Five things to watch at the Republican Convention

Will Hurricane Isaac, Sarah Palin, or Joe Biden be the biggest gate crasher at the GOP convention in Tampa? And who could steal the show as a speaker? Heres a brief look at what could be a wild week in Tampa.

1. Whats up with potential Hurricane Isaac?

The current Tropical Storm Isaac is heading toward the Gulf of Mexico after cruising over Cuba and possibly hitting southern Florida this weekend.

The only experts who are as occasionally off-base as political pundits are meteorologists, so the drama over Isaac could linger into Monday.

If you are a weather geek, the smart money is on the European model over the GFS model, but the two popular weather predictors seem close to agreeing that Isaac is likely heading toward the area of western Floridas border with Alabama. Tampa will be affected but a convention washout isnt likely.

2. Who is the biggest gate crasher?

That would seem to be Vice President Joe Biden, who was scheduled to lead rallies in Tampa on Monday and Tuesday, at least before Isaac came on the scene.

Sarah Palin wasnt invited to speak at the Republican National Convention, and she is not on the list of speakers at an official Tea Party rally on Sunday headlined by Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann.

Palins PAC reportedly booked hotel space in Tampa, but that was before the former Alaska governor decided not to attend the convention. It remains to be seen if she will appear in Tampa.

Todd Akin, the controversial Senate candidate from Missouri, was also reportedly in Tampa this week to meet with fundraisers, but he agreed to not attend the convention after last weekends media frenzy.

3. Will Chris Christie steal the show as the keynote speaker?

The boisterous New Jersey governor sa! ys hes n ot changing his style for his keynote speech. But there is plenty of other speaker firepower in Tampa.

Ted Cruz, the up-and-coming Senate candidate from Texas, will get a lot of attention. And Marco Rubio, the current U.S. senator from Florida, is another dynamic speaker.

Cruz is speaking Monday night, while Rubio is speaking on Thursday night just before Mitt Romney. Christie speaks on Tuesday.

But Wednesday night should be the most dynamic night for speakers, with a lineup that includes John McCain, Jeb Bush, Luis Fortuno, Tim Pawlenty, Condoleezza Rice, and Paul Ryan.

Look for Condoleezza Rice to steal the night with her well-honed speech on returning America to its values and promise.

4. Will the party walk the plank with its platform?

Because of Todd Akins miscues about rape in a TV interview, the GOPs stance on abortion will get a lot of attention as it is codified in the conventions platform.

The platform is approved at the conventions start. It is expected to disavow a legal exception for rape or incest victims in abortion situations. That would conflict with Mitt Romneys view on the issue.

But a report from Fox News on Friday listed some other platform highlights, such as a commission to study the gold standard and some conciliatory language on immigration.

The platform isnt a binding a document for Romney and Paul Ryan, and theres a lot of debate if voters really care about it.

One voter who doesnt is Chris Christie, who told a New York radio station that the platform isnt a big deal.

I dont really care about the platform. And I dont think most Republicans care about the platform. And I dont think most Republicans can tell you what the platform said, Christie said.

5. How much of the convention will be on TV?

In past decade! s, a lot of the convention was televised live. But in the 24/7 news era, where the convention appears on television is an issue.

Youll be able to watch most of the convention live on cable news networks and online.

But the major broadcast TV networks plan to show limited coverage on three nights, with ABC, CBS, and NBC showing one hour on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The networks are skipping Monday night.

The GOP might move Ann Romneys speech to Tuesday, from its scheduled spot as the final speech on Monday, to get her some time on broadcast TV.

The networks are claiming they can only show three nights of coverage, since the Democratic convention only has three nights of events, and there is a fairness issue involved.

Skeptics say the networks gain more financially from showing repeat episodes of TV programming like Castle or Grim than showing Mondays convention.

The X-factor is the presence of potential Hurricane Isaac on Monday, which could expand a lot of coverage of events in Tampa.

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