Whitehouse on the Road: The Republican National Convention, Day 1

Updated 11:10 p.m. CST - Ramsey's focus on state races, a sample of time-killing options for an abbreviated schedule, and more...

Email | Print By Ken Whitehouse

Update 11:10 p.m. CST - What a strange day it has been.

It's kind of hard to even begin to add to what has already been posted here today. Between the hurricane, Palin family news, protesters and a shortened business day for delegates, it was somewhat a surreal day in politics.

Add to that the fact that a protester pepper sprayed CNN’s Donna Brazile as she walked into the convention hall by a protester. Obviously, whoever fired that one off either doesn’t know that she is one of the biggest liberals up here or must have thought it was Fox’s Bill O’Reilly in disguise.

The way things stand, we are supposed to have a normal convention schedule tomorrow evening. But depending on the extent of the damage in the Gulf Coast, things could quickly change.

There were a few corporate parties this evening thrown to honor various delegations, but by the time I got back to the hotel where the Tennessee delegation is staying, I noticed a sea of orange at the bar paying rapt attention to the football game. Sorry folks.

Since there is no way of knowing for sure what the schedule will be tomorrow, I took the liberty of pulling some brochures of area attractions out of the hotel lobby.

Should delegates have more unexpected free time tomorrow, they can attend the Plymouth Playhouse production of “Church Basement Ladies 2: A Second Helping” – the brochure says “you’ll laugh until your side dish hurts” – or visit “Treeology,” where you can “celebrate a tribute to trees.” (I’m not making this stuff up.) Another option is taking a quick drive down the road to scenic Austin, Minn., home of the “amazing but true” SPAM Museum.

Given those options, it’s a sure bet that the Alabama delegation will be driving over to the Mall of America to hit up the “Build-a-Bear Workshop.”

Until tomorrow…
 

Update 6:05 p.m. CST -  Not a whole lot about the mood has changed here over the course of the day.

Both Laura Bush and Cindy McCain, who spoke earlier this afternoon, encouraged delegates to support the Gulf Coast states in the face of Hurricane Gustav. In that vein, a video was also shown on the convention floor of most of the governors from the Gulf Coast states, expressing their regret that they would be unable to join in the convention.

From walking around St. Paul, I have seen a slightly larger protester population here than was present in Denver, though I have to say that the protesters here have a decidedly more anti-establishment temper to them rather than any specific anti-Republican leanings.

But it is unlikely that the protesters will put any more of a damper on the convention given the logistical set up. In fact, as many delegates board buses at their hotels to be taken directly into the secure zone, it's entirely possible that some of them may go the whole convention without hearing a single protest slogan. 

The day has been winding down slowly. I will be posting one more update later this evening.
 

Update 2:40 p.m. CST - It seems ironic that a hurricane could so effectively take the wind out of an event's sails. But that's the situation right now.

That is not to say that the Tennessee delegates I have been walking around with are anything but excited to be here. But with the one-two punch of Hurricane Gustav and the subsequent revelation concerning VP hopeful Sarah Palin's pregnant 17-year-old daughter, the mood on the floor more than subdued.

Everyone seems a bit confused, like they are unsure of how to act in light of today's events. Surely, the mood will lighten however as the convention revs up in the coming days.

We are in the Xcel Energy Center, home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild, and which is slightly larger than our own Sommet Center. Still to come today are speeches from Cindy McCain and Laura Bush. Following that, receptions not sanctioned by the RNC will still go on as planned.

Several of the Tennessee delegates have told me, however, that they plan to use the truncated schedule and light reception line-up as an excuse to catch the UT-UCLA football game later this evening.

More to come following the speeches.

Update 11:08 a.m. CST - With Hurricane Gustav being the news of the day, a lot of things are on hold here. As most of you know by now, the GOP is running an abbreviated schedule today and will finish up their official business early. That news didn’t seem to bother many delegates given the fact that UCLA plays Tennessee tonight.

At a morning breakfast of Tennessee delegates, the keynote speaker was Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey. He said that since John McCain has a 24-point lead in Tennessee, people should not expect to see much of McCain or vice presidential pick Sarah Palin in the state.

He then launched into the importance of legislative races in the state, calling attention to House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower’s need to pick up four seats in the state house to get a majority as well as his own need to get at least one more seat in the state senate.

Among legislative members in attendance were State representatives Glen Casada, Jimmy Eldridge and Eric Watson as well as state senators Jamie Woodson and Mark Norris. If I left anyone out, I apologize.

Non-elected but well known individuals in the room included Nashville businessman Ted Welch, AT&T Tennessee President Gregg Morton, freshly arrived from the Democratic Convention in Denver, and former Congressman Van Hilleary.

I am getting ready to head down to the convention hall and will update you with more later in the day.


9:00 a.m. CST - After spending one week at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, touching down at the Republican convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul was a bit of culture shock.

Here are a few things you learn when arriving in Minnesota:

1. They really talk like they are all on the set of the movie “Fargo.”
2. All of the “funk and groove” in the state was poured into the artist currently known as Prince. Once you realize that, you get the feeling that the entire state is at one giant church social in Watertown.
3. Minnesota is not a backward state, but it is a step back in time. One of the largest stores inside the famed Mall of America is a scrapbooking store. Nirvana is “new music” and we can only guess what will happen here when the kids find out Kurt Cobain is dead.
4. Waldo in the “Where’s Waldo” books was replaced here by Kirby Puckett.
5. A triage has been set up at the “Lake Wobegon – Garrison Keillor” store for liberals during the GOP convention. Sound clips of Jimmy Carter and Bobby Kennedy are piped in while an Al Gore impersonator serves the afflicted with “balanced earth” smoothies. Apparently, the John Edwards foot rub was canceled.

Let me also apologize to all for this oversight: When I landed in Minnesota, I forgot to take a photo of the entrance to the infamous Larry Craig bathroom. I was tired, hadn’t slept, but my forgetting was unforgivable.

Other than sleeping a little bit over the weekend, I attended a welcome party for the media thrown by the GOP. Democrats had one in Denver too, but I got there too late for that.

Upon arriving at the Saturday night party, I ran into Kevin Phillips of Brentwood PR firm Jarrard, Phillips, Cate & Hancock; Toby Compton, who is taking a week off from the staff of Mayor Karl Dean; and former Sundquist staffer Jennifer Hatten, who is about to move to D.C. to work for a banking industry association. The three are here volunteering for the Republican National Committee for the week.

The party was held on the banks of the Mississippi River with Native American dancers providing the entertainment and local vendors handing out food grown in Minnesota. While perusing the food carts, I was joined by Tennessee Republican Party chair Robin Smith and state party staffer Mark Winslow. Winslow formerly served on the staff of Bill Frist when he was in the U.S. Senate.

Smith said she had arrived earlier in the week because she was on the GOP Rules Committee. That committee decides the “who, what, where, how, and when” of most party procedures that the general public never really becomes acquainted with, unless there is a real showdown between people or factions. It’s obscure to most, but nonetheless important.

Laying off the political questions for the night, Smith, Winslow, myself and other Tennesseans walked around talking to people from all over the country and taking a few pictures. Among those we met were former U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana, Megan Kelly of Fox News Mornings, and Prinscella Smith of the Newt Gingrich American Solutions organization “Drill Here, Drill Now.”

I was later ambushed at one point by a “correspondent” from Comedy Central, who started asking me questions about Alaskan governor and new veep candidate Sarah Palin, but I told him I was a reporter and that I really didn’t want to deal with him. I have never seen a comedian look so dejected as he looked after that. I wonder if Sam Donaldson ever looked like that when he got rebuffed.

Speaking of Palin, the announcement of her appointment came while I was on the plane from Denver. Interestingly, the Tennessee delegation to the convention is actually sharing a hotel with delegates from Alaska. Since people are still arriving, I’ve had little opportunity to ask them what they thought of the pick.

The real conversations have surrounded what will happen with Hurricane Gustav. As I am sure many of you have heard by now, there is talk of scaling back the convention; canceling of events, etc. We will just have to wait and see how things go on that one.

As of last night, the Republican National Committee had heeded a call from McCain to scale back the events and will only run an abbreviated Monday schedule. Things are still up in the air as to how the rest of the convention will proceed. It looks like McCain might not even make it here, choosing to address the delegates via satellite from the Gulf Coast.

There is already talk of delegates taking time out to do volunteer projects this week, a plan that was previously unscheduled. To be fair to Democrats, we should mention that each state’s delegation did do volunteer projects in Denver last week.

As part of the festivities, last night the city of Minneapolis hosted a welcome reception for all delegates. Security wasn’t all that tight, at least seeing as how I got in.

The room was full of political memorabilia like former President Ronald Reagan’s and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidential limos, a replica of a portion of Air Force One and a scale model of the White House.

Walking through the room looking for Tennesseans, I ran into former Nashville Predators owner and current owner of the Minnesota Wild, Craig Leipold. A delegate to the convention for Minnesota, Leipold also has the added distinction of having the convention being held on his “home ice” in St. Paul.

When asked if he had any messages for Nashville, Leipold said, “I miss all of my friends in Tennessee. They treated me like family there. I hope we will get to visit soon.”

And just so you don’t think I didn’t ask, he did decline to discuss a certain guy named ‘Boots’ Del Biaggio.

As for the real Tennesseans in the room, Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris was in attendance, as was House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower and his wife Alicia, State Rep. Eric Watson, Shelby County D.A. Bill Gibbons, Huckabee delegates Steve and Deanna Kuhn of Franklin, and Randy, Marty and Lauren Fairbanks of Soddy Daisy. Lauren is the youngest Tennessee delegate at age 19, she is a MTSU marketing major.

This morning, I will be heading to the Tennessee Republican delegation breakfast, where I know Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, State Senators Norris, Jack Johnson and others will be in attendance. I will give you an update on that and more later.