Hardball Live in Tampa!
The Republican Convention has been delayed a day by Tropical Storm Isaac barreling through the Gulf of Mexico. Tampa is due for rain and winds, and the convention will now begin on Tuesday. The storm is pushing north, and is expected to make landfall in Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama in the next 48 hours or so. And that has Republican organizers worried that news coverage may turn away from them, and onto the storm.
If it's not the storm the Republican establishment is worried about, it might be Ron Paul. He told a crowd of 10,000 in Tampa that the 'liberty movement' is alive and well. But he didn't endorse Mitt Romney. Paul's faction is just one subset of the Republican party organizers need to rein in this week to present a unified front.
And the GOP is also worried about Donald Trump.
Florida's former governor Charlie Crist endorsed President Obama for re-election.