Republicans name Romney as wife Ann takes spotlight
The overwhelming, enthusiastic vote of delegates at the Republican National Convention belied Romney long, difficult road to the party nomination: losing to Sen. John McCain four years ago and fending off a series of rivals in a brutal nomination fight this year. In the end, Republicans cast aside doubts about Romney conservative credentials and bet that American voters would be persuaded that his business acumen was just what America needed in dreary economic times.
Romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to put us back on the path to growth and create good paying private sector jobs again in America, said New north face on sale Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, delivering the convention keynote address, rousing the Republican audience.
Still, Republican exuberance was tempered as Hurricane Isaac slammed into the southern Louisiana coast and headed toward New Orleans late Tuesday, striking the same region hit by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago. The storm prompted Republicans to cancel the first day of the convention. Though it no longer threatens Tampa, Republicans were wary of holding a boisterous political celebration just as the storm was unleashing its fury. voters will face a clearcut clash of ideologies: Romney, conservative on social issues cheap north face jacket such as gay marriage and abortion, favors cutting taxes, slashing the government and repealing Obama signature health care overhaul even though it was modeled after one of his own programs as governor. Obama is liberal on social issues, wants to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans and sees government as a potential force for good.
Polls show the race a dead heat, with the economy the top issue in the campaign. Voters say they trust Romney more on economic issues, but find Obama to be the more likable candidate.
Romney is scheduled to make his acceptance speech Thursday night.
In the statebystate roll call of convention delegates, Romney won 2,061 to 190 for Ron Paul, a libertarianleaning Texas congressman. Paul supporters chanted and booed after the convention adopted rules they opposed, but were powerless to block, to prevent those votes from being officially registered. on you, some of his supporters shouted from the floor.
The highlights of Tuesday session were the keynote address by Christie, a star of the party seen as a likely future presidential candidate, and the speech by Romney wife, Ann. Both spoke during prime television time when all the major networks were airing the convention live.
matters, Christie said. time to end this era of absentee leadership in the Oval Office and send real leaders to the White House. Romney speech was meant to cast her husband, lampooned by comedians as robotic and denounced by Democrats as lacking compassion, in a soft and likable light.
She lovingly talked of her 43year marriage, noting her own experiences battling muscular sclerosis and breast cancer. Her speech sounded at times like a hearttoheart talk among women and at times like a testimonial to her husband littleknown softer side. Romney lags behind Obama in surveys among female voters.
can trust Mitt. He loves America, his wife said.
She described him as a man who wakes up every day determined to solve the problems that others say can be solved.
man will not fail, she said. man will not let us down. Romney appeared on stage briefly at the end of the speech, kissing his wife, to wild cheers. It was his first appearance at the convention.
Christie and Ann Romney speeches followed a long series of addresses by other top party officials, praising Romney and blasting Obama. Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Obama has run a company. He hasn even run a garage sale or seen the inside of a lemonade stand. Santorum, one of Romney presidential primary rivals, told the convention that under Obama, the American dream of freedom and opportunity has become a of dependency with almost half of the country receiving some form of government benefit.
Also, before nominating Romney, Republicans approved a party platform calling for cutting taxes as a way to stimulate the economy, ending abortion and repealing Obama health care plan.
Congressman Paul Ryan, Romney vice presidential running mate, is scheduled to speak Wednesday. Republican delegates officially nominated him for the secondincommand spot on Tuesday night shortly after they named Romney.
While Republicans gathered in Florida, Obama campaigned in Iowa and Colorado as he set out on a tour of college campuses in hopes of boosting voter registration among college students, who tend to support him. Before departing the White House, he made a point of appearing before reporters to announce the government latest steps to help those in the path of Isaac. He signed a declaration of emergency for Mississippi and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local storm response efforts in the state.
The governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie gave a very impressive Key note speech during the Republican convention, 2012, which in some part, was supportive of the path President Obama has chosen in his leadership: When Christie urged to face the reality even when it is unpopular, this is true about health care reform that the president took on, and about the stimulus money provided to all states during the recession, to keep their police and fire fighters, that ended up increasing the national debt. The Governor talked about compromise, the word that Tea Party folks hate to follow in Congress, and the number one reason why congress is not functioning since Republicans took over the house.