Today was supposed to be the kickoff of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, but Tropical Storm Isaac, long before it reaches U.S. shores, has already wreaked a little political havoc. Over the weekend, RNC organizers scrapped today's scheduled events and speakers, turning a four-day convention into a three-day gathering.
A revised schedule was released last night, and it appears nearly all of the speakers will still have time on the stage, though it's taken quite a bit of shuffling to accommodate the lineup, and many of the speeches themselves will have to be trimmed for time.
For its part, the Obama campaign has changed its plans -- Vice President Biden canceled his planned trip to Tampa, unwilling to divert resources from a possible storm response -- but unveiled a new video over the weekend, mocking the "Convention Reinvention."
As for the larger political considerations, will the truncated convention schedule make much of a difference? Maybe a little.
For one thing, if the party conventions have taken on the qualities of high-profile, well-produced infomercials, Republican organizers had mapped out ways to push a carefully crafted message over the course of four days. Indeed, tonight was supposed to help set the tone for the week, with the RNC giving the spotlight to regular people who had ostensibly been hurt by President Obama.
Republicans have a story they want to tell and now the story will have to be shorter.
For another, Isaac will necessarily divert attention away from the convention and towards the impact of the storm. It appears very likely that Tampa will feel minimal effects, but Isaac is going to hit the Gulf Coast this week, and it's going to pack a punch. New Orleans, in particular, may feel the brunt of the impact.
While the RNC wants all eyes on its anti-Obama attacks, the media and the public will also want to know more about the victims of a significant storm. The result is "an uncomfortable split-screen image" and a Romney campaign "sharing the news spotlight."
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It will be amusing to watch how the Republican Party manages to sell a ticket the American people hate and a party platform that voters are overwhelmingly opposed to. This is not the familiar GOP. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are leaders of a fringe, extreme, out of touch conservative revolutionary enclave that is deeply unpopular with the people of this nation. Doesn't matter how many balloons are dropped, the message of the GOP is one of hate, division, austerity, archaic social positions and a general ideology that seeks to take the country backwards. America doesn't like Mitt. Nothing will change that before November. - principled progressive
This is the modern GOP, the roots of which were familiar to Willard's dad, which he campaigned honestly against.
Slick is the apple which has fallen far from the tree.
They're not "conservative". As a German friend of mine who lived through The Bad Times there once told me: "Hitler wasn't elected by the Nazis, he was elected by the conservatives who believed him when he told them he was one of them. They learned the lie too late."
These people are far right wing corporatist revolutionaries. A one word synonym is "fascist."
We have competing masses of hot air, one natural and one man-made. Which has the potential for the most damage? The GOP should be thrilled that any gaffes will be overshadowed by Isaac.
Mad Men have a long history of taking an inferior product, putting it in an attractive package, and selling it to a gullible public. After some initial enthusiasm the public wises up. New Coke. The Edsel. Time shares.
So, who does Mitt turn to in his Time of Need? "NEW! IMPROVED! FAMILY MAN! DOG LOVER!"
Massive coordinated governmental effort, dealing with the hurricane rides to the aid of "self made" GOP millionaires preaching the message of unfettered free market individualism. What could possibly go wrong here?
"Republicans have a story they want to tell and now the story will have to be shorter."
The Republicans have a woefully Galt-like tale they want to tell against a sitting president they've all too readily disrespected and thwarted over the past few years while attempting to imprint a Luntz-like set of images with nothing to do regarding actual policy and solutions to our nation's economic malaise into the heads of bored summer-time low-information voters who happen upon the staged deliberations from Tampa as they find themselves channel-surfing for da Hurricane updates!
What a fool's parade those silly Republicans are on! -Kevo
"Republicans have a story they want to tell and now the story will have to be shorter."
We were in, we knew nothing, and f&*ked up everything in our ignorance, and now we want to do it again, so vote us back in!
Yeah right!
Que Pat Robinson on God-wrought storms in 3...2...1...
Heh. Methinks thou dost protest too much.
All y'all.
So you've given up on even trying to make a point?
Based on the "points" you've made, probably a good call.
Don't forget every time to get erect trying to make liberals angry, you make the baby Jesus cry.
http://moelane.com/2012/06/09/troll-hunting-101/
Did you see the Newsroom episode with the character trying to be the king of trolls
We know what shooter and Pat aspire to , only to fail .
Better trolls please
Just remember, folks, the person who calls him/her/itself Shooter242 is nothing but a bratty troll who doesn't even believe the bull@!$%# he/she/it is shoveling. Best not to reply to that loser.
Good point merryblues....
Let's let the government stand aside on this one. Let Isaac wreak havoc, and see how well the free market, private enterprise, and religious organizations handle the response.
I'm sure all these self made, boot-strap pulling, rugged individuals can do a much better job without government interference, no?
Yeah, kind of a conflict between their version of "we the builders" and we the people. They got themselves into this cognitive dissonance trap by fabricating such nonsense about Obama's words. They just don't have enough sense to not crap into their own hats and then keep pulling it over their own eyes.
Let's let the government stand aside on this one and see how well the free market, private enterprise, and religious organizations handle the response.
Easy , just run the Katrina tapes
Won't happen. Democrats don't punish innocent people just to make a political point. We leave that to Republicans.
Which reminds me it was Govt that was responsible for the levees which failed, precipitating the Katrina water, failed to provide an evacuation, isolated everyone at the Superdome, and the local MSM which fueled false tales of anarchy.
Much like Detroit, it was a failure of Govt that exacerbated disaster. I can also tell you from personal experience in Hugo that relying on Govt for disaster relief is a 21st century demand.
Shooter, you forgot one word in your brief history lesson on the horrors of the Katrina response--it was not "government" that failed, it was *Republican* government that failed.
Just remember, folks, the person who calls him/her/itself Shooter242 is nothing but a bratty troll who doesn't even believe the bull@!$%# he/she/it is shoveling. Best not to reply to that loser.
It's sooooo nice to have clicked Pooper's "avatar" and been taken to the newsvines page where I could click "ignore this author." Which I did.
So the Republicans had to preempt their party for storm preparations. Will the Democrats preempt their party for recovery efforts? Should be interesting...
Ironically, the best optics the GOP would have had in months is if they had delayed/rescheduled/canceled the convention. Imagine had Romney acted Presidential, said "now is not the time to divert attention man power or money away from a city and state that will most definitely need all the time and attention to assist people in the midst of this disaster, therefore I humbly request, even at the expense of losing all the pomp and circumstance the convention provides, to move the nomination process to a location away from the path of the hurricane. (Activate joke mode) We'll make a pot luck supper out of it."
The media and the down-home base would have lapped that crap up like a dog on a dropped ice cream cone in July. It would have done more good to the cause than actually having the convention. But they couldn't do it. They want their party, they want to burn Obama in effigy. They were idiots to choose Tampa in August for a convention in the first place, and this confirms it. For all the joking about the hurricane being proof that od really hates Republicans, "He" actually handed them a gift on a silver platter, the chance to look like good Americans and responsible citizens putting the welfare of hurricane victims over their need for a big to-do. And like all fake Christians, they don't see it, can't accept it and don't want it.
I'd rather hear reporters talk about the wind outside than the blowhards at the podium.
Memories of Katrina is exactly what the GOP does not need.
But a repeat of Katrina is not what the DEMs need. Granted it's a weaker storm, but the levees have not been tested (and were built by the government). People who live below sea level should not take chances......
That video was hilarious. Shared to facebook.
Could someone answer a question for me? I am an Independant . I watch various broadcast trying to decide on who to vote for this election. I was surprised to see that msnbc did not show all the people at the convention who gave what would seem an important speech. Rep. Artur Davis who is a black man, Mia Love a black canidate for the US House of Representatives from Utah, and Ted Cruz a Latino running for senator in Texas. There was plenty of chances to go to break, or interupt comentation so these people could be covered. Any ideas why?