[h=3]By David Jackson, USA TODAY[/h]Updated
TAMPA – The truncated 2012 Republican convention gets underway in earnest today, delayed by a storm threat and distracted by fears of a hurricane aiming at the northern Gulf Coast.
Attendees at the brief Monday session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa bow their heads during the benediction.
The GOP performed a brief session on Monday, but the real action starts this afternoon with the formal nomination of Mitt Romney as President Obama's challenger on Nov. 6.
Over the weekend, Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus and other planners condensed a four-day program into three because of worry about Tropical Storm Isaac, but Isaac largely bypassed Tampa on Monday. The GOP could still make schedule changes if Isaac turns into a hurricane and does major damage to the Gulf Coast. The storm is poised for landfall seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and other areas.
As Romney and Obama enter the final 10 weeks of a long campaign, many polls show the president is considered more likeable. Republicans hope to change that image this week, starting with tonight's speech by Ann Romney. She will help voters get to know her husband as "a great, decent family-loving guy," said Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va., in a session with USA TODAY reporters.
The early wind and rain in Florida affected a number of convention activities — including protests. A march that planners had hoped would attract 5,000 people drew only a few hundred.
The shortened convention schedule prompted discussion of future changes. Some Republicans, including Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, wondered whether the confab should have been scheduled for a full four days in the first place.
"These are very expensive propositions to put on," Boehner said at a lunch hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. "I think, given as much news as people get today and the way they get their news, I'm not sure having a four-day convention in the future makes a lot of sense."
Contributing: Jackie Kucinich, Catalina Camia, Susan Davis
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TAMPA – The truncated 2012 Republican convention gets underway in earnest today, delayed by a storm threat and distracted by fears of a hurricane aiming at the northern Gulf Coast.
USA TODAY, Robert Deutsch
Attendees at the brief Monday session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa bow their heads during the benediction.
Attendees at the brief Monday session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa bow their heads during the benediction.
The GOP performed a brief session on Monday, but the real action starts this afternoon with the formal nomination of Mitt Romney as President Obama's challenger on Nov. 6.
Over the weekend, Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus and other planners condensed a four-day program into three because of worry about Tropical Storm Isaac, but Isaac largely bypassed Tampa on Monday. The GOP could still make schedule changes if Isaac turns into a hurricane and does major damage to the Gulf Coast. The storm is poised for landfall seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and other areas.
- [h=3]MORE: Full coverage of the 2012 Republican National Convention[/h]
- [h=3]PHOTOS: Top images from Tampa[/h]
As Romney and Obama enter the final 10 weeks of a long campaign, many polls show the president is considered more likeable. Republicans hope to change that image this week, starting with tonight's speech by Ann Romney. She will help voters get to know her husband as "a great, decent family-loving guy," said Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va., in a session with USA TODAY reporters.
The early wind and rain in Florida affected a number of convention activities — including protests. A march that planners had hoped would attract 5,000 people drew only a few hundred.
The shortened convention schedule prompted discussion of future changes. Some Republicans, including Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, wondered whether the confab should have been scheduled for a full four days in the first place.
"These are very expensive propositions to put on," Boehner said at a lunch hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. "I think, given as much news as people get today and the way they get their news, I'm not sure having a four-day convention in the future makes a lot of sense."
Contributing: Jackie Kucinich, Catalina Camia, Susan Davis
For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to [email protected]. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.