Republican storm watch

Everyone here in the Twin Cities is talking about two things: the storm on the Gulf Coast and the storm caused by John McCain's VP choice. The pundits are saying that the social conservatives are energized by the choice of Sarah Palin. I have yet to run into any Republicans who fit that description. Most people I spoke with are not happy about it.

Bea Horwath, 81, and her husband Lou Horwath, 91, were at the Marriott lobby bar in Minnetonka, Minn., after attending a wedding reception. Bea's cousin, Ray Allen, is the co-owner of Summit Brewing Company. They are a local Minnesota brewery and maker of Summit Pale Ale, which I highly recommend. Allen's granddaughter was getting married. Bea said she was hoping Mitt Romney would've gotten the nod. "I like his appearance, especially his hair," she said. Lou wasn't wild about Palin either but hoped that maybe she'd steal some of Hillary's votes. "McCain picked her so he could get to that oil in Alaska," he explained, grinning.

I also spoke with a younger couple, Angie and Tony Tesch, from South Dakota. They were both in the area to attend the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. (That's it! We'll settle this dead-heat election with a jousting tournament!) Both Tesches work in the environmental field and are opposed to drilling in Alaska. They also both support McCain and like his experience, but are lukewarm about the Alaskan governor. Angie is pro-choice and and says she can't relate to Palin's ideology.

Hurricane Gustav is pounding the Gulf Coast but its effects are being felt right here in Minnesota. The Republican National Convention has been put on hold to assess the damage. It will still be taking place, no doubt, but some of the key players will be missing.

Bush has decided to concentrate on the storm and forgo his opening night speech at the convention. There is still a possibility he will speak from a remote location. Some Southern politicians are staying home to clean up the damage. How will this affect the GOP's party in Minneapolis/St. Paul? Too soon to tell.

I don't get to use use color in the paper very much since the Post-Gazette's editorial page is printed strictly in black and white. Here is a full-color close-up of today's cartoon. You can see more of my non-blog cartoons by clicking here.