Now that Hurricane Gustav has weakened, Republicans made the decision Tuesday morning to go forward with their convention program. This week we will continue our focus on the 2008 Presidential Race.

The Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Mike Duncan, is blogging exclusively for WYMT from the convention floor. Mr. Ducan will share his insights and observations throughout the week. You may remember last week Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo submitted his thoughts from Denver. His blogs are still posted if you would like to compare notes.

Again, I would like to thank both men for sharing their unique perspectives on this year's Presidential Race.

As always, thanks for making WYMT-TV your source for news and information. We appreciate your trust.

Neil Middleton
WYMT Mountain News
Appreciate Freedom - Thank a Vet!
And now for Mike Duncan's blog.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

What a great night it was! We heard from our gracious host Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. We also had rousing speeches by former Gov. Tom Ridge, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Mrs. Cindy McCain. Each of the speakers did a superb job of talking about John McCain's record of shaking up the status quo and fighting to change and reform Washington.

Of course the night really belonged to Senator McCain. In his unique speech he spoke directly to the American people about his vision for reforming Washington, putting our economy back on track and securing the peace for future generations. He also talked about the importance of achieving strategic energy independence from foreign oil and his "all of the above" energy policy.

We had a great four days here in Minneapolis/St. Paul and I would like thank everyone who was instrumental in making our national convention such a rousing success. I am sure our Kentucky delegation had an exciting time and one they will never forget. In fact, as soon as Senator McCain finished his acceptance speech, he walked down from the podium to shake hands with those in attendance. The first delegation he went to was Kentucky and one of the first hands he shook were those of our own Congressman Hal Rogers and his wife Cynthia.

After our exciting Convention, I am confident everyone is just as inspired as I am to fight hard to get John McCain and Sarah Palin elected.

Mike Duncan

WYMT does not endorse any political party or candidate. We are providing this blog as a service to our viewers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the Convention Floor - Day 4

Hello LIVE from the floor of the Convention where we are about to get started with an exciting evening. Tonight’s' speakers include Senator Frist of Tennessee, Senator Martinez of Florida, and the future First Lady Cindy McCain who will introduce Senator John McCain.

All day I have heard from Delegates and friends across the country about how much they truly enjoyed and were inspired by Governor Sarah Palin’s historic speech. Her electrifying performance has not only energized the Delegates at our convention but Republicans, Independents and Democrats across America. We raised over a million dollars after her speech and have had more and more people signing up to volunteer their time to get Senator McCain and Governor Palin elected.

Its about time to start so I'm off to gavel in the fourth session of the 39th Republican National Convention.

Mike Duncan

WYMT does not endorse any political party or candidate. We are providing this blog as a service to our viewers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight our Kentucky delegation had the distinct honor of watching our home state Senator Mitch McConnell call to order the third evening of our National Convention. He also did an exceptional job speaking about his Senate colleague John McCain who has spent his time in the U.S. House and Senate fighting special interests and opposing wasteful government spending.

When I was on the floor this evening I could feel the excitement and anticipation that our delegates had about tonight’s program. We had a full schedule of outstanding speakers like former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Each had their own unique experiences that helped under score John McCain’s vision of a government that is transparent, principled, and worthy of the American people.

And of course there was Governor Sarah Palin, whose star shinned brightly tonight as she officially introduced herself to our delegates and the rest of our country. Governor Palin gave a terrific speech that underscored her strong leadership and her proven record as a reformer. She also did an outstanding job of highlighting the contrasts between Senator Obama and Senator McCain. Governor Palin said it best when she stated, "Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."

Tonight Governor Sarah Palin demonstrated why the McCain-Palin ticket is destined to shake up the nation’s capital. This team has the experience, judgment, strength, and resolve to follow through on the reforms that will move our nation forward. As Party Chairman, I have never been more proud to be a Republican.

Mike Duncan

WYMT does not endorse any political party or candidate. We are providing this blog as a service to our viewers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the Convention Floor - Day 3

Last night we had a great session that honored Senator John McCain’s record of service and sacrifice and reflected his life-long commitment to putting his country first. We not only saw a real sense of excitement for Senator McCain and our party but also took the time to extend our thoughts and prayers to the victims of hurricane Gustav. I am proud of how all our state parties and delegates have worked so hard to put others first by to creating comfort packages and raising money for those displaced by hurricane Gustav.

Prior to the start of our session, I spent my day giving remarks to our newly elected RNC Members. Having been a member of the Republican National Committee for the last 16 years it is always a great honor to speak to the new members who start their service on Friday. Afterwards, I conducted national and local media interviews and really enjoyed hearing from so many of you after the Fox News interview with Sheppard Smith.

I want to thank our speakers last night who were able to give us a first hand account of Senator McCain's integrity, judgment and experience. First Lady Laura Bush and President George W. Bush did a great job setting the tone, Senator Fred Thompson roared the crowd with his punches, but in the end Senator Lieberman made a tremendous pitch to those watching from home.

Some of the fun things I get to do as Chairman is host two sky boxes and have a podium seat right next to Kentucky Delegation. This has allowed me the opportunity to speak with almost the entire delegation over the past two days. It has been wonderful catching up with longtime friends.

After last night, I am sure Eastern Kentuckians are noticing the distinct differences between the candidates and realize that Senator McCain's judgment and experience is much more in line with the values important to the hard working families of Kentucky.

I am hoping to post a blog live from the Convention Floor tomorrow, so please stay tuned.

Mike Duncan

WYMT does not endorse any political party or candidate. We are providing this blog as a service to our viewers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day - 2

Hello from Minneapolis-St.Paul and the Republican National Convention! I had the distinct pleasure to gavel the 39th quadrennial Republican Convention to order and to preside over the entire session yesterday afternoon. I’m only the second Kentuckian to do so. What a thrill!

I am now reflecting on the day where, as a party and as a nation, we focused our attention on the gulf coast and the actions we can take to help those in need.

I am really proud of the delegates and all they are and will be doing to assist. In fact, delegates from Louisiana were personally flown back yesterday and here in Minneapolis delegations are being organized to assemble and send 80,000 care packages.

Additionally, the Wireless Foundation and the American Red Cross have partnered through a program called Text 2HELP, which allows most wireless subscribers to use their cell phones to donate $5 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. All one has to do is simply text the keyword “GIVE” That’s “GIVE” or the numbers 4483, to the address “2HELP”, the numbers 24357. Your donation will appear on your monthly bill, or it can be debited from a prepaid account balance.

Procedurally, everything went smoothly. The full committee passed the reports by the committees, including the party rules and platform. Senator Burr, Co-Chair of the Platform Committee, made special effort to comment on the helpfulness of the RNC. After the business part was completed, First Lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain both gave remarks.

Kentuckians had a front row seat to all the action of the convention, LITERALLY. While standing at the podium, our group was the closest delegation to me on the right. What a warm feeling! I had the honor as Chairman of the Republican National Committee to nominate our senior senator from Kentucky, Mitch McConnell as Temporary Chairman of the Convention. From the local area I saw numerous individuals from Eastern Kentucky.

Tonight we will learn more about the man John McCain is from his friends and colleagues like Sen. Fred Thompson, Sen. Joe Lieberman, and President Bush. I am looking forward to sharing more insights with you later tonight!

Mike Duncan

WYMT does not endorse any political party or candidate. We are providing this blog as a service to our viewers.