Was it Gustav, or the enthusiasm gap? Whatever it was, the back-to-back conventions felt worlds apart.

Ron Paul electrifies more than 10,000 at a counter-convention. See also: Kotecki video

Despite a call for a halt to activities at the Republican Convention in St. Paul, delegates, lobbyists and influence peddlers partied the night away, accoring to a report by ABC News.

Obama said it was not a time for political speeches, but some of his top supporters didn't adhere to the call.

Obama nixes stump speech, asks supporters to help Gulf Coast residents. See also: Dem ticket bonds

The Dems are scampering to create a response to Gustav that exceeds the GOP's.

Four days of festivities were to open Monday, but now a party business session is all that is scheduled.

Republicans may have an opportunity to prove their competence with the impending hurricane. See also:  'Day by day,' and Bush to address nation

Bush is likely to address the nation about Gustav Monday night. See also: Storm scrambles RNC and 'Country First' convention

Anderson Cooper is CNN’s first big star to change flight plans from St. Paul, Minn., to New Orleans.

President Bush is unlikely to make it to RNC and John McCain may deliver his acceptance speech by satellite. See also: Obama on Gustav

Obama says cooperation between local and federal government "appears to be good" but he will continue to monitor it.

Filed under: BlackSpin, Elections, Katrina Aftermath

DENVER -- As killer storm Gustav threatened the Gulf Coast three years after Hurricane Katrina, Black Voices caught up with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin before he left the Democratic National Convention earlier than planned.

In an interview Tuesday, before Gustav becoming a threat to the Gulf Coast, the Barack Obama superdelegate said the Big Easy is a "tale of two cities" right now.

"New Orleans is still a city in recovery," Nagin said. "Our economy is very strong, but we still have many, many challenges. We still have toxic trailers in our community, we have about 2,800 of those. But if you come downtown and to the French Quarter you will have a wonderful time in our city."

Forecasters are warning that Gustav is picking up steam and could slam into the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane early next week. New Orleans is making evacuation plans. Gustav was not an obvious threat when Nagin and I spoke on Tuesday, but today his press official told us that the mayor left Denver Wednesday, two days ahead of schedule, when he got word of the ferocious storm bearing down on the Gulf Coast. ...




New Orleans has more restaurants now than pre-Katrina, Nagin says, and most of the major businesses are back at this point. On the other hand, largely black communities like Lakeview and the Lower 9th Ward have have not been rebuilt.

While unemployment is low, for a city at 75 percent of its original population, Nagin says housing has been a major problem. Affordable housing is hard to come by there because of supply and demand. People are paying double what they used to or more.

One priority is bringing relocated and displaced locals back home and getting them jobs.

"We do this on a daily basis," Nagin says. "We have offices in relocation cities that do outreach and support to bring them back."

So the obvious challenge is, even if you can get a job, where can you afford to live? Nagin said that new rent-stabilized apartments and homes are being built.

A number of events addressed the Katrina aftermath at the convention this week in Denver, including a fundraiser and concert dinner for post-Katrina causes as the convention opened. Various policy meetings also took place and a roundtable discussion focused on the failure to implement an effective recovery program in the Gulf Coast region after Katrina.

Meanwhile, Nagin says he is very comfortable with Barack Obama as president.

"We've talked about the needs of New Orleans," he says. "And I'm confident that when he is in office he is going to support us to complete the restoration of New Orleans."

Friday marks the official Katrina anniversary. Bodies that have not been identified by DNA will be laid to rest, he says. Friday evening a candlelight vigil in Franklin Square was expected to bring out thousands of people.


More Katrina Coverage
+ Nervous New Orleans Eyes Killer Storm
+ Katrina Memorial Taking Shape

 

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Planners hold emergency talks as Gustav poses a looming danger for the Gulf Coast.