Republicans will be sailing in shifty waters for the 2004 GOP Convention -- literally.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is pushing the idea for a luxury cruise ship to serve as a floating hotel during the Aug. 30 to Sep. 2 2004 convention.

GOP attendees would wine and dine in the Norwegian Dawn's numerous clubs, cafes, bars and upscale restaurants. They would dwell in rooms with a terrace, Japanese gardens, hot tub, personal computer, a baby grand piano and a private butler.

Rooms on the ship range from $240 to $430 a night, steeper than the $196 a night average for the New York hotel rooms booked for the convention.

Many Republicans nationally have reported to be unhappy about the choice of venue because of the elitist view a cruise ship convention would portray to the public.

With eyes wide open, Barrett Runyon, president of BYU Republicans, replied with a simple "wow" when he heard of the plans.

"Politics are politics, no matter where you are," said Runyon, a senior, majoring in sociology.

Although the cruise ship is expensive and elite, Runyon thought the location would not portray the party in a bad light.

"It's not a remote location or an expensive hotel," Runyon said. "I come from a middle class family, most of my middle class friends go on cruises."

Luke Nichols, vice president of the group, replied with the same reaction as Barrett over the news and said, "I wish I could go."

"Conventions, over the years, have become less and less a part of democracy," Nichols said. "They get less and less press coverage, people are less and less excited. I don't know if this is there intention, but if it is a way to get people to come and get excited about it, more power to it."

But while aboard the Dawn, the Republicans could mingle away from the press and uninvited guests.

The Republican National Committee has booked 22,000 hotel rooms for the convention. The Dawn holds only 2,240 passengers.

Terrorism attacks are a possible issue, since a ship floating in the ocean with some of the nations political leaders provides a possible target.

However, Runyon said he thinks holding the convention on a ship would be a less likely chance of terrorism. Even if the convention was on land, all the political leaders "would all be in one place anyway," Runyon said. The "terrorist would [have to] be pretty stupid" since the ship will probably be heavily guarded, Runyon said.

"I'm curious to see how they do it," Nichols said. "I'm really curious if they're going to have tons of gambling and booze."



Copyright Brigham Young University 3 Dec 2003