August 31, 2008
Well, today's the day! I've been getting very excited about attending the convention. I have never been before, so I really don't know what to expect. I'm interested in all of the ceremony that accompanies the process of nominating the Republican candidate for the President of the United States. I will be trying to post to this blog daily, so you can come along with me!
I live in Sister Lakes. My sister-in-law drove me to the South Bend Airport where I caught the Coach USA bus to Midway Airport in Chicago. I did set up my laptop in the airport & worked on getting this blog going. You'll have to excuse the photos that I took of myself...I was traveling alone!
Upon arrival to the Minneapolis Airport, there were some signs that the convention was in town. Since my husband (Ryan) is driving up tomorrow, there was no need for me to check luggage. I collected my carry-on & headed straight to the shuttle.
The entire Michigan delegation is staying at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park, MN. It's definitely off the beaten path. We're about a 45 min bus ride from the Xcel Center (where the convention itself is held).
Upon arrival to the hotel, I discovered that Hurricane Gustav was becoming an eminent threat in the Gulf. Due to the hurricane, it has been decided to hold a short, business-only session tomorrow (we will forego the regular roll call of the states, as well as other ceremonial & celebratory events) so that our leaders can focus on supporting the threatened gulf area. President Bush & Vice-President Cheney were originally scheduled to speak tonight, but they will not be attending. The RNC & the McCain campaign will continue to monitor the situation & decide on a day-to-day basis what is appropriate.
Tonight the Michigan Delegation did have a welcome party hosted by Michigan's Attorney General Mike Cox. It was held at a local hockey pub in St. Paul. The special guest was "Mr. Hockey" Gordie Howe of Detroit Red Wings fame. Mike Cox's team had hockey jersey's made up for the entire delegation & Gordie signed shirts all night!
I took the first bus back to the hotel around 10:00. I had time for a short swim in the pool before it closed at 11:00 & I am heading to bed. I will update you again tomorrow!
September 1, 2008
We had a great delegation breakfast this morning here in our hotel. The keynote speaker was Grover Norquist, author of the book "Leave Us Alone (Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives)". If his speaking skills are any indication, I'm sure that the book is excellent.
We were also informed that the Michigan delegation had secured an event with the Red Cross. Tomorrow they will be coming to our hotel to do a blood drive to help the hurricane victims. Since our delegation is the only one hosting such an event, there has already been interest from people in other delegations to come & donate blood at our hotel. What a great way that having so many people together in one place can help!
I then attended a luncheon honoring the Michigan Delegation hosted by the Fund for American Opportunity. It was held at Murray's Steakhouse in Minneapolis. The keynote speaker for this event was Republican pollster Frank Luntz. It was a very interesting talk, & the food was excellent.
We had a somewhat eventful ride to the Xcel center due to the protestors. I've heard reports that there were over 1,000 protestors & that a few became violent. We didn't run into any of that. Most were marching in the streets making it difficult for the buses to get through. We did have a few people bang on the windows of the bus. When we walked from the bus to the Xcel Center, we had to pass through a group of protestors who were very vocal, but not physical in any way. There was a heavy police presence & I felt very safe.
Due to the hurricane, we had a short convention session today. There was the Call to Convention to officially kick off this year's convention. A temporary Chairman to the Convention was elected. They then formed the Committee on Credentials, the Rules of Order & Business Committee, the Committee on Permanent Organizations, & the Resolutions Committee (also known as the platform committee). The convention then had a short recess (approximately one hour) while these committees met to do their necessary business. The committees then returned to the floor & represented their reports to the delegation for approval.
The highlight of the afternoon was an appearance by First Lady Laura Bush & future First Lady Cindy McCain. They both spoke on the hurricane relief effort & encouraged the delegation to support in any way possible. AT&T has helped the RNC with a number that we can text to automatically donate $5 to the effort. If you text the word "Give" to 24357, $5 will be deducted from your next phone bill & will go towards the effort.
As mentioned in yesterday's entry, Ryan drove up to join me today (he could not travel with me yesterday because he had to work). Upon returning to the hotel from the Xcel Center he was there to greet me. I'm so glad that he's here to share this experience with me.
Tonight there was a reception at Karma in Minneapolis hosted by "Mike & Mike." Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop & Sheriff Mike Bouchard. It was a very enjoyable evening that allowed us to unwind from the day's events. There was a live band & dancing as well as hors d'oeuvres & drinks. It was also a chance to get to talk to some of the Michigan delegation members that I hadn't yet had face to face time with. I spent some time talking to Jack Hoogendyk (running for Senate against Carl Levin) as well as Chuck Yob (current Michigan National Committeeman & Deputy Chairman of the National Convention). It was good time. We were on one of the earlier buses back, arriving back at the hotel around 10:30. So far, I'm doing well at not staying up TOO late. I don't want to burn out too early!