RNC: St. Paul Scene
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Warren McNeil of St. Paul says he's voted Republican in the past and is still making up his mind about who to vote for in the presidential election.
I chatted with McNeil as we stood in Rice Park a few blocks from the Xcel Energy Center, watching last night's live edition of MSNBC's "Road to the White House" with Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post and a host of other pundits. Chris Matthews of "Hardball" fame stood by waiting to go on.
McNeil was walking to his Downtown St. Paul home a few blocks away when he happened upon the show.
The topic of the evening was the news of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's pregnant 17-year old daughter - and whether or not it would influence Republican voters.
For McNeil, it's not a dealbreaker.
"I have three daughters - that's part of life," he said.
What worries him a bit more is the fact that she's so conservative.
"That's a part of the Republican Party that McCain needs to appeal to. It's not necessarily the part I'm affiliated with."
McNeil said he'd be watching the convention closely to try to learn more about Palin.
As protests popped up all around St. Paul yesterday afternoon, the crowd in the safe zone around the MSNBC show was an uneasy mix of Obama supporters, McCain boosters, and outright characters.
I tried to interview a young guy wearing a Nixon shirt and carrying a McCain sign but he didn't want to go on the record.
A knot of Obama supporters waved signs, yelled and tried to get on camera every time his name was mentioned. It worked a few times.
The uneasy juxtapositions prevailed in the busy city streets immediately around the center.
Heavily-armed cops in riot gear shared the sidewalks with well-dressed Republicans, while scruffy citizen-journalists prowled the streets sharing word of which protests were going down where.
In a Downtown coffee show, members of the tongue-in-cheek protest group Missile Dick Chicks huddled to discuss the night's strategy.
Later that evening, parts of Downtown St. Paul were shut down and police unleashed tear gas after a peaceful afternoon protest against poverty was co-opted by other groups and lingered into the evening.
I chatted with McNeil as we stood in Rice Park a few blocks from the Xcel Energy Center, watching last night's live edition of MSNBC's "Road to the White House" with Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post and a host of other pundits. Chris Matthews of "Hardball" fame stood by waiting to go on.
McNeil was walking to his Downtown St. Paul home a few blocks away when he happened upon the show.
The topic of the evening was the news of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's pregnant 17-year old daughter - and whether or not it would influence Republican voters.
For McNeil, it's not a dealbreaker.
"I have three daughters - that's part of life," he said.
What worries him a bit more is the fact that she's so conservative.
"That's a part of the Republican Party that McCain needs to appeal to. It's not necessarily the part I'm affiliated with."
McNeil said he'd be watching the convention closely to try to learn more about Palin.
As protests popped up all around St. Paul yesterday afternoon, the crowd in the safe zone around the MSNBC show was an uneasy mix of Obama supporters, McCain boosters, and outright characters.
I tried to interview a young guy wearing a Nixon shirt and carrying a McCain sign but he didn't want to go on the record.
A knot of Obama supporters waved signs, yelled and tried to get on camera every time his name was mentioned. It worked a few times.
The uneasy juxtapositions prevailed in the busy city streets immediately around the center.
Heavily-armed cops in riot gear shared the sidewalks with well-dressed Republicans, while scruffy citizen-journalists prowled the streets sharing word of which protests were going down where.
In a Downtown coffee show, members of the tongue-in-cheek protest group Missile Dick Chicks huddled to discuss the night's strategy.
Later that evening, parts of Downtown St. Paul were shut down and police unleashed tear gas after a peaceful afternoon protest against poverty was co-opted by other groups and lingered into the evening.
