Everything but what is legally necessary has been canceled for day one of the Republican Convention due to Hurricane Gustav and the impeding his on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
John McCain has called on fellow Republicans to "take off our Republican hats and put on out American hats.”
The only scheduled business the Republican Convention will continue with is adopting its rules, electing its officers and adopting the party platform, according to a New York Times article.
The Republican Convention will only be convened from 3 p.m Central to 5 p.m. Central to handle the essential business required.
There is also a possibility that John McCain will not physically attend the convention at all and will simply give his acceptance speech via satellite.
Mr. McCain toured the federal disaster relief center in Jackson, Miss., earlier in the day where he said the thrust of the convention would change “from a party event to a call to the nation for action” to help residents of the Gulf Coast affected by the approaching hurricane.
“We must redirect our efforts from the really celebratory event of the nomination of president and vice president of our party to acting as all Americans,” said Mr. McCain, appearing with his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, and Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi. “We have to go from a party event to a call to the nation for action, action to help our fellow citizens in this time of tragedy and disaster, action in the form of volunteering, donations, reaching out our hands and our hearts and our wallets to the people who are under such great threat from this great natural disaster.
“I pledge that tomorrow night, and if necessary, throughout our convention if necessary, to act as Americans not Republicans, because America needs us now no matter whether we are Republican or Democrat.”
Both John McCain and Barack Obama have stated what their efforts will be to help the Hurricane potential hurricane victims, putting aside politics for the sake of doing what needs to be done for those that will be affected by the massive storm heading towards parts of America.
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have both canceled their scheduled speeches for Monday, to attend to their duties as they pertain to the areas affected by the hurricane that is bearing down. Other prominent politicians have also canceled their appearances.
The 2008 Republican National Convention website issues a press release which brings other details about their plans and contingency plans by reporting that John McCain has recommended substantial changes to the convention programming and actions that will be taken to help with hurricane relief efforts.
According to the McCain campaign manager Rick Davis "We are deeply concerned about the safety and welfare of the residents of the Gulf State region. Our top priority is to assist those who will be affected by Hurricane Gustav. This is not a time for politics or celebration; it is a time for us to come together as Americans and assist the residents of the Gulf States."
Davis also discussed what the changes in the program will mean for the nomination process. "In order for the Republican Party to officially exist and for Senator McCain to qualify for the ballot, we are - by law - required to conduct specific official business. At this point, our program on Monday has been scaled back and will only include what party rules governing the nomination of our candidates for president and vice president require. We will perform the official business as required. In addition, we have set aside time to make delegates and Americans watching our proceedings at home aware of what they can do to assist in relief efforts designed to help those who will be affected by Hurricane Gustav."
Davis concluded: "At some point between Monday and Thursday evening, we will convene once again to complete the activities needed to qualify Senator McCain and Governor Palin for the ballot in all 50 states. Beyond that, all we can say is that we will monitor what is happening and make decisions about other convention business as details become available."
Robert M. "Mike" Duncan who is the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, issues a statement saying "The safety and well-being of the people of the Gulf States remains our top concern. We are doing everything we can on the ground in Minneapolis-Saint Paul to ensure that the delegations affected by this storm have the resources and information that they need. As Senator McCain said this morning, we must redirect our attention and efforts. We will act as Americans - not Republicans - to help our fellow citizens in need."
Depending on the circumstances and damage that Hurricane Gustav causes, the Republican officials in charge of the GOP Convention will determine how the remaining days of the scheduled events run, but it is expected that the whole convention will focus on two things at this point.
One: Hurricane Gustav and relief efforts to help states and victims that suffer from the damage the storm is likely to cause.
Two: The legal, technical aspects of making sure they meet the legal requirements necessary to have John McCain and Sarah Palin's names on the November ballot.
Everything else is up in the air until Gustav hits and determinations are made as to what the victims will need.
Republicans and Democrats alike have canceled planned events that were scheduled for the week ahead in deference to the potential damage Gustav will reign down upon the Gulf Coast and the states affected.
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