Republican Bill Bridwell’s report from the Minneapolis convention

The floor schedule has been changed substantially due to the Gulf Coast potential; however, there is business that must be conducted as the RNC sets party rules and the platform that is in place for the next four years.

We went to an event yesterday and were addressed by Governor Pawlenty, then traveled by bus to the Minneapolis Civic Center for a major exposition on display for the next four days. Huge crowds close to 6,000 in attendance. It was a great opportunity for shopping GOP memorabilia and we made a pretty good contribution to the Minnesota economy.

When we arrived yesterday we were in the security zone and had to display credentials and ID to move about, but by mid-day, after it was announced that President Bush was not coming in order to attend to the potential of Gustav, a lot of the security detail stood down.

The word today is that Laura Bush is visiting the delegations at all the hotels, but, as of now, she hasn’t made our hotel yet. We are sharing The Saint Paul with the Nevada delegation, and they are as thrilled as we are to just be here. Nevada was not sure if they were going to be seated, as they never did conclude their state meeting. However, they are here in full force ready to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin.

The delegations are electric with the potential of the ticket. Palin was a surprise to all of us, but the decision has energized all of the GOP in attendance and across the nation.

We had a 7 a.m. breakfast meeting this morning and were addressed by Congressman Shadegg, who filled us in on the energy debate that never was concluded before Congress shut down. Very Interesting.

We go to the Convention at 1 p.m. today; it will be concluded by 4:30, then we go to a Wabash Railroad reception and then board buses for a Florida, South Carolina, Minnesota and Arizona dinner and reception at the Mayo Clinic here in Minneapolis.

It appears that the storm has been sufficiently downgraded and full convention activities might resume tomorrow, but no one is second-guessing the damage, and we are on an hour-by-hour standby status. If the damage is severe, the convention Tuesday will convene long enough to officially nominate and then close down.

However, we are all here with plane tickets back for Friday, and we may get to know more about Minneapolis than we had planned. The Minnesota State Fair is in full swing, and the State is celebrating their 150th birthday so there will be plenty to do

In the meantime we are praying for the safety of the citizens in the path of the storm and will post a report on our activities again in the morning.

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