A Scandinavian-gloom thing

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The local boosters and planners of the Republican convention in St. Paul probably expected -- if not exactly this -- something like it. It must be some kind of Scandinavian gloom thing.Denver had a flawless convention but because of events out of St. Paul's control -- a storm a thousand miles away -- President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Katie Couric, even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- have pulled out of theirs. The opening night of the convention was foreshortened to routine and not very interesting business.This convention is a kind of civic psychotherapy for Minneapolis-St. Paul, which seems to need reassurance -- needlessly, in the opinion of most visitors -- that they are in the front rank of American cities. St. Paul, especially, wants to be more than an afterthought to its larger neighbor. Even some of the state's politicians carelessly refer to the site of the convention as being in Minneapolis. Despite the fact that both cities are physically beautiful and packed with first-rate amenities, their extraordinarily hospitable inhabitants suspect outsiders regard their home as "flyover country."It's hard to believe but, according to the local papers, the Twin Cities are still haunted by the last Republican convention held here -- in 1892. It apparently was a debacle. (It wasn't so good for the GOP either. The party renominated Benjamin Harrison, who lost.) The city was lacking in hotels and restaurants and was panned, most cruelly of all by the Chicago newspapers. The grand exposition building with its 260-foot tower where the event was held soon went bankrupt and became a warehouse.Editorialized the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "We failed the Republicans in 1892. We don't plan to let it happen again." And then Hurricane Gustav came along.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)