[Carlhole]

Gustav Smashes Into Republican Convention
BwaaaHahaHhahhAHAHAHAHAHAaaaaAAAA! (figuratively, I mean)

It could happen. What a cool drama to watch. What if it slams right into NO again?

[dinopello]

It's a crazy situation! Very dramatic for the election.:shock:

[web]http://hurricane.accuweather.com/hurricane/satellite.asp?reg[/web]

The oil drum probably has the best on the storms' effects.

[Carlhole]

We won't see any missteps from Washington this time around regarding any damn killer storm. We will witness Nazi-like efficiency in dealing with it so as to avoid any obvious political fall-out.

If the storm looks to be as bad as Katrina/Rita, then the Republicans will cancel their convention. Emergency efforts will be lauded and contrasted with the previous failure. They will portray the governmental reorganisation, of which FEMA was a part, as unequivocally successful. And then, the re-convened Republican convention will capitalize as much as possible on the just-completed efficient rescue/care of millions of people.

If this storm does another Katrina-like number on New Orleans, that's one city that just became a small town.

[dinopello]

If the storm looks to be as bad as Katrina/Rita, then the Republicans will cancel their convention.

Bold prediction, but definate possibility. What would all the people who showed up to Minneapolis do? Riot? But, the theme is "Country First"!

Emergency efforts will be lauded and contrasted with the previous failure.

It's gonna be hard to do much about the impact of offline production and importation. That would affect too many people, I'm guessing, depending on the damage. Big Map

[Carlhole]

If the storm looks to be as bad as Katrina/Rita, then the Republicans will cancel their convention.

Bold prediction, but definate possibility. What would all the people who showed up to Minneapolis do? Riot? But, the theme is "Country First"!

Emergency efforts will be lauded and contrasted with the previous failure.

It's gonna be hard to do much about the impact of offline production and importation. That would affect too many people, I'm guessing, depending on the damage. Big Map

Oh, they'll spin this storm tens times stronger than the thing spun in! They'll drench their constituents with a flood of emotionality. And there will be some howling winds blowing with a whole lot of patriotic vainglory!

Republicans will get a chance to show their "caring" side. Nevertheless, everyone will have in the back of their minds the terrible devastation wrought by Katrina, the failure of the Bush Administration to deal with it properly, and the wide-open vulnerability of one of America's chief sources of domestic energy.

It's so interesting to see that Mother Nature has reserved a seat at the Minneapolis/St. Paul convention. But is she really a Democrat?

[Serial_Worrier]

Honestly I couldn't give a whit about New Orleans. What a cesspool filled with gangsta "culture". It'd be doing civilization a favor if it got swept out to sea.

[jbrovont]

I wonder what Pat Robertson would say about that one? lol

[mklkatreeandleaf]

The hurricane is directed to the convention center for a reason.

[dinopello]

If NO is hit hard that would be a story for a few days and the convention might be delayed or it might become a topic in some of the speaches. But Republicans are in a bind there, because they should believe that the Federal gov't doesn't really have a role in helping out in a natural disaster. Where in the constitution is that ? The appeal to many of the Republicans always used to be the limited role of the feds. If they all of a sudden say we should be pouring in money and help, that would be a big government thing.

Any damage to NO is a local thing and while Americans would be interested and sympathetic what would really be big is major damage to energy infrastructure and production and importation. The resulting price impact would affect everyone. This again would thrust energy into the forefront. I guess the initial responses would be predictable

Palin - Just drill a few more holes in the ground, problem solved
McCain - Damn she's smart
Obama - I'm going with Pickens plan
Biden - Trains! We need more trains!

[evilgenius]

Nice post, dinopello.