With the convention beginning today after an unexpected vice presidential candidate announcement bounce, the GOP looked to be heading into a week of celebrating their ticket and platform in St. Paul. Instead, the Republican National Committee will be toning down the party for the party as Hurricane Gustav makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico toward the coast.
According to Politico.com, President Bush has canceled his plans to attend the convention as he works with officials at the federal, state and local levels on an active response to Gustav's probable landing on the Gulf Coast states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Sen. John McCain, who said on Fox News Sunday yesterday that the convention could be rescheduled, may address the convention via satellite connection from the area of devastation on Thursday. While many of the speakers are still expected to attend the convention, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, who was scheduled to speak after presumptive vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on Wednesday, will not be in St. Paul.
The memory of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation it wrought upon the Gulf Coast is on the minds of observers this week, and the decision to retool the convention in preparation for the worst was both a good political move and the right thing to do. No matter the party, the traditional celebrations associated with political conventions would appear callous while parts of the country are being ravaged by a national disaster. Particularly after their lackadaisical efforts post-Katrina, Republican officials, including the president, don't need a public relations nightmare to slow down the political momentum of the past few weeks.
Much more importantly, the GOP should put aside politics during a time when people's homes and lives could be destroyed. Even if the storm dissipates and the low-key convention was all for naught, the exercise in restraint could provide Republicans and Democrats alike some reflection on the often ridiculous nature of national conventions.
Instead of a wild week of shameless self-promotion for television, Republicans look like they have opted for a convention that will allow the party to complete its business of nominating a candidate for president. Americans can expect the necessary party boilerplate, but we should all hope there would be plenty of TV time devoted to a part of the country threatened by natural disaster.
