Riding out the storm
GOP faithful flock to St. Paul amidst protest, storms and controversy
By Carl Kozlowski 09/04/2008
Violent protests against the war in Iraq, Hurricane Gustav and ongoing rainstorms in St. Paul were not enough to dampen the spirits of diehard John McCain supporters attending the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., this week.
After a day’s delay due to Hurricane Gustav rolling into New Orleans, delegates and alternates picked up where they left off Tuesday, getting down to the business of nominating McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
This year’s convention featured a particularly strong presence from Asian-Americans, including numerous attendees from the San Gabriel Valley. Peter Su, national coordinator for the McCain campaign’s Asian Pacific American Coalition, said that he was pleased to see the Republican National Committee’s response to the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Gustav.
“I don’t think the hurricane should be a political issue, for it’s a humanitarian issue,” said Su. “Convention-goers have been actively putting together relief packets to send to the Gulf, and social events have been turned to fundraisers for the hurricane relief.”
Attention also swirled around the unexpected selection of Palin for the vice presidential slot. But according to 44th District Assemblyman candidate Brian Fuller, Palin’s selection elicited “pure ecstasy that she’s part of the team.”
“I can tell you we had a grand opening Wednesday night at the Pasadena Republican Club and I was asked by Crown City News who I thought McCain would pick. I said I’d go with Palin,” said Fuller. “I just came back from Alaska last year, saw Palin stickers everywhere and, to my shock and delight, she’s Republican. I saw that she’s for reform amid big scandals among her own state’s senators. Around here, it’s pure ecstasy that she’s part of the team.”
The main storm left for convention organizers was out in the streets, where crowds of protesters were arrested and even veteran alternative newswoman Amy Goodman and her crew from “Democracy NOW!” were detained briefly before being released without charges.
Yet, Fuller sought to downplay the protests. “I recall last week in Denver an ABC journalist was roughed up at the Democratic National Convention. This is an opportunity to get attention for protesters and they’ll make the most of any chance to be on camera,” said Fuller.
“They didn’t manage to recreate [the 1968 Democratic Convention’s violent protests] last week, as some had hoped, and so they want to stir it up. Power to the people, so to speak. Why not? It’s part of the climate,” he said.
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