Republicans shift focus to helping storm victims

REPUBLICANS scrambled to turn the first day of their national convention into a fundraising drive for hurricane victims yesterday, with presidential candidate John McCain’s wife and first lady Laura Bush appealing for Gulf Coast help while McCain visited a disaster relief centre in Ohio.

Party officials in St Paul kept a watchful eye on still-dangerous Hurricane Gustav yesterday to decide next steps for their shortened convention. They said they still expected McCain to address the convention at Thursday night’s finale.

McCain’s wife, Cindy, and Mrs Bush would make remarks “directed toward the storm and where to send donations,” said Doug McCain, one of the presidential candidate’s sons.

President Bush, whose administration was widely accused of a botched handling of the Katrina disaster three years ago, travelled to Texas rather than to St Paul, where he had been scheduled to speak on the opening night of the convention. Bush planned visits to Austin and San Antonio to visit staging grounds for hurricane response efforts. The convention remained in limbo on its first day. At McCain’s behest, party leaders called off the usual festivities and planned only a truncated meeting in the afternoon. Party officials were attempting to refocus convention efforts toward raising funds for relief efforts.

The Ohio delegation held a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi as planned, but turned the event into a relief fundraiser. Kevin DeWine, deputy GOP chairman for Ohio, said some $20,000 (€13,600) was raised.

In Ohio, McCain visited a disaster relief centre, and helped pack cleaning supplies that will be sent to the Gulf Coast area.

Linda Green, who runs the centre, thanked McCain for directing Republicans to avoid “hoopla” at the convention and respecting the needs of storm victims instead.