GOP Representative: Bush 'Should Stay Home' During Republican Convention

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The GOP convention will officially endorse Sen. John McCain as the Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. It will be held in Minneapolis-Saint Paul from September 1 to 4, 2008. It must be exciting news for the Republican Party but they are concerned how to handle President Bush at the event.

McCain is also trying to escape from the shadows of George Bush, but his voting record doesn’t seem to be showing that; he approved Bush’s policies nearly 95 per cent of the time in 2007 and 100 per cent in 2008. A conservative host and others are speculating that if McCain gets elected, his government will be more of the same like Bush’s.

Though McCain doesn’t say it in public, some Republicans like Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California want Bush to stay away from the convention.

Rohrabacher told New York Times:

I don't think there are a lot of people who want to see him at the convention…(Bush) should stay home from the Republican convention, and everybody would be better off.

McCain is in a pickle: if he stays close with Bush, then others will be put off by that image. If he stays away from Bush, the Bush loyalists and the Republican Party may get upset with him.

But McCain shouldn’t feel guilty that he has to reject the President from the convention; others have done it in the past. George Bush Sr., didn’t allow the previous President Ronald Reagan to attend the conference at the same time because Reagan was more popular than Bush Sr. and he didn’t want Reagan to steal the show. Reagan gave the speech the first day and left soon after. Bush bid Mr. Reagan goodbye at the airport and then arrived at the convention to get nominated.