Gov. Charlie Crist just made an appearance at the Republican National Convention, if only remotely through a pre-taped address.Crist was third in a lineup of four Republican governors from Gulf States who bowed out of the convention as Hurricane Gustav stormed across the Gulf of Mexico."Floridians are all too familiar with the destruction that these storms can bring," Crist said. "We stand ready to help."Crist appeared in a blue polo shirt in front of a marina, where a steady wind was whipping palm trees and gently tossing boats.Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley also made video appearances. Perry stood sternly on a tarmac in front of a massive, C-130 National Guard cargo plane. Behind him, crew members unloaded hospital patients evacuated from the storm.First Lady Laura Bush, who appeared as a stand in for President George Bush, introduced the clips. She said her husband skipped a planned convention address to go to Austin and monitor storm response.The clips and Laura Bush's appearance drove home the theme of the day, that Republicans put disaster recovery above partisan politics. However, she noted that all of the Gulf Coast governors appearing in the video clips were, "strong leaders" and noted that, "of course, they're all Republicans.""First, we're all Americans," she said. "Our shared ideal will always transcend political parties and partisanship," she said.
Updated 5:41 p.m.
ST. PAUL -- Former Republican Party of Florida vice chairman Allison DeFoor is a seventh-generation Floridian who once wore a sheriff's badge in the Florida Keys and served as former Gov. Jeb Bush's "Everglades Czar."His long list of accomplishments include being a running mate with former Gov. Bob Martinez on a 1990 ticket that lost to Democrat Lawton Chiles.Most Capitol observers know DeFoor, however, as the diminutive political player who appears daily in walking shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. DeFoor has taken a lot of grief for his casual attire over the years, especially at Cabinet meetings. But now that his fellow Florida delegates to the Republican National Convention have adopted a loud, Florida-themed Hawaiian shirt as the official convention uniform, DeFoor is in heaven."This is absolutely fantastic," he said Monday as the 114 delegates and 111 alternates gathered for a group photo on an empty stage in the Lowry Theatre in downtown St. Paul, a few blocks from the Xcel Energy Center. "If I were elected president, the first thing I would do is outlaw suits."
updated 4:56
ST. PAUL -- The announcement from the McCain campaign this afternoon that the 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is pregnant will not damage the ticket's chances of taking Florida on Nov. 4, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer said this afternoon.Greer said the 44-year-old, first-term-governor, whose pro-life stance has energized religious conservatives, has approached the family problem as any mother should, with love and support."My thought is she's been a very conservative elected official in the way she's governed," Greer said. "She's a mother first before she's an elected official and it's not the daughter that is the candidate."
Updated 4:34 p.m.
ST. PAUL -- A Minneapolis patrol car with smashed windows blocked one intersection and SWAT teams in gleaming black body armor surrounded the Excel Energy Center less than a half hour before the opening floor session of the Republican National Convention this afternoon.Anti-war protestors chanted slogans and raised "Funk the War" signs as delegates threaded their way through a protest parade and streets cordoned off by armed security.Kay Nelson, a 59-year-old Minneapolis native, stood in the blazing sun on Wabasha Avenue and 8th Street, sweat streaming from her brow, and complained that police were blocking her from joining a protest parade a block away."This is Orwellian, it's '1984' around here," Nelson said. "It's the death of democracy in my city and nobody is paying attention."Two blocks behind her, on Wabasha and Sixth Street, a police cruiser stood empty with its windshield and rear window smashed. A long line of protesters, many of them with their faces painted and others dressed in black T-shirts, flashed peace signs for news photographers and smiled as they streamed past the damaged cruiser.Meanwhile, convention organizers were nervously watching damage reports from Hurricane Gustav, still waiting to hear whether Arizona Gov. John McCain will accept his nomination in person at the convention on Thursday."It would be a good opportunity to introduce the public to the vice presidential nominee," said former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Al Cardenas, who is largely credited with being the architect of the party's rise to power in Florida over the past decade. "The selection really galvanized the conservative base."Cardenas was referring to McCain's surprise selection Friday of the relatively unknown Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Cardenas made the statement shortly before the campaign announced that Palin's 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant and planning to marry the father."Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates," Palin and her her husband, Todd, said in a prepared statement.
Earlier update
Minneapolis -- Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer today began the delicate task of "celebrating" party unity and toning down partisan politics while Hurricane Gustav barreled down on the Gulf Coast and organizers of the Republican National Convention scaled back the agenda.
More than 200 Florida delegates and alternates are doing their part by cancelling a Thursday night victory pool party at the Airport Marriott. Greer said Florida Republicans hope to raise at least $10,000 -- the cost of the event -- for the American Red Cross, another charity yet to be named and a fund that supports Florida victims of Tropical Storm Fay.
"We're here to give our thoughts and our prayers to our fellow Americans in the Southern states," Greer said. "This is not our finest hour, this is our most appropriate hour. Florida gets it once again. We lead the states in showing that we are concerned." Greer told reporters at a morning briefing that it will not be impossible take the politics out of the party's biggest political event.
"You can continue to distinguish between the two political parties," he said. "There is still the business of the day. It's a balance, a delicate balance."The balancing act will not include a scheduled keynote address by President George W. Bush and Gov. Charlie Crist, told reporters at a hurricane briefing in Tallahassee this morning that he will not attend."Public service is what we're focused on, what I'm focused on and that's where it'll continue to be," he said.This morning it was s still up in the air whether Arizona Sen. John McCain, the GOP presidential nominee, will even attend.Republicans are still fired up by McCain's surprise pick of a relative unknown, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, as his vice presidential pick, an announcement he made Friday. Gustav has given the party a chance to demonstrate it can remain above the fray of partisan politics and still get the business done of crowning a nominee, said Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Indialantic."We've spent the first few days focusing on the storm," Haridopolos said. "All we can do right now is catch up with friends from around the country. There's plenty of time for politics later. "Meanwhile, Florida Republicans plan a group photo later this morning at a theater in downtown St. Paul and a luncheon party featuring lawn bowling this afternoon before the first floor session at the Excel Energy Center."I think we're going to focus more on America and less on politics," said Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp before the prayer breakfast. "This is certainly going to be a contrast to conventions of the past."
ST. PAUL -- Former Republican Party of Florida vice chairman Allison DeFoor is a seventh-generation Floridian who once wore a sheriff's badge in the Florida Keys and served as former Gov. Jeb Bush's "Everglades Czar."His long list of accomplishments include being a running mate with former Gov. Bob Martinez on a 1990 ticket that lost to Democrat Lawton Chiles.Most Capitol observers know DeFoor, however, as the diminutive political player who appears daily in walking shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. DeFoor has taken a lot of grief for his casual attire over the years, especially at Cabinet meetings. But now that his fellow Florida delegates to the Republican National Convention have adopted a loud, Florida-themed Hawaiian shirt as the official convention uniform, DeFoor is in heaven."This is absolutely fantastic," he said Monday as the 114 delegates and 111 alternates gathered for a group photo on an empty stage in the Lowry Theatre in downtown St. Paul, a few blocks from the Xcel Energy Center. "If I were elected president, the first thing I would do is outlaw suits."
updated 4:56
ST. PAUL -- The announcement from the McCain campaign this afternoon that the 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is pregnant will not damage the ticket's chances of taking Florida on Nov. 4, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer said this afternoon.Greer said the 44-year-old, first-term-governor, whose pro-life stance has energized religious conservatives, has approached the family problem as any mother should, with love and support."My thought is she's been a very conservative elected official in the way she's governed," Greer said. "She's a mother first before she's an elected official and it's not the daughter that is the candidate."
Updated 4:34 p.m.
ST. PAUL -- A Minneapolis patrol car with smashed windows blocked one intersection and SWAT teams in gleaming black body armor surrounded the Excel Energy Center less than a half hour before the opening floor session of the Republican National Convention this afternoon.Anti-war protestors chanted slogans and raised "Funk the War" signs as delegates threaded their way through a protest parade and streets cordoned off by armed security.Kay Nelson, a 59-year-old Minneapolis native, stood in the blazing sun on Wabasha Avenue and 8th Street, sweat streaming from her brow, and complained that police were blocking her from joining a protest parade a block away."This is Orwellian, it's '1984' around here," Nelson said. "It's the death of democracy in my city and nobody is paying attention."Two blocks behind her, on Wabasha and Sixth Street, a police cruiser stood empty with its windshield and rear window smashed. A long line of protesters, many of them with their faces painted and others dressed in black T-shirts, flashed peace signs for news photographers and smiled as they streamed past the damaged cruiser.Meanwhile, convention organizers were nervously watching damage reports from Hurricane Gustav, still waiting to hear whether Arizona Gov. John McCain will accept his nomination in person at the convention on Thursday."It would be a good opportunity to introduce the public to the vice presidential nominee," said former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Al Cardenas, who is largely credited with being the architect of the party's rise to power in Florida over the past decade. "The selection really galvanized the conservative base."Cardenas was referring to McCain's surprise selection Friday of the relatively unknown Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Cardenas made the statement shortly before the campaign announced that Palin's 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant and planning to marry the father."Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates," Palin and her her husband, Todd, said in a prepared statement.
Earlier update
Minneapolis -- Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer today began the delicate task of "celebrating" party unity and toning down partisan politics while Hurricane Gustav barreled down on the Gulf Coast and organizers of the Republican National Convention scaled back the agenda.
More than 200 Florida delegates and alternates are doing their part by cancelling a Thursday night victory pool party at the Airport Marriott. Greer said Florida Republicans hope to raise at least $10,000 -- the cost of the event -- for the American Red Cross, another charity yet to be named and a fund that supports Florida victims of Tropical Storm Fay.
"We're here to give our thoughts and our prayers to our fellow Americans in the Southern states," Greer said. "This is not our finest hour, this is our most appropriate hour. Florida gets it once again. We lead the states in showing that we are concerned." Greer told reporters at a morning briefing that it will not be impossible take the politics out of the party's biggest political event.
"You can continue to distinguish between the two political parties," he said. "There is still the business of the day. It's a balance, a delicate balance."The balancing act will not include a scheduled keynote address by President George W. Bush and Gov. Charlie Crist, told reporters at a hurricane briefing in Tallahassee this morning that he will not attend."Public service is what we're focused on, what I'm focused on and that's where it'll continue to be," he said.This morning it was s still up in the air whether Arizona Sen. John McCain, the GOP presidential nominee, will even attend.Republicans are still fired up by McCain's surprise pick of a relative unknown, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, as his vice presidential pick, an announcement he made Friday. Gustav has given the party a chance to demonstrate it can remain above the fray of partisan politics and still get the business done of crowning a nominee, said Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Indialantic."We've spent the first few days focusing on the storm," Haridopolos said. "All we can do right now is catch up with friends from around the country. There's plenty of time for politics later. "Meanwhile, Florida Republicans plan a group photo later this morning at a theater in downtown St. Paul and a luncheon party featuring lawn bowling this afternoon before the first floor session at the Excel Energy Center."I think we're going to focus more on America and less on politics," said Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp before the prayer breakfast. "This is certainly going to be a contrast to conventions of the past."
Florida Capital Political Editor Bill Cotterell contributed to this report.
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