Travelling yesterday and listening to David Binder I think on Air America, i might have the name wrong...
He and others made the point that the McCain campaign didnt want either the pres or vp to speak at the convention, for the obvious reason, and now they wont have to.
This topic may have already been discussed here, if so please excuse me.
It is the first time a convention has been basically cancelled in modern history, isnt it?
Anyway, I thought it was an interesting topic.
Full Version: McCain Campaign dodged a bullet, Bush/Cheney now
Bush cancels speech at GOP convention in St. Paul
Republicans Relieved
The president says he must focus on preparations for Hurricane Gustav, which may hit New Orleans. Republican strategists are relieved that the president, and his low ratings, won't attend.
By Doyle McManus and James Gerstenzang
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
September 1, 2008
ST. PAUL, MINN. — The marquee act for opening night just canceled, but some Republicans couldn't be happier.
All year, Republican strategists have worried about showcasing President Bush at the Republican National Convention when his standing with the public lies at a near-record low.
So, when Bush canceled his planned appearance at tonight's opening session to focus on preparations for Hurricane Gustav, there were more than a few sighs of relief.
"It's a good thing," said former Rep. Dick Zimmer, the Republican candidate for Senate in New Jersey, where Bush is not especially popular. "The first thing I was asked when I won the primary was whether I planned to ask President Bush to come to New Jersey to campaign for me. The answer was no."
Dan Schnur, a former aide to John McCain, agreed. If Bush's speech had been today's main event as originally planned, he said, then media coverage of the convention might have turned into "one long Bush vs. McCain soap opera" focusing on tension between the two.
Their reactions reflected the party's conflicting views of Bush, who led them to victory in 2000 and 2004 only to see his popularity collapse in his second term.
Even before Hurricane Gustav forced Bush's decision Sunday, some Republicans said the president could help his party best by staying home this week.
"President Bush is history, and what we're trying to do is build a party and win an election based on what we're going to do in the future," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), who for months has been urging the president to stay away.
To be sure, Bush remains popular among the conservative activists who are well-represented among GOP convention delegates. Many were crestfallen that they wouldn't see the president in person.
"There's disappointment," said Philip Bryan, a spokesman for the Alabama delegation. "But most people understand that the hardship people in the Gulf Coast area are going through far outweighs the excitement of seeing President Bush and Vice President Cheney."
McCain aides have seen the convention not as a chance to show how close Bush and McCain are (they're not), but as an opportunity to tell voters how their candidate's brand of conservative government would differ from the president's.
McCain and Bush have had a prickly relationship ever since they collided in a series of bitter Republican presidential primaries in 2000. They have appeared on camera together only twice during this campaign, and as far as can be determined they have not spoken since their last meeting, at a Phoenix fundraiser in May.
Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has sought to portray McCain as both personally and politically entwined with Bush, but the Republican candidate has pushed back.
"In difficult times, we've had a Bush administration, and [voters] want change," McCain told the Chicago Tribune last week. "I've got to make a convincing case that I represent the right kind of change." One McCain television commercial says: "We're worse off than we were four years ago."
Still, the Arizona senator has sought to walk a fine line in talking about Bush, criticizing the president on specific issues while trying not to alienate party activists who still revere him. A recent Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll found that although Bush's approval rating has fallen to 25% overall, he still enjoys the approval of 60% of self-described conservatives.
...
LINK TO REST OF THE STORY
Republicans Relieved
The president says he must focus on preparations for Hurricane Gustav, which may hit New Orleans. Republican strategists are relieved that the president, and his low ratings, won't attend.
By Doyle McManus and James Gerstenzang
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
September 1, 2008
ST. PAUL, MINN. — The marquee act for opening night just canceled, but some Republicans couldn't be happier.
All year, Republican strategists have worried about showcasing President Bush at the Republican National Convention when his standing with the public lies at a near-record low.
So, when Bush canceled his planned appearance at tonight's opening session to focus on preparations for Hurricane Gustav, there were more than a few sighs of relief.
"It's a good thing," said former Rep. Dick Zimmer, the Republican candidate for Senate in New Jersey, where Bush is not especially popular. "The first thing I was asked when I won the primary was whether I planned to ask President Bush to come to New Jersey to campaign for me. The answer was no."
Dan Schnur, a former aide to John McCain, agreed. If Bush's speech had been today's main event as originally planned, he said, then media coverage of the convention might have turned into "one long Bush vs. McCain soap opera" focusing on tension between the two.
Their reactions reflected the party's conflicting views of Bush, who led them to victory in 2000 and 2004 only to see his popularity collapse in his second term.
Even before Hurricane Gustav forced Bush's decision Sunday, some Republicans said the president could help his party best by staying home this week.
"President Bush is history, and what we're trying to do is build a party and win an election based on what we're going to do in the future," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), who for months has been urging the president to stay away.
To be sure, Bush remains popular among the conservative activists who are well-represented among GOP convention delegates. Many were crestfallen that they wouldn't see the president in person.
"There's disappointment," said Philip Bryan, a spokesman for the Alabama delegation. "But most people understand that the hardship people in the Gulf Coast area are going through far outweighs the excitement of seeing President Bush and Vice President Cheney."
McCain aides have seen the convention not as a chance to show how close Bush and McCain are (they're not), but as an opportunity to tell voters how their candidate's brand of conservative government would differ from the president's.
McCain and Bush have had a prickly relationship ever since they collided in a series of bitter Republican presidential primaries in 2000. They have appeared on camera together only twice during this campaign, and as far as can be determined they have not spoken since their last meeting, at a Phoenix fundraiser in May.
Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has sought to portray McCain as both personally and politically entwined with Bush, but the Republican candidate has pushed back.
"In difficult times, we've had a Bush administration, and [voters] want change," McCain told the Chicago Tribune last week. "I've got to make a convincing case that I represent the right kind of change." One McCain television commercial says: "We're worse off than we were four years ago."
Still, the Arizona senator has sought to walk a fine line in talking about Bush, criticizing the president on specific issues while trying not to alienate party activists who still revere him. A recent Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll found that although Bush's approval rating has fallen to 25% overall, he still enjoys the approval of 60% of self-described conservatives.
...
LINK TO REST OF THE STORY
What? Is there an Republican Convention happening somewhere?
You'd think that someone would mention that between breaks in Gustav reporting ... or that someone on the Internet blogs and message boards would make note of it between posts on "whose baby is it?" threads?
I personally won't be believing this nonsense about an RNC without some kind of real proof.
You'd think that someone would mention that between breaks in Gustav reporting ... or that someone on the Internet blogs and message boards would make note of it between posts on "whose baby is it?" threads?
I personally won't be believing this nonsense about an RNC without some kind of real proof.
Take a dump in your front yard and talk to it. It will do less damage and give you much more useful information than this dictator has. The first time a half breed (My dad is one and he IS a hero with 3 silver stars out of the 101 airborne) gets out in front of America and tells them we want our Constitution back, and this administration runs for cover. Totally expected. Obama has the balls to grab this administration once he goes through the laws they broke! Pardon my ass!
QUOTE (RandiLover @ Sep 1 2008, 02:29 PM) 
Take a dump in your front yard and talk to it. Totally expected. Obama has the balls to grab this administration once he goes through the laws they broke! Pardon my ass!
I have been wondering, If on his way out bush pardons everyone including himself, will it hold up in court? Is their something to prevent a president from committing illegal acts and giving himself a free pass? Any barristers out there?
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