It's probably fitting that a self-proclaimed "hockey mom," Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, will accept the Republican Party's vice presidential nomination at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., known as one the nation's best hockey venues. One can only hope, however, that there won't be any Mighty Ducks on-hand when trigger-happy Vice President Dick Cheney takes the stage tonight. Coverage kicks off at 1:30 p.m. Seattle time. Update: Thanks to Hurricane Gustav, Cheney and President Bush won't be attending tonight. Neither will Sen. John McCain. Programming for the convention will be determined on a day-to-day basis, Republican officials said. The convention must go on, however, so here's a rundown of what's happening and what to watch.
For my money, the best television coverage of last week's Democratic National Convention came from C-SPAN — and I don't think the RNC will be any different. The otherwise boring TV channel will broadcast a live and uninterrupted feed from the convention floor, and here's the best part: There's no overbearing punditry like that of Fox News, CNN, or MSNBC. As for the blogs, Sound Politics will be your best local bet for conservative commentary, while Horse's Ass will be where liberals should go. For an Oregon perspective, NW Republican will no doubt offer updates throughout the week, but count on The Oregonian's RNC blog to have the most comprehensive convention coverage, seeing as the paper has several reporters in Minneapolis for the event.
Be sure to tune in when Palin speaks Wednesday evening and McCain speaks Thursday (if they don't cancel due to the hurricane), but don't expect to see many of Washington state's big name Republicans there with them. Eighth District Rep. Dave Reichert, U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, and Republican gubernatorial challenger Dino Rossi are all staying home to continue campaigning.
Here's the complete convention schedule.
