which hosts its share of convention-goers. Mr. Crow, the 59-year-old scion of the late development-and-brokerage magnate Trammell Crow, declined to comment. City officials say the hotel plan will succeed because the city can borrow at lower rates than private developers and a planned $50 million reserve account for the hotel will cover shortfalls. The city would issue revenue bonds to finance the hotel, to be managed by Omni Hotels.
Once I saw the legs on the gal that got out of the cab, I completely forgot about the ad message. I sure hope they got all of the mud slinging done during the first takes. I would be royally pissed if I had to endure the mud splatting against me during several takes.
I don't think that's mud. Those are just ordinary Dallasites enjoying Hot Fudge Friday. Now <a href="http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2009/04/29/jim-schutze-and-rod-dreher-ctd/#comments">Tim Rogers agreeing there's not a dime's bit of difference between Jim Schutze and Rod Dreher</a>, THAT's mud! Or, um, something.
It might not technically be a lie. It's possible the city would not legally be on the hook for the money if the hotel defaults. But municipal bond investors are assuming that Dallas will cover the shortfall, so expect astronomical rates in the future if the city decides to walk away from this project. On the plus side, we will saved the taxpayers of Dallas from funding an unprofitable hotel. The downside is that the hotel default will make Dallas a bad credit risk in the muni market. The cost of borrowing money to do ordinary things like fixing the sewer systems and roads will skyrocket (you know, all those boring things that the city is actually supposed to be doing). But hey, we'll have all that convention business.
Maybe it's not a lie. Perhaps the city has concrete plans to simply default on the bonds if the hotel ever loses money or uses any of its reserve fund. Yes, the bonds will be backed with a promise to use taxpayer funds if the hotel doesn't generate enough to pay them, but what's a promise really worth? Surely there's no downside to that idea.
What's with the last line of the ad: "Tell them Dallas isn't for sale?" WTF, that doesn't make any sense.
They must think we are all idiots! The ad is funny until you think it is aimed at five year old adults, instead of adults who think. Ah, classism survives in Dallas. In other words, now they are going after the non-thinkers among us. What's next?....a visit from a holy saint in the middle of the night saying that it is pre-ordained that a convention hotel be built right HERE!! I'm counting on Saint Barbara to do this.
Castrol motor oil called - they want their ad campaign back. <i>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9RttyUQiws</i>
this video is a lot funnier if you imagine Leppert projectile-diarrhea farting on random people.
I feel like this is kind of a stupid, naive question, but is it really legal to lie in political ads such as this?
Enough is Enough! How can these people keep on lying to the people of Dallas? When the hotel loses money the deficit will be made up from the City of Dallas general fund. The bonds will cover the creation of the $50 million operating fund. Any money taken out of the $50 million pot will be replaced by tax dollars in the same year in which it was removed.
So if tax money is not paying for the hotel (they will use bonds), the hotel is built (when was the last city building built on time and budget?), and the hotel loses money -- who is responsible for the bill? Mayor Tom? Nope, the tax payers. Reunion, Victory, and the CC Hotel are all in the same mold.