Juan Pablo Rivera Garza
Blogs Editor
Even the torrential rains of Hurricane Issac could not prevent the GOP from holding their national convention, a successful one to boot. Party operatives set out to make a convention that both re-introduced Governor Mitt Romney to the American people, and buff out the rough edges of his public image. On both these counts they succeeded, but was it enough?
Let’s take a look at the major speakers at the convention (they will be graded for their success in making Governor Romney a more electable candidate).
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBA7rPKhGtQ
Ann Romney
The Romney Campaign has continually dealt with problems with female voters and female issues. Currently, Barack Obama holds a sizable lead with female voters. The Romney campaign spent the convention trying to solve this discrepancy, with a focus on female speakers. Ms. Romney’s speech succeeded in making Governor Romney more personable, and making him seem like a better friend to women than originally thought. Not to mention, Ms. Romney displayed herself to be just as capable a campaigner as her counterpart, Michelle Obama. For her success in making Governor Romney more personable and more accessible to women, she receives an…. A-
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61uCHhDLWh4
Governor Chris Christie
There were very high-hopes for Governor Christie’s keynote speech, as he is arguably one of the most energizing figures in the Republican party. Unfortunately, Governor Christie’s speech, although it energized the Republican base, failed to make any real arguments for why voters should vote for Governor Romney. He spent 16 minutes talking only about himself before even mentioning Governor Romney. Not to mention that he conflicted directly with Ms. Romney’s earlier speech, overriding her message that “All we need is love,” by saying “Love is okay, but what we really need is respect.” Because of his off-message and self-centered speech, Governor Christie receives a…. C-
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g6PpIW3hPg
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Ever since reports of Secretary Rice’s speech at a closed-door fundraiser in June, anticipation for her speech among the top levels of the Republican establishment was very high. Secretary Rice’s speech did not disappoint in the slightest. She knocked out many important parts of the convention message, all in a pitch-perfect manner. She not only helped Governor Romney with female voters, but also made a solid case for minority voters to vote for him. She also provided a foreign-policy vision for Governor Romney, a spot where he has been lacking. Her speech was widely praised, even by left-leaning MSNBC. For her fantastic speech and electrifying performance, Secretary Rice receives an…. A+
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZipUINVXIc
Vice-Presidential Nominee/Congressman Paul Ryan
Representative Ryan’s speech was extremely well received by the audience, and gave him a good opportunity to silence Democratic claims of his controversial Medicare plan. However, his speech was overshadowed by a couple of less than truthful claims, most notably one about a GM plant that Representative Ryan claimed was closed, even after President Obama made a campaign promise to keep it open. For a foggy acceptance speech, Representative Ryan receives a…. B-
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoqKdWY692k
Clint Eastwood
Mr. Eastwood’s bizarre speech dominated the night’s political chatter, which in turn ended up sucking oxygen from Governor Romney’s acceptance speech. Because of this, Clint Eastwood receives a… D-
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16VbryCejyA
Senator Marco Rubio
Senator Rubio is considered one of the brightest stars of the Republican party, and his prime speaking slot was no accident. Senator Rubio embodies everything the Republican party wants their new generation of politicians to be, bright, telegenic, young, and representative of minorities. Senator Rubio’s speech was very well done, but much like Governor Christie, he suffered in not mentioning Governor Romney enough. For this he receives a… B-
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGTi4-ysJS8
Presidential Nominee/ Governor Mitt Romney
Governor Romney’s speech was well-written and well-delivered, but many factors played against him. The spectacle of Clint Eastwood’s rambling debate against an empty chair already over-shadowed Governor Romney’s speech and also pushed it back a couple of minutes. Not to mention, the convention received their lowest TV ratings since 1996 and was rated the worst speech since Gallup started polling convention speech reactions. However, not everything proved to have gone wrong. Governor Romney’s likability went up after the Convention and he received a small, but noticeable “Convention Bump”. For increasing his likability and performing above expectations, Governor Romney receives a….B+
