PrintAugust 29, 2008
GOP Convention May be postponed due to Gustav
If ever there was evidence that thanks to the left, a Hurricane is no longer a matter of weather but a political football, the news that the Republicans might postpone their convention because Hurricane Gustav will make landfall on Monday along the Gulf Coast shows what a new age we live in.
You probably recall that the winds from Hurricane Katrina hadn't even died down when the left began screaming that the federal government wasn't doing anything to help the victims. Arguments about how well or poorly the federal government performed are moot next to the fact that the Democrats made a conscious choice to politicize the tragedy from the outset. There is no denying this. One need only look at their response during the Clinton administration to less severe crisis. The bottom line is they played partisan politics with a catastrophe and from here on out, both Democratic and Republican presidents will pay the price.
The McCain people are rightly terrified about the political hay the Democrats could make if the GOP is partying in Minnesota while people are getting slammed along the Gulf Coast. Like it or not, fair or unfair, Katrina was seen as a huge minus for Bush and the Republicans. And depending on where the hurricane hits and how powerful it is, I would expect the McCain crowd to think long and hard about the political costs of holding the convention during a time of tragedy for their fellow citizens.
If you're looking for a reason to hate what politics has become, this is exhibit A.
You probably recall that the winds from Hurricane Katrina hadn't even died down when the left began screaming that the federal government wasn't doing anything to help the victims. Arguments about how well or poorly the federal government performed are moot next to the fact that the Democrats made a conscious choice to politicize the tragedy from the outset. There is no denying this. One need only look at their response during the Clinton administration to less severe crisis. The bottom line is they played partisan politics with a catastrophe and from here on out, both Democratic and Republican presidents will pay the price.
Sen. McCain has always been sensitive to national crisis - in the 2000 race he postponed his announcement [to run for the presidency] because of the situation in the Balkans - and we are monitoring the situation very closely," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said.
Bounds said there is a possibility the convention could be postponed but said: "I have no specifics to announce."
The McCain people are rightly terrified about the political hay the Democrats could make if the GOP is partying in Minnesota while people are getting slammed along the Gulf Coast. Like it or not, fair or unfair, Katrina was seen as a huge minus for Bush and the Republicans. And depending on where the hurricane hits and how powerful it is, I would expect the McCain crowd to think long and hard about the political costs of holding the convention during a time of tragedy for their fellow citizens.
If you're looking for a reason to hate what politics has become, this is exhibit A.
