Published August 31, 2012 | By articles
The ‘Excitement’ of Romney in Tampa
By Karl Frisch http://voice4america.com/articles/2012/08/31/the-excitement-of-romney-in-tampa.html
When I first took the plunge and began a career in politics against the advice of my conservative father, I worked for people like Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander, former Congressman Jim Nussle, and John McCain during his 2000 campaign for President.
Yes, I was a Republican. But I was young and everyone experiments at that age — I just happened to pick the GOP before making better, more adult choices.
For political junkies like me, our Democratic and Republican national conventions are, to quote Vice President Biden, “a big f@#king deal.”
Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to attend Republican conventions in places like San Diego and Saint Paul and Democratic conventions in Los Angeles, Boston, and Denver. I have to admit that I’ve had a blast at each of them regardless of the politics on display.
Who wouldn’t enjoy an hour of people-watching at a Starbucks in downtown Saint Paul as 75 year-old Republicans quizzically looked up from their jitterbug smart phones with blank stares no doubt wondering, “who the heck is Sarah Palin?” as they learned of McCain’s newly minted running mate.
But 2012 is different. It’s hard to think of anything less exciting than being in Tampa for a week in August with Mitt Romney.
I happened to catch a few of the speeches on cable from the comfort of my air-conditioned living room where at least I was armed with the mute button on my television’s remote control.
Despite taking a while to get there, Romney’s nomination as the GOP’s standard-bearer was a breeze littered with novelty opponents like Rick “don’t Google me” Santorum, Michele “pray the gay away” Bachmann, Ron “Libertarian magic dust” Paul, and Herman “999″ Cain, while more serious candidates took a pass, instead opting to address delegates from the dais in Tampa.
Republican Governors — those who skipped 2012 and others who said quiet prayers that Romney wouldn’t tap them for his ticket — were on center stage throughout much of the convention. Indiana’s Mitch Daniels, Ohio’s John Kasich, Virginia’s Bob McDonnell, and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker all took turns at the microphone while New Jersey’s Chris Christie took the larger spotlight, no pun intended, offering the gathering’s keynote.
With few exceptions, this gaggle of Republican Governors with their eyes firmly planted on 2016, devoted the bulk of their remarks to bragging about their own personal life stories and supposed records of accomplishment — during Obama’s reign of terror no less — while brownnosing the party faithful with laughable attacks on the President’s record. You would have had to listen pretty closely to hear their praise of Romney and who wants to do that?
It was like the television program America’s Next Top Model with contestants smizing for the cameras and patting themselves on the back while they ignore this year’s winner who doesn’t go on to be President errr… a top model in real life after all.
The ‘Excitement’ of Romney in Tampa
By Karl Frisch http://voice4america.com/articles/2012/08/31/the-excitement-of-romney-in-tampa.html
When I first took the plunge and began a career in politics against the advice of my conservative father, I worked for people like Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander, former Congressman Jim Nussle, and John McCain during his 2000 campaign for President.
Yes, I was a Republican. But I was young and everyone experiments at that age — I just happened to pick the GOP before making better, more adult choices.
For political junkies like me, our Democratic and Republican national conventions are, to quote Vice President Biden, “a big f@#king deal.”
Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to attend Republican conventions in places like San Diego and Saint Paul and Democratic conventions in Los Angeles, Boston, and Denver. I have to admit that I’ve had a blast at each of them regardless of the politics on display.
Who wouldn’t enjoy an hour of people-watching at a Starbucks in downtown Saint Paul as 75 year-old Republicans quizzically looked up from their jitterbug smart phones with blank stares no doubt wondering, “who the heck is Sarah Palin?” as they learned of McCain’s newly minted running mate.
But 2012 is different. It’s hard to think of anything less exciting than being in Tampa for a week in August with Mitt Romney.
I happened to catch a few of the speeches on cable from the comfort of my air-conditioned living room where at least I was armed with the mute button on my television’s remote control.
Despite taking a while to get there, Romney’s nomination as the GOP’s standard-bearer was a breeze littered with novelty opponents like Rick “don’t Google me” Santorum, Michele “pray the gay away” Bachmann, Ron “Libertarian magic dust” Paul, and Herman “999″ Cain, while more serious candidates took a pass, instead opting to address delegates from the dais in Tampa.
Republican Governors — those who skipped 2012 and others who said quiet prayers that Romney wouldn’t tap them for his ticket — were on center stage throughout much of the convention. Indiana’s Mitch Daniels, Ohio’s John Kasich, Virginia’s Bob McDonnell, and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker all took turns at the microphone while New Jersey’s Chris Christie took the larger spotlight, no pun intended, offering the gathering’s keynote.
With few exceptions, this gaggle of Republican Governors with their eyes firmly planted on 2016, devoted the bulk of their remarks to bragging about their own personal life stories and supposed records of accomplishment — during Obama’s reign of terror no less — while brownnosing the party faithful with laughable attacks on the President’s record. You would have had to listen pretty closely to hear their praise of Romney and who wants to do that?
It was like the television program America’s Next Top Model with contestants smizing for the cameras and patting themselves on the back while they ignore this year’s winner who doesn’t go on to be President errr… a top model in real life after all.
