GUSTAV

Unwelcome Guest Tones Down Kickoff

Downgraded Hurricane Has GOP Optimistic That Normal Convention Schedule Might Take Shape Soon

by Bill Swindell and Erin McPike

Monday, Sept. 1, 2008


They gave a convention and suddenly a telethon broke out, thanks to an unwelcome guest named Gustav.

As Hurricane Gustav made landfall this morning just west of New Orleans, Republicans were prepared to kick off their nominating convention this afternoon in St. Paul with no-frills appeals from first lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain, the wife of GOP presidential nominee-in-waiting Sen. John McCain, to support hurricane victims.

"We will try to not overly politicize it," said Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager, who added the women will appear on stage without music or any other special effects.

Davis said convention plans were fluid, but noted that Gustav being downgraded was good news that perhaps the convention could get back on schedule. An official announcement about Tuesday's schedule was not likely until morning.

"We are more optimistic than we were a day ago," Davis said. "We hope to regain our schedule at some point." He stressed that McCain plans to give his acceptance speech in St. Paul, dismissing speculation that it could be from a Gulf Coast location.

GOP aides privately said Monday's speaking schedule would likely be slated for Tuesday evening, with the rest of the week remaining in flux.

The scaled-back first day came without any of the usual trappings of a political convention. President Bush, who was supposed to speak tonight, stayed home, and while most evening parties were still on as scheduled, many organizers decided to collect money for hurricane victims from attendees and some sponsors promised their own cash.

A "Friends of New Orleans" party that had been billed as a post-Katrina fundraising event took on extra significance as rain and winds pounded the Gulf Coast.

Another party that had been billed as a "Minnesota Mardi Gras" was recast by the host, National Review, as an ordinary reception after the guest of honor, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, stayed home to deal with the storm and its aftermath.

The shifting focus from the GOP to Gustav also had an impact on the Democratic ticket. Vice Presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Biden canceled plans to participate in a Labor Day parade in Pittsburgh, and Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama was planning to return to Chicago tonight "to closely monitor the hurricane."

Convention organizers and McCain campaign officials said no decisions had been made about resuming the normal convention schedule Tuesday.

But while little news was being made on the convention floor, there were still plenty of developments of note -- and some concern -- for Republicans. GOP vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska put to rest reports that her youngest child was actually her daughter's baby by saying that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. "I think it's a private family matter," said Steve Schmidt, McCain's senior campaign adviser. "Life happens to families. I think that if people try to politicize this, the American people will be appalled by it."

And former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, also ran against McCain and was viewed as a short-list contender for vice president, told reporters today he has no interest in serving in a McCain Cabinet, saying he would not relish being "soldiered by 27-year-olds in the White House.... That is not an attractive position, in my view."

The floor of the Xcel Energy Center was mostly empty this morning as a four-piece jazz band played in front of an enormous video loop of a fluttering Old Glory. But there was a bit of excitement as Laura Bush appeared briefly on stage for a walk through.

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson said a large crowd would likely be on hand today because it will be the only chance for the delegates to rally. He praised McCain's decision to curtail today's program, saying, "I think everyone is applauding his vision."

Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman told reporters at a suite overlooking the convention floor this morning that, compared to the Democratic convention last week in Denver, the GOP event will have "a more constructive tone, aside obviously from the change that we've seen from the storm, which requires us to take off our partisan hats."

But Larry Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political science professor, said McCain and the Republicans might pay a steep price for the storm-caused changes.

"I think it's bad news," he said. "It's unilateral disarmament. You've got the Democrats rallying behind positive, orchestrated free media. The Republicans are ceding that opportunity." The GOP is portraying McCain "as a leader in charge, but it's not the same in terms of coverage. Put it this way, it's second best."

Rutgers University pollster Cliff Zukin said the idea that the GOP can run with the "Country First" angle is "probably making lemonade out of lemons."

One GOP lobbyist noted that party officials were frustrated that Republicans could not attack Democrats because they would appear insensitive because of the hurricane, but that Democrats would have a freer hand by invoking the specter of the Bush administration's failure to deal with Hurricane Katrina.

During his briefing, Davis sounded more like a Federal Emergency Management Agency than a political operative, saying how Republicans were ramping up their outreach efforts, including assembling 80,000 "comfort packages" with items provided by Target Corp. and shipped by FedEx Corp.

They will also ramp up a fundraising drive with a phone bank for specific charities in each state. An information center was established so Gulf Coast delegates could receive one-stop information on the latest news on the storm. Republican officials also are encouraging groups and businesses participating in convention activities to provide assistance as well.

While natural disasters have not disrupted national political conventions, such events been marked in history by disruptions by war and riots. The 1864 Republican convention in Baltimore was held in the midst of the Civil War. The party downplayed its partisanship and dubbed the event as a "National Union Convention" in an attempt to rally support for the Union side. The Democrats held their convention in Chicago, where party faithful gathered even though about 2,000 Confederate prisoners were held as prisoners nearby.

-- with Athena Jones, Carrie Dann, Humberto Sanchez and Mike Memoli contributing

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