Missouri Republicans left behind a turbulent Senate race for a
GOP national convention threatened by bad weather and unsettled by the furor
over Rep. Todd Akin's remarks on abortion and rape.
Organizers of the Republican National Convention hope to swing the
election debate back to President Barack Obama's failure to revive a sluggish
economy while presenting a likeable version of Mitt Romney, who has yet to
warm the hearts of voters.
The four-day convention was to begin Monday, but because of severe
weather from Tropical Storm Isaac, it will convene and then recess until
Tuesday afternoon.
The theme of the convention is "A Better Future."
"Our purpose is to unify the party and deliver the message that what Mitt
Romney and Paul Ryan have to offer is a dramatic improvement over Obama and
Biden," said state Auditor Tom Schweich, a Romney delegate from St. Louis.
The Republicans have plenty of challenges on the way to that goal, not
the least of which is the storm, which could disrupt logistics for 50,000
people and drown out messages the GOP wants to get across. Four years ago,
Republicans gathered in St. Paul, Minn., then scrubbed the convention's main
events as Hurricane Gustav bore down on the Gulf Coast, 1,000 miles away.
Organizers also are wrestling with diminished interest, which showed when
major networks said they would skip coverage on Monday night, when Ann Romney
had been scheduled to speak. Organizers have since moved her speech to Tuesday
to ensure network television coverage.
Republicans also are dealing with fallout from Akin's controversial
comments last weekend, which continue to confound the GOP hierarchy. Akin's
reference to "legitimate rape" and his assertion that the female body can shut
down a pregnancy from rape ignited a national debate, knocking Republicans off
their message in the run-up to Tampa. They struggled in vain to force Akin
from the GOP ticket in hopes of unseating the Democratic incumbent, Sen.
Claire McCaskill. Those efforts continue.
Missouri Republicans might expect special attention in Tampa after being
at the center of the firestorm. State Republican chairman David Cole, who
arrived in Tampa Aug. 17, said GOP leaders from other states have been
approaching him with kind words.
"They come up and ask, 'How are you holding up'?" Cole said. "I fully
expect that the Missouri delegation is going to be greeted warmly and
supported by all the other states."
Missouri is sending 52 official delegates, along with scores of alternate
delegates, spouses and guests.
Akin, who is not attending the Republican gathering, by some accounts has
singlehandedly drawn attention to a GOP platform approved in draft form last
week that reaffirms the party's support of a constitutional ban on abortion
even in cases of rape.
"If it hadn't been for Todd Akin, nobody would have paid any attention to
what's in that platform," said Allan Lichtman, a political historian and
author of "Keys to the White House."
"No. 1 for Republicans in Tampa, they have to get away from the Todd Akin
story, which is a dead loser for them," said Lichtman, a professor at American
University.
Organizers intend to steer the conversation in other directions. But
Connie Eller, a delegate from St. Louis, is among those who want to hear more
