The hurricane revived bad memories of the way President George W. Bush had failed to save New Orleans when hurricane Katrina struck three years ago. Some delegates heaved a sigh of relief that this latest storm had at least knocked President Bush off
the convention programme. "Every cloud has a silver lining," one woman told me. The axed agenda left 45,000 forlorn visitors to the Twin Cities wandering around local attractions like the famous SPAM museum, where SPAMBASSADORS explain the history of the iconic American pink processed meat.
Despite the fact that Bush and Cheney were no longer due in Minneapolis, lines of riot police and heavily armoured swat teams fought running battles with bands of anarchists who smashed store windows and clambered onto the roofs of police cars. We had to dodge around mounted police and protesters screaming "NO WAR BUT CLASS WAR" as we made our way home from political fringe meetings in the city centre. The acrid smell of tear gas hung heavily in the night air.
My cab driver, who told me he was from Kenya and intended to vote for Obama, reminded me that Minneapolis is the home of the famous US movie directors Joel and Ethan Coen, whose recent Oscar-winning film was called 'No Country for Old Men'! "John McCain should take note," he said.
Tuesday 2nd SeptemberThe shops fronts were all boarded up this morning and teams of street sweepers were clearing up the broken glass. Apparently 286 anarchists were arrested last night, 38 of whom gave their names to the police as either John or Jane Doe. But today the talk of the town was all about McCain's vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin and her pregnant, un-married 17 year old daughter. At one of the sessions I attended, Charlie Cook, the famous Washington political pundit and CNN commentator, said that when he heard Governor Palin of Alaska had been chosen as McCain's running mate he said "Wow. With her gun-totin', huntin', shootin', working mum background, she sounds like a cross between Annie Oakley and Abe Lincoln!"
In the main convention hall I watched the assembled delegates leaping to their feet to cheer cheesy videos of Ronald and Nancy Reagan and George & Barbara Bush, parents of the incumbent President. At one point George and Barbara themselves duly appeared and took their seats next to Nancy McCain, to thunderous applause. There was a more muted response to an 8 minute video message from their beleaguered son George W., book-ended by live appearances from his more popular spouse, First Lady Laura Bush. But a rousing speech by former senior Democrat, Joe Lieberman brought the conference to its feet again.
Wednesday 3rd SeptemberLong queues to get through the draconian security system started forming early in the afternoon, harassed by occasional protesters or hassled to buy 'NOBAMA' tee-shirts and button badges by a host of peddlers. Inside the hall, the Republican National Convention in full flight was a sight to behold. The huge Excel Energy Centre in downtown St Paul was filled to bursting point with banner-waving delegates. Despite warning notices outside that placards and banners are not allowed, (not to mention stun guns, pepper sprays and umbrellas), every delegate appeared to have one. Slogans ranged from plain old 'McCAIN/PALIN,' to 'SERVICE', 'WE LOVE MAC' or 'COUNTRY FIRST'.
It was Sarah Palin's big moment and she didn't disappoint. Introduced by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the elegant and feisty Governor of Alaska brought the house down with an electrifying speech delivered flawlessly. A new forest of placards bearing slogans such as "BIG GAME HUNTERS FOR PALIN" and "PALIN POWER" blossomed across the giant auditorium as she spoke, at one point departing from her script to gesture to a group of women waving a banner which said "HOCKEY MUMS FOR SARAH". The Alaskan Governor gave them the thumbs up and wise-cracked "The only difference between a hockey mum and a pit bull is the lipstick!" To wild applause she said "Some of the media have criticised me for my lack of experience in Washington. Well I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion, I'm going to Washington to serve the people of the USA. McCain himself stepped out onto the stage to congratulate her.
Thursday 4th SeptemberI attended a morning session featuring Congressman Adam Putnam who represents Florida's 12th District and at 34 is one of the youngest politicians in the House. He was downbeat about the Republican Party's chances as far as the elections to Congress and the Senate are concerned, predicting a loss of between 3 to 5 seats in the Senate and a devastating 20 to 40 seats in the House. However, he thinks McCain can win the presidency.
In the afternoon I went to a small gathering of overseas MPs to hear a brief speech from Dr Henry Kissinger. I asked him if Europe should support the Lisbon (Constitutional) Treaty. He said that he had once attended a meeting in the Congressional Library in Washington D.C. when former French President Giscard d'Estaing had tried to explain the intricacies of the European Constitution. "I have never seen an audience so stupefied in my life," he said. "I think I would rather leave the Lisbon Treaty up to the people of Europe.
Unlike Barrack Obama, John McCain is not renowned for his speaking ability, but he'd clearly spent many days practising. At 72, he has survived four bouts of skin cancer and this week published over 1200 pages of medical records to prove he's still healthy and up to the job. Local wags quipped that his doctors refer to this thick volume as 'Chapter One'! Nevertheless he gave an energetic performance. His speech was moving, emotional, at times funny and endearing, but most of all powerfully focused. He dealt with all the major issues facing America, the energy crisis, the downturn in the economy and his particular area of expertise, foreign affairs. He left no-one in any doubt that he has vast experience of leadership and of the key issues facing America and the world. He was joined by his running-mate Governor Sarah Palin. The two have formed a formidable political partnership which has re-energised the Republicans and must have left the Democrats shaking in their shoes!
Struan Stevenson, MEP
• Struan Stevenson is a Conservative Euro MP for Scotland. He is Vice President of the ruling EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament and represented his group at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/Saint Paul.
The full article contains 1156 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
