ST. PAUL, Minn. – The early-morning buzz Monday focused on three leaders who weren't speaking in Minneapolis, but that didn't stop former Gov. Pete Wilson from trying to fire up California delegates with harsh criticism of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Wilson stood in for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at the California delegation's daily breakfast with a red-meat message that belied his past moderate persona. After California delegation chairman Bill Jones suggested it would be a day to focus less on politics than hurricane relief, Wilson wasted little time in promoting Republican John McCain and assailing Obama's record.

"The audacity that Barack Obama is offering to us and our children, the change he is offering, is not new," Wilson said. "The audacity he is offering, quite frankly, is socialism."

President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney canceled their convention appearances because of Hurricane Gustav, while Schwarzenegger stayed home because California still lacks a budget. Republican National Convention organizers on Sunday decided to eliminate Monday's evening program on which all three were featured speakers.

Jones downplayed the extent to which Monday's cancellation hurt the party's opportunity to spread its message.

"Fifteen years ago, you counted on the convention and three or four major media to promote the convention," Jones said. "Today, you have 24/7 news cycles on so many channels. … I don't think it's as big a problem getting the word out as it was a decade or so ago."

Most delegates said they understood the need to lower the convention's profile on its first day, even if it meant missing out on some big-name speakers. Lisa Marshik, a Los Gatos delegate, spent about 20 minutes at the convention's "Hurricane Information Center" watching televisions providing updates.

"We have to do what we can do," Marshik said. "We're one country, and it's so very sad, so very tragic. We came here for the convention, but we can't help what nature does."

Jones and other leaders downplayed the political extent to which missing President Bush may have been a boon to McCain, given the president's low approval ratings nationwide. Marshik said she was disappointed she was unable to see Bush in person for the first time.

As the day unfolded, delegates learned that vice presidential pick Sarah Palin's unmarried 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. A big-screen television sponsored by Fox News outside the Xcel Center provided updates on the story as delegates walked out of the convention toward their buses.

The Rev. Lou Sheldon, chairman of the Anaheim-based Traditional Values Coalition and a California delegation guest, said he was surprised by the news. But he called Palin "even more qualified because she has had a human experience of disappointment concerning a teenage daughter." Sheldon said conservatives have rallied behind Palin as a vice presidential choice because of her views on abortion and fiscal responsibility.

"It's a family affair, and it should be dealt with as a family affair," Sheldon said. "And one thing's very clear: This will not be another statistic in that 2,900 abortions a day that are taking place. This baby will be safe and reared in that home."

Medtronic, a Minneapolis-based medical technology firm, sponsored an evening party-turned-hurricane fundraiser for delegates from California and four other states. The American Red Cross solicited donations from attendees, with a goal of collecting $250,000, including up to a $125,000 contribution from Medtronic.

Not all of the California delegates were happy with the cancellation of the evening program. John Ziegler, an alternate delegate and a former conservative talk-show host on KFI-AM in Los Angeles, said he felt Republicans made a mistake in canceling the evening program.

"To me, this is political correctness run amok," Ziegler said. "Obviously we're all concerned about what happens on the Gulf Coast, but not one person on the Gulf Coast is going to be helped or hurt by politicians making speeches in Minnesota."

Call Kevin Yamamura, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5548.