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A Story of No-Shows in the Twin Cities

by Russell Berman
Sun, 31 Aug 2008 at 1:39 PM

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On the eve of the Republican National Convention here in Minneapolis-St. Paul, it is a story of absences.

In Denver, one of the major storylines was the confluence of luminaries from a half-century of Democratic politics: there was Ted Kennedy on the first night, the Clintons in the middle of the week, and of course the young Obama family. In addition, it seemed like every leading Democrat (with the notable exception of John Edwards) made an appearance, from Mark Warner to John Kerry to Al Gore.

Not so in Minnesota. With the Republican brand damaged in the last year of the Bush administration, several senators in close races had already decided to skip the convention. Now, with Hurricane Gustav barreling toward the Gulf Coast, more party stars are steering clear of St. Paul, and the convention itself may soon be reorganized to account for the looming natural disaster. The White House confirmed this morning that President Bush and Vice President Cheney will not attend as planned, and neither, reportedly, will the four governors of the Gulf Coast states. That includes one of the party's biggest young stars, Governor Jindal of Louisiana, who had been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick and was expected to address the convention this week.

Another popular Republican, Governor Schwarzenegger, is skipping the event to tend to budget negotiations in California. The New York delegation has been decimated for other reasons. Whereas in the 2004 convention in New York City, the state had a Republican governor and the city had a Republican mayor, this year the top attendees are a former mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, the new state Senate majority leader, Dean Skelos, and a dwindling number of congressman, most notably Rep. Peter King of Long Island. The governor is now a Democrat, and Mayor Bloomberg has left the party and is not attending the convention.

That is not to say there will be no stars to see here. By far the most eagerly-anticipated appearance, perhaps even more than Senator McCain, will be that of Governor Palin of Alaska, whose selection as the vice presidential nominee has electrified the party base. She has been the talk of the early hours in the Twin Cities, as conservatives rave about a reshaped election and journalists debate the risks and rewards of placing her on the ticket. If her speech on Wednesday night is a success — and is not scrapped by Gustav — she can make the party forget about its absent leaders.

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