Driving from Des Moines to St. Paul carried with it a sense of uncertainty. With Hurricane Gustav threatening the Gulf Coast of the United States, we had heard rumors from every major McCain surrogate on the media circuit that the convention would be changed.

As we drove on, we were intently glued to the radio waiting for an announcement from Senator McCain himself to tell us if we were going to be participating in a political convention, or a 4-day telethon program to raise money for those affected by the storm. Finally, as we crossed the Minnesota border, Senator McCain's voice crackled across the static on the AM radio for his interview stating that we would be "playing it by ear."

We learned that only Monday's program had changed for certain. We would be conducting the legal process necessary to nominate Senator McCain and Governor Palin as our party's candidates for president and vice president, passing a platform, approving our rules and then adjourning.

Early reports hinted that many of the after-party events presented by the host committee would change or be completely canceled.

After arriving at the hotel, we received our credentials and were then hurried onto the charter bus that would take us across town to the Minneapolis Convention Center for our delegate welcome party.

Stepping off the chartered bus at the convention center, we were greeted by a sea of volunteers welcoming us to Minneapolis and the delegate party. There was a three-piece band that included a very enthusiastic banjo player, playing a touch of Dixie.

We headed inside to Civic Fest, a massive gala full of exhibits and vendors. In truth, it was a lot like a highly politicized version of the Varied Industries building at the Iowa State Fair.

Labels: RNC2008