Back at the Sculpture Garden - RNC Day 2

The great thing about the RNC is that they start so late in the afternoon you get to have a few extra hours of sleep. Today’s show starts at 6:20 (odd time) and runs through 10 pm. We go to the event site in shifts, rotating the early morning shift every day. I’m with the 11:30 shift today. I also get a brief change of scenery. I am heading to the Minneapolis Convention Center to cover a press conference with the Robot (Cindy) and the Smoker (Laura). The two are going talk about their support of the ONE Campaign, a charitable organization that donates care packages for people doing humanitarian service in impoverished countries. They are going to pack a ceremonial box for the cameras. Laura raced through the assembly line process once and was done. Cindy went through twice, both times with a very determined look on her face.

Back at the Sculpture Garden, it was another day of stiff wax-like speakers. The only difference today is the addition of music. ACDC at the RNC? Yup. Contemporary country tunes also rocked the house. At least the crowd seemed to be having fun today. Yesterday was like a funeral.
The costume of the day is worn by the delegates from Alaska. Photographers go wild to get photos of them wearing orange construction vests and hard hats that have a message about drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. A photo on the back of their vest shows animals roaming in oil fields. Cute.
Today’s schedule is chock full of speakers whose names I don’t recognize. It isn’t until the last hour of the program that more familiar names appear. Joe Lieberman? What the hell is he doing here? George Bush Senior and Barbara are in the hall watching from the VIP box alongside Cindy and her adopted Bangladeshi kid. Laura Bush is back on the podium. What’s up with the recycling of speakers at this event? Not enough people to fill the slots I guess. The Smoker introduced her husband, the President. He couldn’t get himself to Minnesota so he phoned it in. Bush on the big screen. Yikes.
I do my best to not fall asleep as I sit atop my 12 foot tall riser as Fred Thompson told us tales about John McCain’s life. He made sure to use the convention’s slogan “country first” in just about every sentence. Lieberman was after him. He still calls himself a democrat. I thought he dumped that party. I need a drink.