That decision has not yet been made, but it certainly appears the Democrats are laying the groundwork. Due to the weather, of course (wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more).

Via Toby Harnden:

Democrats  are poised to avoid the danger of President Barack Obama accepting his party’s  nomination before a partially-empty stadium by shifting his speech to an indoor  arena and citing ‘severe weather’.

The  Obama campaign have been working desperately to ensure that the 74,000-seater  Bank of America stadium in Charlotte would be filled.

Buses for students from across North Carolina and even members of black churches in  neighboring South Carolina have been arranged.

Footage  of rows of empty seats at the stadium, home  of the Carolina Panthers, as Obama speaks on  Thursday night would be politically disastrous – an enduring image of the  contrast between his campaign of ‘hope’ and ‘change’ in 2008 and his dour,  negative struggle for re-election in 2012.

Now,  it looks like the weather has come to the President’s  rescue.

As  officials prepare to open the Democratic convention this afternoon, there are  strong indications that the speech will be moved to Time Warner Cable Arena,  which has a capacity of just over 20,000.

Speaking  at a background briefing for the press, a Democratic official said that the  speech would be given in the stadium ‘rain or shine’ before quickly adding a  major caveat.

‘We do have a contingency plan, though, for lightning or other severe weather,’ he said. ‘We don’t want to put anyone in harm’s way so that’s really what we’re  looking for, not if it’s going to rain but if it’s going to be really bad.

My guess is that Team Obama is praying for rain. In the spirit of bipartisanship I have a suggestion: Why not have Elizabeth Warren perform one of her ancestral rain dances? Or would that be cheating?