We begin Day 2 of the Convention which is really Day 1. We have not been over to the convention site itself because yesterday's events were largely cancelled. First Lady Laura Bush did address the crowd, but we watched that in the hotel lobby. The timing of the First Lady's remarks didn't work for us to get over to St. Paul.I want to share several on-the-ground observations from this area.
The St. Paul area of the Twin Cities is gorgeous, historic, and quite impressive. It is easy to understand why convention organizers selected this part of America to bring Republicans together.
I saw my first group of protesters yesterday. I was unimpressed. The protesters should have learned from the 2004 protesters in New York. THOSE were good protesters. The kids that they have roaming around here are clueless. Later today or tomorrow, I will post a picture of a particularly vulgar group of young ladies who were protesting. Their foolishness and lack of class is worth highlighting here.
The news that Gov. Palin's child is expecting a child has changed nothing about the level of support she has among our Party. In our society, these things happen and Gov. Palin and her husband have given their child unconditional love and support. This is a very personal matter for the family and the media should respect the child's privacy. That’s always been the tradition and practice when it comes to the children of candidates.
Last night, we had dinner with Sen. Mark Wagoner of the Ohio Senate and with Rep. Matt Dolan of the Ohio House of Representatives. These two young Republican leaders in the statehouse are impressive and smart legislators. Both are destined for positions of leadership within State government. We also had a nice visit with Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor.
Prosecutor Joe Deters has asked me to blog every day about "the funniest thing overheard at the Convention." Look for that soon. Most of the funny things I've heard come from his mouth.
Governor Tim Pawlenty spoke to the Ohio delegation yesterday morning. He was a very impressive speaker. Our longtime party supporter and former Vice-Chairman Eileen Simon asked Gov. Pawlenty to be our Lincoln Day speaker. It was a highly memorable moment because it was the first question asked from the crowd and Gov. Pawlenty essentially agreed to do it if his schedule allowed. Eileen was GREAT!
This morning, Karl Rove will speak to the Ohio delegation. After that, I will be in a small lunch with Rob Portman and a few other key Ohio advisers. We want Rob to run for Governor. We'll see how we do with that.
We will be heading over to the Convention around 8:00 p.m. If you care to read up-to-the-minute information from the floor of the Convention, tune in to http://republicanchairman.blogspot.com/.
Have a great week!
