Suitably Flip

GOP Convention: Day 1 Pics and Recap, Day 2 Preview

As I mentioned earlier, from Tuesday onward I hope to be able to upload pictures in real time and in context, but Monday's shots are getting dumped on you all at once.

I have to apologize for not having what I thought would be a real trove of freakish protest photos.  They were there (and they were violent), but a combination of my timing and the largely quarantined approach to the Xcel Center meant that from my perspective, law enforcement and Convention staff always outnumbered even the conventiongoers outside the venue.

I'll be more vigilant about tracking down malcontents tomorrow.  I hadn't realized they'd be hard to find.

Inside, the floor setup is pretty simple, but the staging is reasonably attractive and is backdropped by the largest animated screensaver in the history of man.

When needed, it also serves as an ultra-mega-jumbotron, for remote video (e.g. Governor Rick Perry checking in from Texas) or ultra-mega-PowerPoint presentations (e.g. Laura Bush and Cindy McCain discussing hurricane aid).

Speaking of hurricanes (which were essentially the only agenda item, aside from official parliamentary doings like adopting the rules, appointing the chair and co-chairs, and tying up loose ends with contested state delegations) at least one of the lounges had been converted to a "Hurrican Information Center."  The components of a Hurricane Information Center are simple enough: flat screens tuned to each major news channel, lots of internet terminals, and a sign that reads "Hurricane Information Center".  Still, it was a popular joint.

Qualifying news outlets were outfitted with makeshift studios on the suite level, in skyboxes encircling the venue like so:

I don't know how Al Jazeera qualified for a skybox studio, but I did have to chuckle at their placement.

(Just slightly to the right of MSNBC.)

Even the sharpest-eyed viewers will not pick out Keith Olbermann above.  The revered tower of objectivity was summoned back to New York to cover the hurricane, lest his fawning coverage of Obamafest '08 (so fawning it finally became a punchline for left-leaning comedy shows) contrast too sharply with the four-day diatribe he was preparing to unleash in St. Paul.

Down on that suite level ("down", relative to my assigned seat up in the nosebleeds), I happened by the Fox News skybox just as Jon Voight was finishing an interview. There weren't many conventioners on this level, but a handful of folks in the area gathered around, and the commotion drew the attention of an interviewer and cameraman from Inside Edition.  Voight graciously gave another quick interview, which he concluded by gathering we nearby conventioners around him, and saying to the camera, "These are Republicans.  These are your friends.  These are the people who will keep you safe, like they always have."

I'm relatively confident IE did not air that footage.

As for tomorrow, things are still in flux.  As of 11:45 CT Monday night, the revised schedule for Tuesday was blank.  There's a blogger breakfast with Fred Thompson in the morning that I hope to attend.  After that, the formal goings-on (whether they include full-fledged festivities or another day of the pilot light approach) should resume sometime in the late afternoon.

If the original schedule resumes, Tuesday's headliners should include Rudy Giuliani, Tom Ridge, Mike Huckabee, and Fred Thompson.

Meanwhile, for more warm-up session buzz and recap, check out Ed Morrissey's wrap-up.

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GOP Convention: Day 1 Pics and Recap, Day 2 Preview

As I mentioned earlier, from Tuesday onward I hope to be able to upload pictures in real time and in context, but Monday's shots are getting dumped on you all at once.

I have to apologize for not having what I thought would be a real trove of freakish protest photos.  They were there (and they were violent), but a combination of my timing and the largely quarantined approach to the Xcel Center meant that from my perspective, law enforcement and Convention staff always outnumbered even the conventiongoers outside the venue.

I'll be more vigilant about tracking down malcontents tomorrow.  I hadn't realized they'd be hard to find.

Inside, the floor setup is pretty simple, but the staging is reasonably attractive and is backdropped by the largest animated screensaver in the history of man.

When needed, it also serves as an ultra-mega-jumbotron, for remote video (e.g. Governor Rick Perry checking in from Texas) or ultra-mega-PowerPoint presentations (e.g. Laura Bush and Cindy McCain discussing hurricane aid).

Speaking of hurricanes (which were essentially the only agenda item, aside from official parliamentary doings like adopting the rules, appointing the chair and co-chairs, and tying up loose ends with contested state delegations) at least one of the lounges had been converted to a "Hurrican Information Center."  The components of a Hurricane Information Center are simple enough: flat screens tuned to each major news channel, lots of internet terminals, and a sign that reads "Hurricane Information Center".  Still, it was a popular joint.

Qualifying news outlets were outfitted with makeshift studios on the suite level, in skyboxes encircling the venue like so:

I don't know how Al Jazeera qualified for a skybox studio, but I did have to chuckle at their placement.

(Just slightly to the right of MSNBC.)

Even the sharpest-eyed viewers will not pick out Keith Olbermann above.  The revered tower of objectivity was summoned back to New York to cover the hurricane, lest his fawning coverage of Obamafest '08 (so fawning it finally became a punchline for left-leaning comedy shows) contrast too sharply with the four-day diatribe he was preparing to unleash in St. Paul.

Down on that suite level ("down", relative to my assigned seat up in the nosebleeds), I happened by the Fox News skybox just as Jon Voight was finishing an interview. There weren't many conventioners on this level, but a handful of folks in the area gathered around, and the commotion drew the attention of an interviewer and cameraman from Inside Edition.  Voight graciously gave another quick interview, which he concluded by gathering we nearby conventioners around him, and saying to the camera, "These are Republicans.  These are your friends.  These are the people who will keep you safe, like they always have."

I'm relatively confident IE did not air that footage.

As for tomorrow, things are still in flux.  As of 11:45 CT Monday night, the revised schedule for Tuesday was blank.  There's a blogger breakfast with Fred Thompson in the morning that I hope to attend.  After that, the formal goings-on (whether they include full-fledged festivities or another day of the pilot light approach) should resume sometime in the late afternoon.

If the original schedule resumes, Tuesday's headliners should include Rudy Giuliani, Tom Ridge, Mike Huckabee, and Fred Thompson.

Meanwhile, for more warm-up session buzz and recap, check out Ed Morrissey's wrap-up.