Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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September 1, 2008

Republican Party to Open Scaled-Back National Convention
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1DF9C46:A6F02AD83191E160F82A1977C66503A67F0EB4B66EA3A89D&
 
Republican convention will be a working event to officially nominate
John Mc Cain 
The Republican Party opens its national convention with a dramatically
reduced schedule of events late today, as the nation focuses its
attention on Hurricane Gustav and its impact on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
From St. Paul, Minnesota, which is hosting the convention, VOA's Michael
Bowman reports. A television displays a weather map of Hurricane Gustav
on day one of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Xcel
Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, 01 sep 2008Even before Hurricane
Gustav began battering southern states along the Gulf of Mexico, it
obliterated carefully-laid Republican plans for a high-powered opening
to the party's four-day national convention. Speeches by President Bush
and Vice President Cheney have been canceled. First Lady Laura Bush as
well as Cindy Mc Cain, wife of presumptive Republican presidential
nominee John Mc Cain, remain in Minnesota. But Monday's launch of the
convention will be a working event to meet procedural steps to
officially nominate Mc Cain, rather than the high-profile gala the
Republicans had envisioned. Instead of going to St. Paul, President Bush
visits an emergency operations center in Austin, Texas. Senator Mc Cain
is holding campaign events in Ohio and Pennsylvania. As Gustav
approached Sunday, Mc Cain said it was time to put politics aside and
focus on the needs of the Gulf Coast."Of course, this is a time when we
have to do away with our party politics and we have to act as
Americans," he said. "We have to join with 300 million other Americans
on behalf of our fellow citizens."Mc Cain spoke at length about
preparations that were taking shape along the Gulf Coast in advance of
the storm. Three years ago, the Bush administration was roundly
criticized for what was seen as a weak, tardy, and ineffective response
to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated parts of Louisiana and
Mississippi. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama
pledged to mobilize his base of supporters to aid hurricane victims.
Obama is campaigning in the battleground state of Michigan. Th
e scaled-back Republican National Convention is not deterring
demonstrators from making their voices heard in St. Paul. Nine
protesters were arrested Sunday near the convention site, and more
demonstrations on issues ranging from the war in Iraq to the protection
of civil liberties to the environment are expected during the day. If
convention-goers find themselves with a less-rigorous schedule, local
officials in St. Paul hope delegates will take additional time to
explore the city and spend money in the area.

 


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