* Much has been made of Sarah Palin not being given an opportunity to address the Convention. However surprising, it seemed an uncommonly sensible exclusion. But then Gov. Rick Scott WILL speak, albeit not in prime or near-prime time. Frankly, it would seem a better GOP swing-state strategy to accord Palin Scott’s spot.
The former Alaska governor and unconscionable diva-veep candidate didn’t directly impact Florida. And she’s a good communicator if you overlook the pander-speak, reactionary clichés and Fargo delivery.
Scott, conversely, is a poor public speaker who has done–and continues to do–actual harm to this state. We won’t recount the ways here. Moreover, he’s at odds with the Romney campaign as to how to message the Florida economy. Anyone who’s not a hardcore GOPster–and independents will again be the key demographic–will be turned off.
We understand that the Republican National Committee felt obligated to throw Scott a bone, but it should feel more obligated to do all it can to advance its cause. Too bad.
* After his keynote address, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie might give some attendees pause in pondering their vice presidential choice. Like Paul Ryan, Christie’s a prominent Republican in a Democratic state. But unlike Ryan he has legitimate blue-collar appeal, never used Atlas Shrugged as a Christmas stocking-stuffer and wouldn’t need to Etch-A-Sketch previous stands on Medicare, rape-abortion and federal stimulus.
Well-regarded as a feisty speaker, Christie is known as a fiscal hawk with relatively moderate social positions.
* Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Police Chief Jane Castor led a group of City Hall department heads at a series of pre-convention town hall meetings last week. The presentations were professional; the presenters uniformly impressive. The message: managed expectations. There will be logistical inconveniences, there will be confrontations, there will be “spontaneous” events. It all comes, alas, with a modern American political convention. Left unsaid: Especially the Republican one.
But we–meaning residents, delegates, protestors–yes, protestors–and media–are in “good hands,” assured Buckhorn. Moreover, the priority of safety will not come at the expense of respecting rights. As the mayor assured in a recent La Gaceta interview, he’s not out to channel the 1968 performance of Chicago Mayor Richard Daly.
* Mayor Bob’s biggest laugh line: “Publix will be open. And Four Green Fields will be open. Trust me. They never close.”
* Here’s hoping local businesses besides hotels, strip clubs and some catering specialists reap benefits from the convention. Here’s also hoping that bail bondsmen are not among them. As Chief Jane Castor noted at the town hall gathering at Kate Jackson Park in Hyde Park: “My fondest wish would be if everyone is just talking about politics and not law enforcement after the convention. That would be what we want.”
* Chief Castor underscored that everyone–from the “handcuffed to dignitaries” will be “treated with respect.” Showing “restraint and patience” will be the operative principle for the more than 4,000 law-enforcement officers, representing some 60 agencies across Florida, on hand. Castor also stressed that officers will be acting under orders as a group–not as individuals–in order to “avoid falling prey to those baiting them.”
* Those looking for some counter-entertainment amid all the official political hoopla, would surely have found it at Tampa Theatre on Friday (Aug. 24). A fundraising benefit, delightfully dubbed Electile Dysfunction, had been scheduled for the Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Alas, the drag-diva satire was pre-empted by convention security demands–limited parking and access abutting the RNC “event zone.”