First thoughts: Day 1 is canceled
Posted: Monday, September 01, 2008 9:16 AM by Mark Murray
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First Thoughts
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
ST. PAUL, MN -- McCain is getting his Bush night after all; it’s just different (and a bit more positive for him) than we thought it would be. For the last couple of weeks, we believed that McCain actually would be better off having no convention at all. Why? For someone who wants to prove to voters than he’s not Bush and not your typical Republican, four days of speeches by the president, Cheney, and other GOPers weren’t going to be a positive development for his campaign. But now due to Hurricane Gustav barreling down the Gulf Coast, not only are Bush and Cheney skipping the event, but today’s entire slate of events is canceled. What’s more, McCain -- by traveling yesterday to Mississippi, expressing concern about the hurricane, and even canceling the first day of events -- is able to demonstrate he’s no George Bush, or at least not the Bush of August 2005. Indeed, we’ve come full circle in a way: More than any other event, Hurricane Katrina wrecked the GOP’s image and brand. Now with Gustav, it’s trying to do everything it can to get it right. On the other hand, we can’t stress enough how canceling at least part of the GOP convention is going to cost McCain and the Republican Party. They were counting on four days of clear frontal assaults on Obama after the Democrat’s own tough speech on Thursday. Now, at the most, they get three days. Maybe two.
*** McCain’s Gulf Coast advantage: Some Democrats we heard from cried foul that McCain and Palin briefly traveled to Mississippi yesterday at the request of Gov. Haley Barbour (R), while Obama and Biden chose to stay away. "The thing that I always am concerned about in the middle of a storm is whether we're drawing resources away from folks on the ground,” Obama said, “because the Secret Service and various security requirements sometimes it pulls police, fire, and other departments away from concentrating on the job.” Yet do realize that McCain has a political advantage here: All the governors along the Gulf Coast -- Barbour, Jindal, Perry, and Riley -- are Republicans. Then again, if disaster strikes and the response to the hurricane is poor, that advantage could quickly turn into a disadvantage.
*** The Dynamic Duo: By the way, the most amusing thing about last night’s “60 Minutes” Obama-Biden interview was how easily Biden jumped in to answer questions. He seemed to walk the line of being the No.2 who still had designs on being the No.1. That said, the papers are full of pieces today noting the easy chemistry between Obama and Biden. Will we see similar articles about McCain and Palin next week?
*** Today’s convention schedule: While today’s slate of convention speeches is canceled, some essential convention business will occur between 4:00 pm and 6:30 pm ET. That includes the call to order, receiving the report from the credentials committee, adopting the rules, electing the officers, and adopting the party platform. All else -- what happens on Tues, Wed., Thurs; whether McCain and Palin will be present to accept their nominations; who might speak on the remaining days -- is to be determined, said McCain campaign manager Rick Davis yesterday.
*** Also in the Twin Cities: Cindy McCain attends a breakfast with the Louisiana delegation in Minneapolis. And the GOP holds a conference call with reporters at 11:00 am ET to update them on the convention.
*** On the trail: Obama remains in Michigan, where he attends a Labor Day rally for workers in Detroit and then hits a BBQ at the Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 671 in Monroe.
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 65 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 142 days
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