There are a lot of people from the Twin Cities who would rather go without the hassle the Republican National Convention is bringing to our lives. I've lived in St. Paul for 12 years and there are more detours, protesters, and people downtown than I've ever seen before.

Now I am working with ThreeSixty's journalism program to cover the GOP Convention. My friends ask if I'm a Republican when I tell them my assignment. Normally I'm more of a sports guy, but I thought it would be a great opportunity to cover an event of this magnitude.

So far, I've only talked to delegates. Mike Knopf, a 17-year-old delegate from Dubuque, Iowa, said he believes the party needs to attract younger voters in order for John McCain to win.

"If I had to make the case for McCain to younger voters, I'd make the case of Democrats being for higher taxes and Republicans being for lower taxes. So you get to keep your money," Knopf said.

Monday, I overheard a Wisconsin delegate tell another one from Illinois that the party needs to work harder to appeal to younger voters.

The convention heats up

Monday was the first official day of the convention, but with no McCain, no Bush, and worries about Hurricane Gustav, the energy felt sucked out of Xcel Energy Center. While many delegates walked around wearing "Stop Obama Express" stickers, the atmosphere was subdued. The floor, where delegates sit, was crowded, but there were many empty seats in the stands. Protests outside the hall couldn't be heard.

With the hurricane's fury spent, Tuesday's speakers turned to firing up the crowd and taking shots at Obama.

Chalene Fang, a delegate from Georgia, defended McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

"She has more experience than Barack Obama and Joe Biden making executive decisions," Fang said.

St. Paul on display

One local lady I talked to was concerned about how the national spotlight would affect St. Paul's reputation. Right across the street from Xcel is the Dorothy Day Center, a shelter for the homeless. Between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. people from the homeless shelter hang out in front of the shelter. On my way down to the convention early this week, I saw some of these people from the shelter, and I do think people might think that the city doesn't take care of its poor.

Admittedly, the protesters have added a certain amount of color to our small-town city. Three days before the convention started, protesters had already started making some noise, but next week, things will be back to the way they were before.

Overall, the city has been doing a pretty good job of showing a lot of courtesy. St. Paul is a nice place to be. People in Minnesota in general are pretty nice. We've been doing a pretty good job of showing our true colors.

This article is made possible by the generous support of the Arsalyn Foundation (www.arsalyn.org).