TAMPA — Some days you just can’t make a nickel. With just 18
shopping days until the Republican National Convention in Tampa,
the problems mount. Even scheduling a country singer for one of the
convention’s associated hoe-downs is proving to be a problem.
Residents of Tampa are beginning to realize what a monumental
disruption the four-day political rodeo and masa-cree at the end of
the month will be. Downtown Tampa will be in virtual lock-down,
with most businesses closing down or closing early to get out of
the way of 50,000+ convention delegates, cops, journalists,
demonstrators, gawkers, and various convention worker-bees taking
over the area.
Nothing, it seems, has been easy or cheap. The federals have
contributed $50 million in tax money for security for the
convention, which substantively is little more than a back-drop for
four days of political speeches few will watch. (The Tampa Bay Rays
will play the Texas Rangers at Arlington the first three evenings
of the convention — it’s a safe bet that these games will get
higher TV ratings in the Bay Area than the speeches.) It will take
all of that money and all the local and regional cops to ride herd
on the thousands of demonstrators, noisily, and in some cases
destructively, representing every left-wing and anarchist cause
known to man.
It’s a dead-bang cinch that what takes place on Tampa’s streets
over the four days will be more dramatic than the speeches. The
good news on this front is that both Hillsborough County Sheriff
David Gee and Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor are competent,
no-nonsense cops with considerable assets at their disposal. Though
badly outnumbered, they will be a match for the vandals.
It’s not clear that the local host committee has raised the
money it promised to raise to support the operatically expensive
convention. Not nearly enough locals have volunteered to do the
unpaid fetching and toting and schlepping around of delegates and
other officials that’s needed.
And speaking of unpaid, local political consultants have
complained privately that their services are expected to be
provided pro-bono while hot shots out of Washington are being
handsomely paid for theirs. Other vendors expecting to provide
products or services for the convention have found that
arrangements have already been made with out-of-town companies.
Some hoteliers have found the RNC less than a dream to work with.
More than one local politico has lately been heard to lament: “Tell
me again why we wanted to have this here.”
So that the RNC doesn’t feel too picked on here, let’s be clear
that similar complaints are being heard in Charlotte. Politics is,
among other things, a very big business. And the folks with the
money like to keep it themselves. Hardly a shocker.
In addition to these very human problems surrounding the
convention, Mother Nature also has her thumb on the scale, not to
Tampa’s advantage. The weather service reported that the average
heat index — the famous “feels like” measure that considers both
temperature and humidity — for the hottest part of August 27, the
first day of the convention, is 105. Over the four-day period of
the convention, the heat index has reached 111. It doesn’t cool off
much at night. If demonstrators get too frisky, they run a bigger
risk from heat stroke than from the cops.
It’s not even clear where Florida convention delegates will stay
for the four days. The Republican National Committee is indulging a
snit with the Republican Party of Florida because Florida held its
presidential primary at a date the RNC considered too early. For
this indiscretion the national party decided to stash Florida’s
convention delegates in an adjoining county, more than an hour’s
drive from the action (such as it will be). To relieve the
accommodation problem, I suggested to RPOF Chairman Lenny Curry
that he park most of the Florida delegation at the 30,800
square-foot home of Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, less than a mile
from the convention center. Derek will be otherwise occupied during
the convention. Curry laughed at the suggestion — but he didn’t
say no.
With all these problems and contentions and pettiness you’d
think scheduling a country singer would be, comparatively, a
breeze. Wrong again. Even this is playing out like a George Jones
and Tammy Wynette song.
Until early this week things were fine. Wildly popular
troubadour Willie Nelson was enlisted to play a benefit for
military veterans scheduled during the convention. OK, his politics
are dopey, and his preferred policies on the weed aren’t exactly
consistent with that of most Republicans. But his music is magic,
his personality compelling, and what a line the folks putting the
benefit together could have used: “We’ve got Willie Nelson; they’ve
got Slick Willie.”
But it wasn’t to be. Willie backed out citing a scheduling
conflict. But not to worry, Randy Travis was available and signed,
so says the Tampa Bay Times. Travis is a singer with a
pleasing, traditional country sound and personally more
conservative than Willie. It’s been a while since Randy’s hits: “On
the Other Hand,” “Storms of Life,” “Diggin’ Up Bones,” “Honky Tonk
Side of Town,” et al. Lately he’s been devoting his time to gospel
music. Good backup, eh?
It was until Randy ran amuck. The Associated Press reported
Travis was arrested Wednesday near Tioga, Texas, and charged with
driving while intoxicated and felony retaliation and obstruction.
According to the AP, police reports say Travis was naked at the
scene, threatened to kill the arresting officers, and refused to
take a sobriety test. A distinctly un-conservative evening. Travis
was charged in February of this year with public intoxication.
This is sad news for the group that wanted to do something for
veterans, which doesn’t need this kind of distraction but does need
a country singer. It’s even sadder news for Travis, for his family
and friends, and for his many fans, which include me.
RNC spokesman James Davis told me the Nelson then Travis concert
was not an RNC event, but just one of the many events scheduled
around the convention by other groups. And it’s hardly one of the
more important issues surrounding the convention and the historic
election it is a part of. But it does go to show you. Some days you
just can’t make a nickel.
