Right choice: Republicans needed to respect worry, threat from hurricane

It would have been more fun to kick off with balloons, speeches and parties beginning today.

And there is no question that those who are gathering in Tampa for the Republican Convention would rather have been celebrating than waiting for a tropical storm's other shoe to drop.

But postponing convention business was the right thing to do -- not just because of the potential complications that could arise in Tampa, but because there are Gulf Coast residents and Florida residents who have reason to be worried about the approaching storm.

And when an area of the country is threatened, it is the right thing to do to respect the needs of leaders from those states to head home -- and to be respectful about the fact that perhaps this day is not the best one to start a partisan rally.

So the Republican leadership decided to do the right thing -- and to let the weather news settle a bit and to watch to see if there is reason to be concerned, or to rally together to help those in need.

And that is the right decision.

There will be plenty of time for nomination-accepting and balloons and speeches.

For now, attention should be on those who are facing a potential hurricane.

And that is exactly where Republicans made sure it was squarely focused.

Published in Editorials on August 27, 2012 10:51 AM