TAMPA, August 30, 2012 ― While the entire 2012 RNC Convention will be judged by Governor Mitt Romney’s performance, he has had some fantastic lead-in speakers. On Tuesday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie reminded the crowd that, “We did build this.” Wednesday brought the crowd into a frenzy as Wisconsin Congressman and Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan and others exhorted that, “We can do better.”
Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Arizona Senator John McCain brought the foreign policy heft to a convention focusing mainly on economic issues. Dr. Rice combined her knowledge and her poignant personal story about a black woman growing up in Birmingham, Alabama to become a top presidential advisor.
“You cannot lead from behind.”
“We are abandoning the field of free and fair trade and it will come back to haunt us.”
“When a nation loses control of its finances, it loses control of its destiny.”
New Mexico Governor Susanna Martinez is the first female Hispanic Republican Governor in American history. She is a proud trailblazer who has succeeded on merit.
Little girls need to know that there are “no more barriers.”
“Success is not something to be ashamed of or demonized.”
The surprise of the night for many who do not know him was former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. He is (like Mitt Romney) often mistaken as “boring” and “bland.” Liberals tend to think that virtually all Caucasian Midwesterners fit into this category. As somebody who has gotten to know “T-Paw” and observed him up close, he is actually (again like Romney) very funny and engaging. Like many Midwesterners, he is reticent to talk about himself. Yet as an advocate for Romney, Pawlenty fired up the crowd on the stump and in the convention hall.
“…welcome to Barack Obama’s retirement party.”
“…when Paul Ryan speaks, Joe (Biden) will finally get to hear what a real Vice President sounds like.”
“give Barack Obama credit for creating jobs these last four years for golf caddies.”
“Barack Obama is the first president to create more excuses than jobs.”
“Like a big tattoo, it (Obama) seemed cool when you were young.”
The night’s closer came in, and the crowd got ready. While it is a cliche to compare every impressive Republican to Ronald Reagan, Paul Ryan might very well one day fill that mantle. It is unsurprising that his mentor was the late Jack Kemp, who like Reagan knew how to communicate supply-side economics and other policy issues in a moral, caring way.
Mr. Ryan’s speech was optimism, realism, humor, and a call for adult leadership. Fighting back tears became nearly impossible for a crowd and a nation starving for someone and something to believe in. While mostly serious, he offered humor when joking about the generation gap between him and Romney. Ryan prefers hard rockers ACDC while Romney is more into elevator music.
Mr. Ryan made it clear that for a better country, it starts with replacing the failed Barack Obama and Joe Biden with Mitt Romney and himself.
We’ve “never seen opponents (Obama) so silent about their record and so desperate to keep their power.”
“The president is just throwing away money, and he’s pretty experienced at that.”
“Without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be different from the last four years?”
Regarding the stimulus, “that money was not just spent and wasted. It was borrowed, spent and wasted.”
“The greatest threat to Medicare is Obamacare, and we’re going to stop it.”
“Mitt Romney and I know the difference between strengthening a program and raiding it.”
On the explosive topic of Medicare that usually hurts Republicans, Ryan thundered that, “We want this debate, we need this debate, and we will win this debate.”
A clever dig at President Obama’s verbosity had him described as “a ship trying to sail on yesterday’s wind.”
“The man assumed office almost four years ago. Isn’t it about time he assumed responsibility?”
“Obama is the type of man who puts promises on the record and then calls that the record.”
“You have not failed. Your leaders have failed you.”
Mr. Obama was creating a dependency-class country where “everything is free but us.”
Regarding Mr. Romney, “being successful in business…that’s a good thing.”
“We will not spend the next four years blaming. We will take responsibility.”
The cheering was so loud that it overshadowed the powerful end to Mr. Ryan’s speech.
“We can do this.”
“Let’s get this done.”
The downside is that Chris Christie and Paul Ryan have set the bar high for Mitt Romney. The upside is that Romney’s first executive decision as president-elect was to select Paul Ryan. With Romney’s speech only one day away, the anticipation had reached a fever pitch. As for Ryan, he matched the rhetoric of the 2008 Obama campaign but with one difference: He offered substance.
There is a word to describe Paul Ryan’s speech: Greatness.
Maybe one day it will even be considered Reaganesque.
Brooklyn born, Long Island raised, and now living in Los Angeles, Eric Golub is a politically conservative columnist, blogger, author, public speaker, satirist and comedian. Eric is the author of the book trilogy “Ideological Bigotry, “Ideological Violence,” and “Ideological Idiocy.”
Eric is 100% alcohol, tobacco, drug, and liberalism free. Follow Eric on Twitter @TYGRRRREXPRESS
Eric Golub is an independent writer for the Communities. Read more from Eric at TYGRRRR EXPRESS
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