国际英语新闻:Republican Convention Gets Down to Business Tuesday

TAMPA, Florida — U.S. Republicans meeting in Tampa, Florida, plan to get down to business Tuesday after their national nominating convention was delayed a day by the effects of Tropical Storm Isaac. 

The Republican National Convention will finally kick into high gear Tuesday with speeches from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and from Ann Romney, wife of the soon-to-be presidential nominee, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

The Republican gathering briefly convened Monday and then recessed until Tuesday, giving delegates a day off before they get down to the business of formally nominating Mitt Romney and his vice presidential running mate, Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan.

In opening the convention, Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus unveiled what organizers called the National Debt Clock to track the deepening federal government debt during the next three days.

“We also want to draw your attention to the uNPRecedented fiscal recklessness of the Obama administration as depicted by the real time National Debt Clock shown here in the arena," said Priebus.

But if Republicans are distracted by anything here it is the track of Isaac, which has set off hurricane warnings for the central coast of the Gulf of Mexico, including New Orleans, Louisiana, which was battered by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

President Barack Obama has already signed a disaster declaration for Louisiana in anticipation of damage from Isaac.

In 2005, then-President George W. Bush was harshly criticized for his administration’s late and ineffective response to the Katrina disaster, and many Republicans here are sensitive to those memories.

Among them is one of Mitt Romney’s former rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, Georgia businessman Herman Cain, who believes the convention should continue as scheduled.

“Just be mindful of it but don’t call it off unless there is some major, major, major tragedy like Hurricane Katrina," said Cain.

Convention spokesman Russ Schriefer says the party intends to compress four days of speakers into the next three days but will also keep an eye on Isaac.

“Obviously our first concern is for the people in the path of the storm," said Schriefer. "So as we continue to move ahead we are planning for a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday convention and we have a wait-and-see attitude to see what happens with the storm.”

Delegates and party officials seem upbeat despite losing the first day of the convention due to weather concerns.

Virginia Congressman Randy Forbes says the party has never been more enthusiastic about its chances in November against President Barack Obama, and he says that enthusiasm will be on display on the convention floor this week in Tampa.