Protesters greeted delegates on the first day of the Republican Convention.
What was supposed to be a toned down, somber beginning to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul was certainly anything but dull.
We knew when we landed in Minnesota Monday afternoon, it would be a mad dash to our first liveshot. The plane touched down at 12:30pm local time. We were actually early.
We breezed out of the airport and things were looking good. But, it wasn’t long before we saw it: thousands of protestors filling the streets of St. Paul. They were all ages, some in T-shirts and shorts, others in elaborate costumes. I think I saw a woman in full red body paint dressed as the devil.
They marched in droves, chanting against President Bush, John McCain and particularly the war in Iraq.
As they marched, they were met on all sides by scores of police, heavily outfitted in riot gear. They lined the streets, blocked intersection after intersection … and even marched in front of the protestors with some serious weaponry. We have heard reports of violence and tear gas.
Thankfully, we were not witness to that. But, it did take us over an hour of pacing up and down St. Paul’s 7th street trying to make our way to the convention center.
The convention itself was certainly low key. They gaveled in, Cindy McCain and First Lady Laura Bush made a pitch for helping hurricane victims, then they called it a day.
There was certainly plenty of talk about the revelation that McCain running mate Gov. Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter is pregnant. The reaction here has been largely supportive.
It is about 8:30 pm here now, and it is just quiet. Not the atmosphere you would expect on the first night of the RNC.
Tomorrow, we are off to track down former governor and former candidate turned McCain stalwart, Mitt Romney.
It will be interesting to see where the convention goes from here …
