RNC’s First Night ‘Scaled Back’, Much Talk of Gustav; Journalists Detained by Police

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2 September 2008 :: staff

The Republican party kicked off its nominating convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, last night, with a heavy focus on the plight of those displaced by Hurricane Gustav. Fortunately, the storm did not turn out to be “the storm of the century”, but it did leave over 1 million homes and businesses without electricity along the Gulf coast, and flooding and winds have caused severe damage to homes and businesses. So in an effort to avoid anything resembling the perceived indifference with which the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was met, the GOP has devoted significant time to voicing its support for efforts to send aid to the Gulf coast.

The convention has been criticized by some Republican supporters for being “distracted” from the goal of making a case for electing John McCain, as several speeches were canceled due to the Gustav evacuations and Gulf-state governors opted not to attend, but also because there is now the issue of “introducing” Sarah Palin to the nation. In the process of her nomination as vice-presidential candidate, the party will seek to reassure voters that her experience from 20 months as governor of Alaska, backed by her time as mayor of Wasilla before that, are enough to allow her to perform honorably in the White House.

The Palin selection has been a major distraction throughout the weekend, as the press scramble to “find out more about her”, and some cable news reporters openly have said they spent much of Friday reading Wikipedia entries about her. The issue of her daughter’s unwed pregnancy has also emerged, but McCain’s Democratic opponent, Sen. Obama, has said the issue should not be covered in the mass media, is a private matter and that voters should make their choices based on issues and the quality of the candidates, but that families and especially children were “off limits”.

On Monday, some 286 people were arrested, including credentialed journalist Amy Goodman, who was arrested for “obstruction” and who was threatened with “felony riot charges” for having done nothing but ask police why two of her Democracy Now! producers had been detained while reporting on the demonstrations. Goodman left her post on the convention floor to go to the location where her producers had been arrested, after hearing that one had been bloodied in the detention process.

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RNC security response marred by unlawful arrest of credentialed journalists

All three were detained despite press credentials; all three have been released, though the status of charges remains at issue. A photographer for the Associated Press was also detained, despite press credentials, and the AP has expressed concern: associated Washington bureau chief David Ake has said, “Covering news is a constitutionally protected activity, and covering a riot is part of that coverage. Photographers should not be detained for covering breaking news.”

Goodman was cuffed and carted away, allegedly because officers classed being spoken to as “interfering with a peace officer”. An estimated 10,000 protesters gathered in St. Paul to object to one or more policies of the Bush administration. Police had launched raids against protest organizers over the weekend, claiming they were targeting “anarchist” groups, though reports of the arrests and what was found have been disputed in mass media.

The RNC is notably affected by the need to improvise and re-orchestrate the event to ensure that the Republican party is able to achieve the perfect pitch in its response to Hurricane Gustav and the possible suffering of those evacuated or stranded. Some have talked of “doing a telethon”, calling Americans to donate money to relief efforts, while others have said the schedule should be flexible, able to adjust if it is possible to do a more grandiose, traditional celebratory event for McCain’s nomination.

Former Bush Health and Human Services secretary and primary presidential candidate Tommy Thompson told CNN that “this election is going to be transformative, not only for our nation but for party politics” more broadly, and reiterated his view that Sen. Obama’s healthcare plan is “healthcare heavy”, while Sen. McCain’s is “healthcare light”, but more “consumer oriented”. Thompson spoke well of the Republican ticket and repeated the talking point that Gov. Palin has “executive experience”, something also true of George W. Bush when he entered the White House.

The GOP is trying to juggle the twin problems of illustrating their party’s plan for ushering in that transformative change, but basing that revolution on their candidate’s long experience and on his connection to existing policies. The task is not easy, and the week is sure to see heated rhetorical exchanges, perhaps moreso than last week, where Republican strategists kept more to their efforts to paint Obama as inexperienced, instead of taking on his policies or their roots in history, as the Democrats will do with any of McCain’s policies that mirror the current administration.

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