The Republican Party, to recognize what might be inappropriate for attacks against the Democrats and big celebrations at a time when Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast of Mexico, adopted more modest plans for its National Convention, which began on Monday in St . Paul, Minnesota.
Instead of the planned speeches of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, and from rhetoric to gather support from the Americans about the Republican presidential candidate John McCain, the party opted to cut its agenda on Monday to three hours of parliamentary and legal formalities.
The decision was a tacit recognition of inappropriate handling made by the Bush administration of the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina three years ago, which deteriorated sharply public approval of the president and led to the Democratic victory in Congress in 2006.
He also deducted to McCain, a senator for Arizona, long before the means to respond to the Democratic National Convention, which attracted 40 million viewers last Thursday, during the speech in which Illinois Senator Barack Obama accepted the presidential nomination that party.
In addition, there will be less time to bring the country to Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska and whom McCain nominated last weekend as the Republican candidate for the vice presidency.
However, the arrival of Gustav also represents an opportunity for McCain proves that gives more importance to the national interest that himself, a quality that distinguishes Republicans point to their candidate.
"Act as Americans, not as Republicans, because the U.S. needs us now," said McCain.
Until the closing of this edition, was unknown agenda for the next few days of the convention, whose main mission is to officially nominate the candidate for the Republican presidential elections on November 4. However, some Republican strategists have designed some of the goals of the event:
1. Giving a more vigorous and presidential McCain. Gustav gives an opportunity for the senator from Arizona seems firm against pressure, countering criticism that Democrats are too old (72 years) to head the White House. In the days before Gustav, McCain visited the coast of Mississippi and spoke with several governors, including Rick Perry, Texas.
2. Consolidating the conservative base. The choice of Palin as a candidate for vice president has moved to social conservatives. Governor since 2006, Palin, mother of five children, one with Down syndrome, is opposed to abortion, gay marriage and is a prominent member of the National Association of Rifle. It is also in favor of oil drilling in the Arctic nature reserve.
McCain must finish tying the conservative support through a firm stand on foreign policy, restricting spending and tax cuts.
3. Demonstrate that will produce real changes that will benefit workers. McCain should explain how to carry out its promises to reduce taxes both enterprises and individuals to further a trade liberalization that cree new jobs. It should also spell out his energy plan, which combines an exploration forceful with greater conservation.
4. Extending his hand to the Democrats and centrists inconformes. Palin will work to attract disenchanted supporters of Hillary Clinton, who was defeated by Obama in the Democratic primary, while McCain will try to convince independents talking about his image as a Republican who has sometimes dissent with the party and its bipartisan work.
5. Leaving the differences clear. Republicans seek to portray McCain as more experienced, stronger low pressure and closer to the political center that Obama.
Battle for Latino vote
Another major challenge for McCain will attract Hispanic voters, an area in which it is lagging compared with Obama and may be key to the presidential election in states such as Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.
A survey by the Gallup signature from 18 to August 24 showed that 58 percent of registered Latino voters preferred to Obama, while 31 percent supported McCain.
Hessy Fernandez, spokesman for McCain Hispanic media, said that although the political climate for Republicans is difficult this year, many Latinos will vote for McCain finally based on their record.
"Senator McCain has been fighting for the issues that matter to Latinos for over two decades. It is a true friend of the Latino community," said the spokesman.
The goal of the Republican campaign that includes ads in English and Spanish on the Internet, radio and television, is to get more than 45 percent of the Hispanic vote, precise Fernandez. That figure would be a record for a Republican presidential candidate.
McCain has met with Latino leaders of the support he has received. Fernandez stressed to Silverio Salazar, a Democrat staff member of Pueblo, Colorado, which is supporting McCain to get the Hispanic vote. Salazar is a cousin of Senator Ken Salazar federal and federal representative John Salazar, a Colorado Democrat.
McCain ads have focused on his military career, his ability to tackle economic issues and his support for the Free Trade Agreement with Colombia, which is pending in Congress.
In 2004, President Bush received 40 percent of the votes, a record for a Republican presidential candidate. But exit polls showed that Latino support for Republicans in the legislative elections of 2006 fell to 27 percent.
Immigration
McCain led a broad immigration reform that provided a path to citizenship for 12 million Hispanics in the country. Many Latinos felt a measure against the brave and rightist anti-immigrant wing of the Republican Party.
The senator also has been separated from hardline members of the party, saying repeatedly that the undocumented are "sons of God" and should be treated with mercy.
However, McCain has taken a step backwards with respect to immigration reform during his presidential campaign, saying that the border must be secured before any legalization measure.
Some political analysts say McCain faces a negative point of view among many Latinos regard to the Republican Party.
"Despite his own record on immigration, it is affecting the perception that the Republican Party is anti-immigrant," says John Pitney, a professor of American Politics Claremont McKenna College. "And like other groups of voters, Latinos are concerned about the general state of the economy."
Pitney said that McCain should win at least 30 percent of the Latino vote or could lose New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado.
