E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS“Mitt Romney strode into the Tampa Bay Times Forum for the start of the Republican convention on Tuesday night as perhaps the least-known presidential nominee in recent history. Everything from his religion—barely spoken about on the campaign trail—to his business career—the subject of intense disagreements—translated as opaque. His looks and bearing registered as presidential, but there was precious little to fill out the suit,” the Boston Globe’s Canellos writes. “But by the time Romney took the stage for the first time, later in the evening, his profile had begun to come into greater focus. And he had his wife of 43 years to thank for it.”
“Her mission was to soften her husband's image, but before she spoke about the ‘boy I met at a dance,’ Ann Romney made a strong pitch for the support by women that has so far eluded Mitt Romney's Republican party,” USA Today writes.
No Mr. Nice Guy… “Chris Christie tells the GOP to stop being the nice guys,” USA Today has as its headline.
The New York Daily News: “Christie took his sweet time getting around to mentioning the party’s presidential nominee, but made sure he gave his national audience a warmer, homier version than his local caricature — that of the gruff, finger-pointing blowhard who’s not afraid to shout down a heckler at the Jersey shore.”
The Washington Post's Dan Balz: "Christie had a tough assignment on Tuesday night. He was the wrap-up speaker on opening night of the Republican National Convention and had the misfortune of appearing after Ann Romney, whose testimony in behalf of her husband connected with the audience, and then the visit to the convention hall by the nominee. But it was Christie who helped inject some much-needed energy into an arena that had been surprisingly subdued through the early evening. He came on stage punching the air. He clapped as he approached the lectern, returning the welcome he received from the delegates as if to say: Wake up, Republicans. He demanded that they stand up, and they did."
“A convention shortened by a day due to Hurricane Isaac’s passage through the nearby Gulf of Mexico created a compressed speaking schedule and a slightly incoherent juxtaposition,” theGlobe’s Johnson writes. “It pitted a passionate wife speaking of the boy she met at a high school dance against a brash, street-fighting politician urging the country to follow his lead in solving its problems.”
Split papers:
The New Orleans Times-Picayune: “Isaac moves in.”
The convention isn’t even on the front page of the Tampa Bay Times regular edition: “Isaac’s déjà vu.”
Bradenton Herald: On the left: “This man will not fail,” on the right: “Isaac hits land on coast of La.”
Miami Herald: “Romney sweeps to GOP nomination.”
The Wall Street Journal makes this point about Santorum’s speech: “Mr. Santorum, who consistently outpaced Mr. Romney among social-issues conservatives, reminded the party faithful – and television viewers at home – that the GOP also observes strict limits on abortion, fighting for the rights of the ‘born and unborn.’ The former Pennsylvania senator also stressed the importance of traditional marriage and the family. While those themes are enshrined in the party platform, Mr. Santorum is one of the few speakers to highlight those positions in his remarks Tuesday night.”
The New York Times covers the party’s platforms that was adopted. “One party platform stated that Hispanics and others should not ‘be barred from education or employment opportunities because English is not their first language.’ It highlighted the need for ‘dependable and affordable’ mass transit in cities, noting that ‘mass transportation offers the prospect for significant energy conservation.’ And it prefaced its plank on abortion by saying that ‘we recognize differing views on this question among Americans in general — and in our own party.’ The other party platform said that “we support English as the nation’s official language.” It chided the Democratic administration for “replacing civil engineering with social engineering as it pursues an exclusively urban vision of dense housing and government transit.” And its abortion plank recognized no dissent, taking the position that “the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed.”
“An attendee at the Republican National Convention was given the boot Tuesday for racially taunting a black CNN camerawoman, an incident the news network confirmed after it was reported on Twitter,” the New York Daily News writes.
Leave a Comment:
I didn't watch the convention last night, I only saw clips this morning, but I will give props to whoever helped Ann Romney get dressed - June Cleever would be jealous of how radiant Ms Romney looked in her red frock.
But, I had to laugh, when she shook her finger at the audience, I thought of Feisty's observation on her finger wagging. Have Americans ever been scolded into voting for an unlikeable candidate? I found her very unpersuasive. The Romney's don't seem to learn: it's not about them, them, them, it's about the nation as a whole. The Obamas get it - that's why they are so popular, they focus on other people and causes outside themselves, not on their own attritributes.
Funny you should mention that finger wagging...I had the volume muted while I talked to my sister on the phone and told her, oh my god, there she goes wagging that finger again...that won't play well.
What pathetic jealously little girls. You watched it all in NBC like I did. Your envy shows a mile high.
Don't worry the bump will come in a few days. Did you not see how many tweets she received?
Finger wagging, wow! Much better than the Uhhhhhh and Ehhhhh, Butttttttttttttttt, that comes out lately on the President speeches.
Romney/Ryan 2012.
As Peggy Noonan said about Queen Anns speech:
"She (Ann) missed a big opportunity"
yikes..that had to hurt
where's W?
The attendee, no doubt a rabid TeaPeople!
I just did a workshop on communication that included the power of gestures and body language. Mrs. Romney spoke volumes in her disdain for the ordinary person by scolding us. The finger wag will be interpreted in a manner not complimentary to Ann Romney or her husband.
Usually the nominee stays in the background, behind the scenes or in a hotel room until it is his turn to give his acceptance speech. But sociopath Mitt Romney believes it is all about him, him only about Mitt and so there he was up there making sure little wifey didn't say anything she shouldn't. Mugging for the cameras and absorbing the glow of love from his (gulp) adoring fans. Here is a man, in true sociopathic form, who will do and say ANYTHING to get what he wants. Whether as a vulture capitalist or running for public office it is not about duty to community or helping the country but about him getting what he wants.
Adler,
Did that workshop include halting and stunted speech patterns like that heard whenever the president speaks? That, to me, shows that either he doesn't believe what he is saying or doesn't expect that we will believe what he is saying.
All speeches aside, Romney looked uptight and uncomfortable on the sidelines as he listened. He needs to sit in front of a mirror and smile at himself - or give up the ruse altogether.
Mitt looked uptight and uncomfortable sleeping in his crib!
Vote for Mitt, 'cause Mrs. Mitt sez he's a great guy. WOW!!!!! Too bad his dog and horse can't talk. Then again, we already know about Mitt and dogs!
Good Morning to all. I will keep posting this until I get an answer from NBC.
Shame on you NBC.
One of the best speeches coming form Arthur Davis and you do not televise entirely.
You NBC are the biggest Racist of all. You do not walk the talk. Is it because he was a black American that spoke at the DNC in 2008 as a Democrat and now he has joined the Republicans.
Yes the Republicans that you call Racist. I was watching you while my husband was looking at other channels.
Shame on You, and those in this FR that spew hatred.
If you notice, they cut out of all the speeches that were done earlier in the evening for commercials, even the SC governor and VA gov were not played in their entirety. Your charge of racism therefore falls flat. Santorum, Mrs. Romeny, and Christie's speeches were the only ones i caught beginning to end on MSNBC without interruption.
as for the spewing hatred remark, puh-lease. all you conservatives are constantly trashing liberals (like there is something wrong with being liberal in the first place, but that is a whole other discussion) on this site, so you have no moral ground to speak from. pot, meet kettle.
Who cares what you think.
It's their channel and they can broadcast what they want of the convention.
Should I write Fox and ask for an apology of their total and fabricated lies?
I wouldn't it would be a waste of my time and theirs.
Also if you don't like their coverage....CHANGE THE CHANNEL!
Cspan has the speeches in their entirety. They don't break for commercials. If it bothers you that NBC or any other commercial network doesn't run the speeches to you liking seek out a source that does.
Frankly I don't watch either convention as the whole thing is ridiculous anyway.
Overall, the speeches were all good, a bit self-centered and not focused on the nominee, but good. Christie made some good points about needing to own up to the truth of our situation, but the corrolations made from that point were a bit far fetched. Santorum confirmed that the GOP platform is hellbent on establishing christian morality into law, which i find utterly repellant in a secular nation founded on the principles of religious and personal freedom.
i find that the first amendment barring the establishment of a state religion would mean that any law founded on a singular belief system would be unconstitutional, but at this point i don't believe in the system that would strike such a law down...
even with the toned down fashion (my first comment to my wife when Mrs. Romney took the stage was i'd never seen her without bling), my wife still found Mrs. Romney to carry herself in an aristocratic fashion. I thought her speech was well done and raised the things she needed to discuss, but it came off flat, particularly with how Mr. Romney came out afterwards. He looks very uncomfortable, and i get the distinct notion that he's kinda sick of having to do all the political things in order to be president. i'd gather that if you could get him completely off the record he might speak about how distasteful this campaign is to him personally, then again, that might just be me naively trying to see the good in humanity again...
christie: no more nice guy? stomping on an individuals right to vote is not nice and extremly unpatriotc and an afront to every american in this country.
how could anyone vote to uphold that decission? i can not.
The speeches at the GOP/RNC "Clown Show" were meant to boost their EGO's. Except the speech given by Mrs. Romney was truely given from her heart. The biggest "Political Elephant" in the room is her husband, and his massive problem to being able to relate to 99% of Americans on all levels. That is fact!
Where were the speeches, images of, or comments about former Democratic Rep. Artur Davis, a black American; Mia Love, a black candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah; and Texas senatorial hopeful Ted Cruz, a Latino American? Oh yea, can't show or talk about Republican minorities because the Republican Party is the party of old white people, with no diversity and mostly racist! Sad showing NBC, but I've come to expect that!
First off jsb123, if you don't like the way NBC is covering the convention turn over to Fox (aka republican propaganda machine). Second of all NBC and the world knows the only reason the republicans had any minority speakers is for show only not acceptance. See even you didn't mention what was in their speeches, you just mad because NBC did't show your minority props. And yes the republican party is a party of old white guys, with no diversity.
I get it MO-681343 if the Republicans have speakers who are minorities it's for "show" and if they have no minority speakers they're racists. Makes perfect sense. I suppose by your way of thinking white people who didn't vote for Obama are racist too! Question: What do you consider minorities who vote Republican or hold offices as Republicans?
Former Dimocrats?
Lots of hypocrisy last night.
I heard them throw around the word "TRUTH" a million times & yet they were willing to have Santorum go out and perpetuate the welfare law lie regarding the work requirement. "Truth" for the GOP doesn't matter I guess if the lie polls well and nothing else is working. Andrea Mitchell was kind enough to let Santorum off the hook in her brief interview with him after the speeches when she pressed him a little on the welfare lie. Senator Santorum lost any chance of ever earning my respect in that instant. If you know the campaign is going to ask you to tell such a whopper on national television then show some moral fiber & decline to speak. Don't they know cameras and mic's are recording all of this or has this party decided that what you say has no reflection on your integrity because everyone knows you're only saying it to become elected. I'll be curious to hear what Rubio has to say on Th night.
Did I hear Christie say we need to come together in a bipartison way and everyone must share in the sacrifice? Did he say that?
And MSNBC turns the cameras off whenever a non-white takes the stage at the RNC? Who are the racists now?
Wouldn't that be great if congress actually wanted to work with the President on behalf of Americans to improve their lives now. Too bad a republican House and minority senate are solely bent on making Obama a one term president - 'screw the people'. Mitch McConnell said it first - not me.
NBC and MSNBC: Thanks for NOT televising the speeches of Arthur Davis and Mia Love. I caught them on FOX!!
Hey did you know that Mia Love and Arthur Davis are BLACK REPUBLICANS? WOW you could really TEACH America a few things BUT you won't. NBC MSNBC ARE RACIST!!!!!!!!
It is ok to be racists if you consider yourself a liberal. It might confuse black voters blind loyalty to the Dems to see a former Democrat Rep speaking at the evil Conservative's convention! We must NOT confuse our Black children-WE KNOW WHAT THEY NEED TO SEE AND HEAR!