With Tuesday’s real opening of the Republican National Convention the mainstream media have ratcheted up talking about how Republicans must be sensitive to Hurricane Isaac, apparently headed toward New Orleans. Their reasoning is that Republicans in Tampa should be somber and allow memories of seven-year-old Katrina to cast a pall over the convention, making the party to appear to be a caring party, like Democrats. After all, they say, it was a Republican administration that botched recovery efforts relating to Katrina.

Some have already succumbed to the media thinking, which may set a catastrophic tone for the campaign to come. If Romney and establishment Republicans allow the liberal media to dictate the format and pace of the Romney campaign, much as it did John McCain’s, then Obama will be given a second term, and could enjoy a Democratic majority in both the Senate and the House.

The chairman of the RNC was quoted as saying that the Republicans don’t want to be having hoopla and dancing when the nation is focused on tragedy and suffering. Some may be advising Romney to take full responsibility for Katrina in his acceptance speech.

Certainly Republicans assured John McCain’s victory in 2008 when they showed their sensitivity by delaying the start of their national by a day in 2008 in deference to Hurricane Gustav – and to the national media and Democrats.

If Romney says anything about Katrina, he should remind the public that it was Democrats, in the personage of Ragin’ Ray Nagin, then mayor of New Orleans and Mary Landrieu, then a U.S. senator from Louisiana, who were the real incompetents.

The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) was no more incompetent under George W. Bush in handling Katrina than it was under Bill Clinton in handling Hurricane Fran in 1996 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Just ask the people of North Carolina.

Instead of shedding tears and walking around with long faces in Miami pretending to feel the pain of New Orleans residents (few of which will vote Republican, since over 90 percent of its citizens are dependent on the government, for both money and decision-making) Republicans should attempt to regain its once proud image as the party of peace (shredded by the Bush boys) and prosperity (shattered by moderate big-spending moderate and pseudo conservative Republicans.)

The 2012 Republican campaign should resemble that of 2010 rather than that of 2008.

Otherwise Paul Ryan will have followed in the footsteps of Sarah Palin, in that he had the misfortunate of running for vice president paired with a sure loser. That was Palin’s fate, as the first female to run as a vice president nominee, to be saddled with McCain, a loser from the get-go.

Contrary to what Democrats and their allies in the media have managed to convince many Republicans of, John McCain would have lost to Barack Obama by a wider margin than he did had he not chosen Sarah Palin as a running mate.

Maybe I should give the same advice in 2012 as I did in 2008. Realizing that McCain had no chance to win, I suggested that campaign contributors put their money and efforts to better use by redirecting it away from McCain to congressional races.

At least that would have minimized the number of candidates McCain brought down.