TAMPA â€" The truncated 2012 Republican convention gets underway in earnest Tuesday, delayed by a storm threat and distracted by fears of a hurricane aiming at the northern Gulf Coast.
USA TODAY, Robert Deutsch
Attendees at the brief Monday session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa bow their heads during the benediction.
USA TODAY, Robert Deutsch
Attendees at the brief Monday session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa bow their heads during the benediction.
Sponsored Links
The GOP performed a brief session on Monday, but the real action starts Tuesday afternoon with the formal nomination of Mitt Romney, who is to arrive in Tampa on Tuesday, as President Obama's challenger on Nov. 6.
Over the weekend, Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus and other planners condensed a four-day program into three because of worry about Tropical Storm Isaac, but Isaac largely bypassed Tampa on Monday. The GOP could still make schedule changes if Isaac turns into a hurricane and does major damage to the Gulf Coast. The storm is poised for landfall seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and other areas.
There is a risk of seeming tone deaf "if the rest of the county is riveted on any kind of horrific weather event," Republican strategist Rick Davis, who was John McCain's campaign manager during McCain's 2008 presidential run, told CBS News. Republicans canceled the first day of their convention four years ago when Hurricane Gustav approached Louisiana. "If you've got balloons falling from the ceiling, you look horribly out of tune."
As Romney and Obama enter the final 10 weeks of a long campaign, many polls show the president is considered more likeable. Republicans hope to change that image this week, starting with tonight's speech by Ann Romney. She will help voters get to know her husband as "a great, decent family-loving guy," said Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va., in a session with USA TODAY reporters.
The early wind and rain in Florida affected a number of convention activities â€" including protests. A march that planners had hoped would attract 5,000 people drew only a few hundred.
The shortened convention schedule prompted discussion of future changes. Some Republicans, including Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, wondered whether the confab should have been scheduled for a full four days in the first place.
"These are very expensive propositions to put on," Boehner said at a lunch hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. "I think, given as much news as people get today and the way they get their news, I'm not sure having a four-day convention in the future makes a lot of sense."
RNC schedule
Highlights of Tuesday’s schedule for the Republican National Convention (all times ET):
7-8 p.m. ET
Speaker John Boehner
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus
Former senator Rick Santorum
8-9 p.m. ET
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.)
Gov. Bob McDonnell (Va.)
Gov. Scott Walker (Wis.)
9-10 p.m. ET
Gov. Brian Sandoval (Nev.)
Senate Candidate Ted Cruz (Texas)
Gov. Nikki Haley (S.C.)
10-11 p.m. ET
Ann Romney
Gov. Chris Christie (N.J.)
Contributing: Jackie Kucinich, Catalina Camia, Susan Davis
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar