Posts Tagged ‘Republican National Convention’
Coverage for 9/4/08
It is the last night of the Republican National Convention and the last day of big speeches. We will see if John McCain’s acceptance speech will come anywhere near Barack Obama’s incredible presentation or even the performance of his running mate Sarah Palin. Here is a look at what we have planned for tonight on air and on the web.
Joe Biden in Virginia- In an effort to counter program the McCain acceptance speech here in the swing state of Virginia, Barack Obama’s running mate Joe Biden will make his first appearance in the commonwealth. NBC12 was offered a one on one interview with Senator Biden, however our intense preparation for the coming storm and some logistical issues forced us to pass on the opportunity. We will still cover the event today and let you know what he has to say.
Live Blogging During McCain Speech- Just like last night during the Palin speech, we will have Kate Maxwell a Republican Delegate from Virginia on the floor of the convention giving us a first hand account of the event. It should be said, that Kate is a partisan delegate, so her perception of the speech will not be objective, but it still gives us an incredible live perspective of the event.
Sen. George Allen- Former Senator Allen, is still a very influential member of the Virginia Republican Party. We will find out what he thinks of the Republican convention and what it will take to for the commonwealth to stay in GOP hands.
State Sen. Don McEachin- The democrat state legislator is a strong Obama supporter and was at Denver for his speech. We will hear what he thinks we can expect and not expect from McCain’s speech tonight.
Our coverage begins tonight at 5:30pm on NBC12.
Virginia’s Sarah Palin?
Meet Jill Holtzman-Vogel. She is the only female member of the Republican Senate Minority in the Virginia General Assembly. Before last week, she was a just an average member of the state legislature. Now that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has been thrust into a national spotlight, Vogel is drawing comparisons to the GOP V-P pick. Vogel is a socially conservative Republican and is currently pregnant. She is also a practicing lawyer in Northern Virginia.
*note, I previously had said that Vogel was pregnant with her 5th child which, as reader pointed out was incorrect.
Tonight at 11 we will introduce you Vogel and show you the similarities that she has with Sarah Palin. (She even kind of looks like her). We will also take a look at the controversies swirling around Palin and we will explore the impact it could have on the race for the White House.
Speaking of which, our current DecisionVirginia.com poll asks your opinion on the Sarah Palin controversies. To vote go to the main political page and cast your ballot. We wil have the results tonight at 11.
Coverage For 9/3/08
Here we go again. Except this time it is coming after us. The newsroom is bracing or the remnants of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hanna which are expected to hit us sometime Friday and into Saturday. (Just, by the way, when I have family in town for the NASCAR race). I as, many Richmonders, probably are, am hoping this storm either takes its time to get here, or decides to just fall apart. (Both of which probably have no meteorological chance of happening.) Our weather team is following that action closely on their blog. So while everyone is focused on the rain. I will attempt to stay focused on politics.
Here is what we are working on for tonight:
Palin Speech- Today could be a make or break night for the Republicans in St. Paul. Sarah Palin will give her acceptance speech and it will be her first opportunity to make her case to the American People. She and the McCain campaign have spent the last few days dogging controversies in her personal life that have made her introduction to the national stage a rocky one. Will she be able to overcome that or will she wilt under the pressure? It could be one of the key moments in the campaign.
Sen. Jill Holtzman-Vogel- Jill Holtzman-Vogel is the only Republican woman in the Virginia State Senate and she is currently pregnant with her fifth child. She has many similarities to the new pick for Vice President and is in St. Paul tonight for her speech. We will talk to her about the demands of family life and public office and if Palin can get past the revelations about her personal life.
Lynn Swann- I also talked with Pro Football Hall of Famer Lynn Swann. He is a staunch Republican and recently lost a race for Governor of Pennsylvania. The former Pittsburgh Steeler great is one of the few prominent African-Americans supporting John McCain. He is also a very strong social conservative. We will hear what he has to say about Barack Obama’s message of change and how that differs from the one he offered as a candidate for Governor 2 years ago. (And yes I did talk to him about his Alma Mater USC crushing UVA, but don’t worry that won’t be part of my story).
Our coverage begins tonight at 5:30pm on NBC 12
Coverage for 9/2/08
Today things are expected to get back to normal for the Republicans in St. Paul. There is no doubt that their convention has not had the same flair that the Democrats had. The combination of Hurricane Gustav and some rough press on the new VP nominee, Sarah Palin has got the event off to a slow start.
Here is what we have planned today as we connect with Virginians in St. Paul for the convention.
Former Gov. Jim Gilmore- I am slated to speak with the former Governor and candidate for US Senate early this afternoon. Gilmore has been relentlessly attacking his opponent, Mark Warner, steadily since their debate at the Homestead a little more than a month ago. (You can see my report on that debate on our main video player on http://www.decisionvirgina.com.) Just before he left for the convention, he sent out a few blistering press releases accusing Warner of not agreeing to debates. I’ll talk with the candidate today and see how he plans to break in to the overwhelming lead Warner has in an election that is now just two months away.
I am also interested to hear what Gilmore thinks about the state of the GOP and John McCain’s chances. At one time Gilmore described himself as running on the “Republican wing of the Republican Party”. So he better than anyone should be able to quantify the party’s state.
Our coverage begins tonight at 5:30pm on NBC12.
McDonnell on Gustav and the RNC
I just got done with an interview from St. Paul with Attorney General Bob McDonnell. McDonnell is the front runner for the GOP nomination for Governor next year. He provides an interesting perspective on the situation the Republican party finds themselves in because he was just in New Orleans about a month ago, helping a family whose home was destroyed in Katrina.
McDonnell seemed confident that the Republicans would be able to have a rousing convention, while at the same time respecting the concerns for the people of the Gulf Coast. He also thought that it would provide an opportunity for Sen. John McCain to show he skills as a leader.
Tonight at 11, we’ll hear more from McDonnell about his experience in New Orleans and we will take a deeper look at the impact Gustav could have on the Republican National Convention.
Also, on the Democratic side, we’ll take a look at how the Obama campaign is turning their local campaign offices into drop centers for donations and supplies that will be sent to hurricane victims.
Coverage for 9/1/08
Today was supposed to mark the beginning of the Republican National Convention, but at this point we don’t know if there will even be a Republican National Convention, so as you can imagine that will impact our Decision 2008 coverage quite a bit.
Right now I am working on setting up some interviews with our delegates and officials who are already in St. Paul, with essentially nothing to do. I am wondering what the mood is like there and how the storm along the Gulf Coast is affecting their work in Minnesota.
Much of our newscast tonight, and rightly so, will be dedicated to the coverage of the storm. Tonight at 6, I will take a look at how the storm is making life difficult at the convention hall.
Gustav and the Convention
There is an incredible political tightrope that National Republicans are forced to deal with as they convene in St. Paul for their convention this week. As I am sure you’ve heard (and if I am the first to tell you, that would be pretty flattering) Hurricane Gustav is about to nail the Gulf Coast nearly three years after the Katrina disaster.
Republicans just sent word that they plan to suspend their convention activity for tomorrow, while they assess the situation in the storm zone and then determine how festive they want their convention to be. This of course puts many of our local delegates in a tight bind. Most of them are already on the ground in St. Paul, expecting to begin their work at the convention tomorrow. However there are some that have yet to leave yet and the situation with the storm puts them in a difficult situation.
Coming up tonight in our 11pm news, Tara Morgan will talk with Janet Polarek who works for Attorney General Bob McDonnell. She has yet to leave for the convention, but knows fellow staff and delegates that are already there. In addition, Janet took a trip to New Orleans last October, and is conflicted about going to St. Paul to celebrate, when there could be suffering elsewhere in the Country.
It should be an interesting preview of what is ahead for the GOP.
Coverage for 8/28/08
Tonight is Barack Obama’s big moment as he delivers his acceptance speech to a crowd of over 70,000 people at Invesco field in Denver. You may recall that prior to the start of the Democratic National Convention, The McCain camp warned of a bump of as much as 15 points in the polls from the convention. So far the Gallup Daily Tracking poll has stayed about where it was before the DNC.
Here is a look at what we are working on for tonight on NBC 12 and DecisionVirginia.com.
Local Delegates Prepare for Obama- We have a number of people from Richmond and Central Virginia in attendance in Denver, getting ready for tonight’s history making speech. We will get their impressions of the big night and what it could mean for the very tight race back here.
Local Republicans React- The spin machine back here in Richmond has been working overtime, to mute as much of the Obama message as possible. We have an interview scheduled with LG Bill Bolling to get his take on the DNC and a preview of the Republican event next week.
Mayor Doug Wilder- You may recall our lively chat with the Mayor from Denver on Tuesday. We have another interview scheduled with him this afternoon (His entire comments on the Clinton family are available on our video player on the main page). We will see if he was happy with Sen. Clinton’s speech on Tuesday night and ask him what he anticipates from the Obama show tonight.
Check back often today as we keep an eye on the McCain VP watch and some other Central Virginia political developments that are still emerging. And don’t forget to catch our coverage on TV beginning at 5:30.
