GOP Gustav Donations Start to Roll in

ST. PAUL—It appears that Republican Party goers put their money where their mouth is. It's just a trickle right now, but we are getting news that the GOP's call on convention-goers here to donate to groups helping victims of Hurricane Gustav worked. Early estimates of total contributions are in the tens of thousands of dollars. The effort came first on the abbreviated Monday session of the Republican National Convention when party Chairman Mike Duncan and Laura Bush asked delegates to phone in a donation to any of the groups. Then they asked groups hosting convention parties to participate. One, the jam-packed Spirits of Minneapolis party, raised $13,000 which was matched by the event's sponsors led by the Distilled Spirits Council, The Hill, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and others. Here's what happened when you arrived at the party: After checking in, guests were guided to a table to make a cash or check donation to the American Red Cross. It appeared that virtually everybody stopped to put some money into a fish bowl, including U.S. News. Distilled Spirits exec Frank Coleman tells us that of the eight events on Monday night where donations were made, his raised the most according to the Minnesota Red Cross.