The delay / cancellation of the GOP convention...

[skooooo]

...will have a devastating effect on McCain's chances of winning in November. I think anything that interrupts the normal rhythm and process the American public is used to cannot be overlooked as minor - regardless of the cause. There will be no recovery from this, imo. Even if they reschedule it, it will be a small, lightly attended affair with constant mention by pundits that the hurricane really messed up their plans. In the meantime, the visual of 82 K people attending Obama's acceptance speech will make a lasting impression in people's minds.

Anyone agree, disagree?

[RagAss]

1. Fuck 'em.....

Let's get those Katrina "Cake Photos" out there starting now !

[skooooo]

2. Ok....care to comment

on my post?

[RagAss]

15. You make some good points here.....

But I think the true horror for the Repugs would have been Bush and Cheney showing their faces on national television with McSame.....so honestly, I believe Johnny is dancing with joy today...

[Jawja]

3. Yep.

Karma is a BITCH.

[tridim]

4. Ask me again after MchurriCain and the GOP politicize the crap out of the Gustav devastation.

[RagAss]

18. MchurriCain....LOL......Great one !!!!!

[vaberella]

5. It's neither. They're just moving the location apparently. n/t

[skooooo]

6. it's completely fucked up..

McCain isn't even going to be there. I wish people would read and comment on my theory instead of just posting quirky one-liners.

[niceypoo]

23. You are attacking everyone who posts in your thread

Chill...

[DailyGrind51]

7. FOX is premiering 2-hour episodes of popular prime-time programs

during the Republican Convention, as if they could care less.

[Thrill]

8. They don't really want to have a convention.

[skooooo]

9. Care to comment on my post?

:eyes:

[Skidmore]

22. I think the poster is on target. They don't want to have a convention

but what to try to be slick and do PR stunts up until the end. However, I would venture to say that it demonstrates what a trainwreck that party is. They can't walk and chew gum at the same time. If the policies promoted by the Rs hadn't been so devastating to the nation's infrastructure and emergency programs, the emergency response wouldn't need to be babysat by a bunch of nervous party hacks and their equally incompetent party leaders right now. It is an apt reminder of the disdain held by the * administraton and the Republican Congress for the people of New Orleans and the nation. This is the point we should hammer on. War and disasters serve as photo-ops and political theatres for that party. Remember Olbermann's Special Comment on using fear of terrorism as a political tool? This is in the same category and I hope it backfires mightily.

Karma bites, and bad karma bites big time.

[NorthCarolina]

11. Because the seats will be mostly empty?

That probably wouldn't look good on TV.

[skooooo]

13. did you even read the post??

If not, why comment?

[NorthCarolina]

19. Yep, I did...and I responded

after I responded to this one. Sorry for the delay.

[skooooo]

10. Still hoping for some intelligent discussion by people who read the post. nt

[skooooo]

12. still waiting....

[niceypoo]

21. Their rudderless drifting says it all.....

Bush and Mr Haney both avoiding convention. Even McReactionary is trying to avoid making an acceptance speech at the convention. They just cannot win for losing. They are just soooo desperate.

More popcorn please!!

[NorthCarolina]

14. Have a convention, don't have a convention,

make it into a "public service" convention for Gustav refugees, it probably doesn't matter what they do because whatever their final decision is, the media will be right on top of things to once again spin shit into gold for the GOP.

on edit: typo

[Midlodemocrat]

16. I don't think they will reschedule it. These things take years

to plan. They will go ahead with it and it will be as lame as every other Republican convention.

[americanstranger]

17. I don't think it hurts whatever (slim) chance he has.

The conventional wisdom was already that it was going to be bad news - what with a handful of congress-critters in tight races announcing that they weren't even going and everyone from Bush and Cheney to Bobby Jindal looking for reasons to duck out.

One area where it could conceivably help McCain is in airing more negative ads. By the rules, he can continue to spend his primary money up until the moment he accepts the nomination, then he goes under the $84 million public financing limit.

Postponing the convention would give him a couple more days to burn through the primary money before public financing rules kick in, but that's pretty thin soup as far as positives go.

This is going to be a disaster no matter how you slice it. Maybe they can stage Miss Buffalo Chip II to kick up the viewership or something.

- as

[skooooo]

20. Didn't think about the money thing...

A major disaster for the Republican party -- I like the sound of that!

[NorthCarolina]

25. That's an interesting point, if he can spend

primary $$ up until the moment he accepts the nomination, if there is "no convention", there is no "acceptance". This probably a dumb thought, but is there some time limit that kicks in where he would be forced into the public financing limit?

[americanstranger]

26. He will have to make it a matter of record sometime, IMO.

If he doesn't, he won't get the public financing - and if he does that and burns through the primary money, he won't have anywhere near the money that Obama will have for the general. He'll lose the 'air war' in spectacular fashion.

My guess is he'll make the acceptance speech with some hurricane rubble in the camera shot, hoping for a 'bullhorn moment' similar to Bush's after 9/11. Being the optimist that I am, I expect him to figure out a way to fuck that up, too. :)

- as

[NorthCarolina]

27. I bet you're right

about the acceptance speech in the hurricane rubble. Maybe they can recycle the "Mission Accomplished" banner as a backdrop.

[scarletwoman]

24. Well, it certainly won't get the 38 million viewership that the DNC had.

In any case, they can't reschedule it. The preparations have been going for months -- almost 2 years for some things. There's no realistic way to postpone it.

It will be a very toned down affair with few if any notable highlights. If nothing else, it will be lacking in the kind of energizing effect for Republican voters that the DNC had for Democratic voters.

The deficiencies of the Republican convention won't change the minds of Republican partisans -- although it's possible it could demoralize them somewhat. Even without Gustav, it was no doubt quite clear to them that they could not possibly top the drama and spectacle of the Dem Convention. I suppose to the hyper-competitive types, it may be a bitter pill to swallow -- no possibility of in-your-face one-upsmanship.

As for the barely conscious, cognition- and information-impaired portion of the electorate, who can barely find their own asses with both hands, maybe the contrast between the DNC and the RNC (if they have any awareness of either) could possibly tickle enough of their primitive dualistic winner/loser perceptions to entice them to want to be on the side of the obvious winners. Who knows?

sw

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

28. Maybe you're right

but it saddens me and disturbs me that we live in a country where it takes a convention and long, long primary before it to make the general public aware of the candidates and the issues. I don't think you see this spectacle in any other country. In a lot of European countries, they just give the candidates of several parties a few hours of free air time on television to deliver their messages. And those messages are not full of dramatic, emotional appeals but merely state the bare facts. No one complains that the candidates are too intellectual and dry or not entertaining enough. The people watch it while having dinner or lunch and then make up their minds based on the issues.