Wind, Rain and... Rocks?

Well President Moyers Cleveland and I were present for the opening of the Republican Convention today but none of it was without drama. As you have likely heard, the Republican National Convention (RNC) has been scaled back and there was significant discussion of cancelling all of it except for necessary business. In fact, plans remain very much up in the air depending upon the ultimate impact of Hurricane Gustav on the Gulf Coast.

The opening of the convention was a subdued affair with much of program targeted toward raising money for Hurricane Relief. The RNC opened with a prayer for those affected by Hurricane Gustav and then the RNC Chairman requested all attendees, families, colleagues, and friends to donate money to Hurricane Relief .

While the opening was subdued, the ride to the Convention was anything but! Because of protests concerns, similar to what was seen in Denver for the Democrat Convention, the police presence in Minneapolis has been robust. Penny and I rode to the Convention in the GOP Express accompanied by Officer Todd of the Findley Police Department and we were glad for his friendly and assertive presence. As we rolled off the exit for the Xcel Center police began waving us quickly through their security lane and we soon learned why; protesters on the highway overpass above threw a softball sized rock that hit our bus, just barely missing the large front window and Officer Todd seated in the font seat.

Luckily no one was hurt and there were no other violent interactions with protesters on our trip. The return back to the hotels was uneventful and we will keep you informed as we trek back and forth over the coming days. We expect the proceedings to become more substantive over the next few days. We have a very full agenda tomorrow and will be connecting with delegates, members of Congress, and other attendees. Tomorrow Amy and Penny are starting off with a Senate breakfast and then we split up for a series of sessions to make sure we make as many people aware as possible that OT is at the RNC. --- Tim