GOP Senators Facing Tough Races Are Skipping Republican Convention
Yet more evidence of just how abysmal the GOP brand is these days?
Nine of 12 targeted Republicans running in the most competitive Senate races this fall are either skipping the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., or have not decided whether to attend.Among those who will not attend are Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, who is not close to presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is a McCain loyalist. Stevens and Collins will use the convention week to focus on their campaigns.
Also sending regrets is former Rep. Bob Schaffer of Colorado, running for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Wayne Allard.
Six others -- Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Gordon Smith of Oregon and challengers John Kennedy of Louisiana and Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico are still on the fence. Their spokesman offered responses ranging from "there are no plans yet" to "no decisions have been made."
By contrast, most of the Dems in those races will be going to the Dem convention. Pretty telling stuff.
Now this is a story...running from their president, convention and Mcfuddle....I see it now! GOP Senate numbers disappearing quickly!
July 25, 2008 12:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Probably afraid they'd run into Larry "Wide Stance" Craig in the airport men's room.
Elizabeth Dole and Susan Collins don't have that excuse...
July 25, 2008 2:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why? Because it reminds voters that they're Republican. Not a good place to be.
Does that suggest that McCain can actually not get a bump but actually see his numbers go DOWN after the convention?
Hmm....
http://strategy08.wordpress.com
July 25, 2008 12:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now, that's an interesting theory.
July 25, 2008 12:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pretty soon they'll be able to fit the entire convention in the Larry Craig Memorial Stall at the Minneapolis airport.
July 25, 2008 12:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
They should at least pay a visit to that Republican shrine. Wonder if Craig is going to make the trip himself?
July 25, 2008 12:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Will Larry Craig even attend the convention? Or has he already retired-in-place?
Even if he does attend, does he dare go through the Airport? That would make a great photo opportunity for some photographers or paparazzi.
July 26, 2008 10:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
There is a live press conference on the cable networks now from France. Is it me or did the president of France in his opening remarks endorse BO for POTUS?
July 25, 2008 12:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I betcha Norm Coleman would skip out, too, if it weren't being held in his home state!
July 25, 2008 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Norm can skip the convention, that's OK, we've already got our "W hug" photo shoot of him...
http://www.alfranken.com/content/video_detail/?id=51
July 25, 2008 12:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe Al should attend too.
July 25, 2008 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, but at the Ron Paul gig, instead!
July 25, 2008 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe we all should attend! Or at least join the UnConvention gathering on nearby Harriet Island.
Come one! Come all! It will be a blast, or at least a blowback.
July 25, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
In the words of Nelson: "Haw haw!"
Isn't this fairly unprecedented-- I mean, isn't it SOP for a party's major elected officials to show up at the convention??
July 25, 2008 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I award them a Larry Craig BobbleFoot in absentia
July 25, 2008 12:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe McCain's acceptance speech will be given from to an empty room. Maybe that room will be his room at the Holiday Inn Express.
July 25, 2008 12:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Uh-oh - that means he's going to be believing he's smart...
July 25, 2008 5:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Straight talk express is not talking to WSJ, wow. Check out this clip from McCain press conference. Can he be an ass or what?!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/25/mccain-blows-off-wsj-repo_n_114955.html
July 25, 2008 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mr. "Get off my lawn" -- What. A. Jerk.
Would love to see that clip in an ad! Show Americans how much of a listener he really is. Wall Street Journal is hardly a leftie rag.
July 25, 2008 12:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is sad and pathetic. It almost (but not quite!) makes me feel sorry for John McCain. Obama gets 200,000 people in Germany to turn out, and McCain can't can't even get his fellow Senators to show up for his big bash.
July 25, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, I attended a Steve Earle concert on Sunday night, and old Steve said he was going to show up.
July 25, 2008 12:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good point. I suspect a bait & switch is in the offing.
July 25, 2008 12:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think anything could make me feel sorry for John McCain. Well, maybe a few things - like family death, disease, injury, etc. - but that's a short list, friends.
July 25, 2008 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is so painful ot watch McCain speak. His constant but silly use of the word, "friends" is so irritating. i\It is so overused by him it is nauseating to listen to him. He is my Senator but long ago, he wore out his welcome with me. Sad to say, I now find him to be a mean, vindictive, hateful man. So sad to have to listen to him at all. Dear friends - - - - Y U C K!!!!!
August 4, 2008 9:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am really beginning to appreciate your gift for understatement, Gred. ;)
What this screams out is: "We have no faith in, love for, or interest in our candidate in this election."
July 25, 2008 12:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gred shoud have been Greg.
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit!
July 25, 2008 12:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
shoud should have been should.
I surrender.
July 25, 2008 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
That would be a cheap trick.
(that was bad, sorry!)
July 25, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since they're hiding W. by having him speak on Labor Day, I don't see why these Republicans are such scaredy cats.
Cut and run, the whole bunch.
July 25, 2008 12:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
What I am enjoying so very much, CT, is that they are all cutting and running alright, but they don't have anywhere to go. They are running around like lobotomized chickens.
July 25, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's certainly enjoyable.
Not to be a downer, or anything, but it also illustrates how hapless the Dems actually have been for the last two years. They should have stood up to the Republicans more often.
I understand the rationale behind why they didn't, but I suspect that particular strategy did more harm, in the long run, than good.
But for now, I'll just enjoy watching the Republicans.
July 25, 2008 1:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
I get what you're saying and I agree and I think we told them that in '06. I'm not utterly delighted with the Democratic Congress; I'm trying to think of the last time I was delighted with Congress...
July 25, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now, what happens if this trend continues, and the GOP ends up staging its convention for a half-empty house?
I predict a lot of creative camera work to mask the ennui.
July 25, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
They will likely need to hire some folks to lead chants, fill seats, etc. at the convention. And of course, they'll likely come up with some "grassroots," "amusing" visual like the purple bandaids in 04. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.
July 25, 2008 2:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
They will likely need to hire some folks to lead chants, fill seats, etc. at the convention.
Do you suppose we can count on Andrea Mitchell to point that out, the way she pointed out that the Clinton campaign had rounded up supporters to fill the venue after the crowd had drifted away on the night of the Iowa caucuses, or along the line of her accusation that Obama was giving "fake interviews" in Iraq?
July 25, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Smarmy Liddy Dole has been such a fawning sycophant of the Bush's, I think she'd wanna go if anything to serve tea to Poppy and ole Mrs. Bush! Color me -- DISHEARTENED!!!
P.S. It just ain't the same without some of her treakly face time cooing about what huge victories they're going to have and how the whole country deliriously adores Bush! Hrrummmph!
July 25, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink