RNC Day 1: Lone Protestor, Dashed Dining and Sweaty Armpits

Tropical Storm Isaac kept me in Clearwater on Monday.

But aside from the heat, it was all politics Tuesday.

I fought traffic to make it to meet with my colleagues in Seminole Heights; , , and .

From there we made our way to the epicenter of THE political event in Tampa’s history, the Republican National Convention where Mitt Romney would get the party’s nomination for president.

I am helping AOL/Huffington Post with its coverage of the Republican National Convention this week. Still, my thoughts are in Clearwater, so I'm sharing with you what it is like on the ground floor.

From the outset, the story seemed to be downtown Tampa: the latest ghost town. 

The briefcase city that slows after the 50,000 workers downtown leave their 9-to-5 was supposed to receive an economic jolt from the convention. The tourist influx was supposed to be a shot in the arm for local restaurants during a usually slow time of year.

However, it seemed that more law enforcement officers occupied street corners than protesters. 

Once I checked in with security and settled in at the Tampa Convention Center, I took to the streets downtown in search of stories. Rick Bishop of Temple Terrace was one of the first people I met. He had made a sign to hold downtown as a first-time protester.

It read:

“GOP: You Are Not Welcome Here Greedy, Racist, Closed-Minded, Religious Hypocrites”

I wandered downtown some more getting the feel for the city, which morhphed into a security zone with guards and guns, closed-off streets, and fenced-off parks (Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park was walled off for a party later in the week).

After walking a few blocks in the mid-morning heat, it did not take long before it felt like my shirt was clinging to me, soaked in sweat. The cloud cover did little to subdue the thick, damp air.

Luckily, I was able to save the notes I'd taken all morning on Rick when I pulled my notepad from my sweaty back pocket. Just five minutes longer and the ink would have bled them illegible.

On my next assignment, I talked with some restaurateurs upset with how slow business was. The convention scared away regulars and delegates are not dining downtown. Talking to the business owners, I was little worried I had turned my Right Guard left, so I apologized for my dewy appearance. 

I was able to cool off and continue. When I returned to post, I thought I'd be grateful for the air-conditioned convention center, but it was nearly as big a shock to my system as if I'd jumped into a ice bath. 

"Is there a dryer I can throw my shirt in," I said when I got back to the make-shift newsroom on the convention hall floor. I might have to bring a change of clothes each day if it is going to be like this, I added.

On my return to put together my notes, I saw Bob Schieffer and Jon Voight, the actor.

Leaving the convention center for the day we bumped into Andy Kindler, a comedian in town as a correspondent for the Late Show with David Letterman.

I said hello and asked him where Biff (Henderson) was. 

“The DNC (Democratic National Convention in Charlotte),” Kindler replied.

He chatted some more about Tampa. “I love the humidity. Who doesn’t love that?”

RNC Day 1:

Stories:

Celebrities/Politicians seen: Bob Schieffer, Jon Voight, Andy Kindler