◼ Mayor: ‘Absolutely Prepared To Call Off’ GOP Convention If Isaac Threatens Tampa
Tampa’s mayor warns that the Republican National Convention could be canceled if Tropical Storm Isaac heads for the city.
Mayor Bob Buckhorn told CNN that he is more concerned about the safety of his people than holding the convention.
“Absolutely we’re prepared to call it off,” Buckhorn explained to CNN. “I mean, human safety and human life trumps politics. I think the RNC recognizes that.”
Buckhorn also added that the city has contingency plans ready in case of an emergency.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a factor in this particular convention,” Buckhorn told CNN. “But we are prepared in the event that it is.”
◼ Team Obama breaks precedent to try to spoil Romney’s convention in Tampa - Mike Lillis/The Hill
"Traditionally, there was a kind of courtesy extended to the party having the convention — the [other] party would basically stay out of the public eye," said Ross Baker, political scientist at Rutgers University.
But that "gentlemen's agreement," Baker said, has been largely abandoned as "a consequence of the polarization of American politics." He characterized the old tradition as a "quaint code of etiquette" destined to become a "remnant of the 20th century."
