The NC delegation is staying this week at a Holiday Inn near the Metrodome. The New Mexico delegation is also staying at the hotel, which is a few blocks from the University of Minnesota.
This morning, the delegation caucused for the first time and heard several speakers. Former Agriculture Secretary John Block told delegates that a McCain-Palin administration would push for increased offshore drilling and keep taxes low, former governor Buddy Roemer (D-LA) reported on Hurricane Gustav’s impact in New Orleans and spoke of how he knew John McCain when both served in the U.S. House working to pass the Reagan tax cuts. Former Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN), who owns a vacation home in NC, elicited an enthusiastic response when he told how energized he was after hearing that Sarah Palin was McCain’s VP pick. Overall, NC delegates are very excited about the Palin pick. However, the most riveting speaker was former prisoner of war Lee Ellis of Georgia, who served in the same POW camp as McCain. Ellis relayed how McCain had both arms broken and his left leg broken when his jet was shot down. Ellis relayed how miserable life was in POW camps, where McCain lived over 5 years, and how the Vietnamese unsuccessfully tried to use McCain for propaganda purposes because he was an admiral’s son. Ellis said McCain has always put country first as he did in the Navy.
