I checked in with a couple of York Countians at the Republican National Convention today: delegate Muriel Crabbs and alternate delegate Jeff Gay.
They both got word that the convention will be pared down to its very basics. They can't cancel it altogether. Even though we all know who the Republican nominee for presidential candidate will be, they still have to nominate him.
The way I see it, it's kind of like when a candidate runs uncontested for an office such as state representative. The results of the election are never in doubt. Yet legally, the candidate still must have his or her name on the ballot in November.
John McCain, of course, is saying that the convention-goers must respond not as political partisans, but as Americans.
I'm sure that some critics will accuse the folks at the convention of trying to exploit Hurricane Gustav for political gain. But I'm willing to assume that the vast majority of people there are genuinely concerned about well-being of those in the hurricane's path. How could you not be?
I happen to believe that it's possible to do both -- act in a way that benefits you politically while practicing genuine charity. I'd like to believe that's what McCain and the national Republicans are trying to do.
I hope I don't come across as insensitive or overly clinical in assessing the politics of this situation. Obviously, any other consideration is minor compared to the lives in danger.
Still, it's fascinating to watch from a purely political perspective. The response to Hurricane Katrina, of course, is one of the biggest embarrassments of the Bush administration. As the Republican candidate, McCain has suffered from guilt by association.
If he can, in effect, turn the Republican Convention into a kind of national headquarters for hurricane relief, then maybe -- just maybe -- he can expunge that guilt.
It also fits into the message that his campaign was trying to get across. It was a given that McCain couldn't out-charisma Barack Obama. His selling point was: Obama may be be the guy who can give the rousing speeches, but I'm the guy you want when a crisis comes along.
Now here we have a looming national crisis, at the precise moment when McCain was in the international spotlight anyway. What happens in the next few days could make a big difference on what happens in November.
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