OBAMA CAMPAIGN GRILLED ON LACK OF SECOND TERM PLANS

While the Obama campaign continues to demand that Mitt Romney spell out every aspect of every plan on every issue, Obama has demonstrated zero interest whatsoever in laying out his plans for the future.

That’s the point of a new Republican National Committee video culled from today’s Sunday morning news shows, during which David Gregory of NBC, George Stephanopoulos of ABC, Chris Matthews of MSNBC, Michael Duffy of Time, and Bob Schieffer of CBS all asked Obama surrogates just what Obama would do during his second term. Not one Obama official had a good answer.

And that’s the problem for Obama. As we grow closer to the election, the American people are becoming more and more comfortable with Mitt Romney, and less and less comfortable with the president’s tacit slogan: “Trust me.” Obama simply hasn't earned our trust.

Via: Brietbart

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RNC Has $83 Million Cash On Hand, DNC Takes Out Loan

Heading into the final weeks of the 2012 campaign, the Republican National Committee announced that it raised $48.4 million in the month of September and has $82.6 million in the bank. The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, took $10.5 million in loans and raised less than half the RNC’s total last month — $20.3 million. 

RELATED: Fundraising Numbers Show Obama Raising More From Military Than Romney

As of September 30, the DNC reported having $4.6 million cash on hand and $20.5 million in debt. $5.5 million of its debt is due to consulting services like pollsters, direct mail providers and events consulting firms.

The RNC’s large September haul came amid a disappointing month for Mitt Romney in the public polls, suggesting that the party’s October fundraising totals will outpace those in September.

President Barack Obama and the Democratic committees had a stronger fundraising month in September, raising $181 million to Romney’s and the GOP committees’ $170 million. However, the Democratic party spent heavily in the summer and early fall.

“While we continue to put money into our ground game and fully fund our absentee ballot, early vote and Election Day GOTV efforts in all our battleground states, our historic cash on hand figure also allows us to continue funding our independent expenditure committee, run highly effective hybrid ads and assist in electing Republicans across the country at all levels,” RNC chairman Reince Priebustold POLITICO.

Via: Mediaite

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RNC TO DOJ: INVESTIGATE OBAMA CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Reince Priebus fired off a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder today calling for an investigation into hundreds of millions of dollars in undisclosed Obama campaign contributions.

In part, the letter reads:

"[T]he President's campaign committee does not use the industry standard practices to guard against receiving fraudulent or excessive contributions via the internet," Priebus alleges in the letter. "As a result, the President's campaign committee is vulnerable to the receipt of prohibited contributions. Their failure to adhere to the industry standard has caused these questions regarding whether the campaign is deliberately inviting prohibited contributions."

We're talking about Eric "Fast and Furious" Holder here, so it's let's call it "pretty likely" that Priebus isn't looking for a whole lot of fast action. What he is looking to do, though, is to call some media attention to the issue. Hope does spring eternal.

For four years now, we've all wondered why a media so obsessed with things like Mitt Romney's tax returns (which the IRS have seen) and what private individuals do with their own money in the form of super PACs, is not at all curious about hundreds and hundreds of millions of undisclosed dollars that flooded and are flooding into Obama's '08 and '12 campaign coffers.

That was a joke.

We actually know precisely why the media's not interested -- they're worried that what they find might hurt Obama.

And now, with the release of a bombshell report that points to glaring and seemingly intentional security gaps in Obama's online fundraising juggernaut, the media looks like they might have good reason to worry. The report proves beyond any doubt that the potential for illegal overseas monies to flood into the Obama campaign and remain undisclosed thanks to a ridiculous (in the Internet age) $200 FEC cut-off, is almost limitless.

But as of today, though no one has refuted the report's major findings, the media is less interested in this potential scandal than even the real scandal surrounding Libya. Day after day after day, the Obama campaign keeps chumming its pet media-sharks with distractions like Big Bird and abortion. And day after day after day, the  sharks are more than happy to manufacture a frenzy that obscures the real issues -- like hundreds of millions of dollars in undisclosed campaign contributions.

Because the IRS has seen Romney's taxes and most of us couldn't care less about what private people do with their own money in the form of super PACs (unlike a pile of Obama money, super PAC money is publicly disclosed), those media obsessions have nothing to do with accountability or transparency.

The Obama campaign wanted Romney bloodied with his tax returns, and the corrupt media of course obliged. Moreover, the media lost all interest in toxifying super PACs once they figured out Obama wasn't going to be at a fundraising disadvantage. But hundreds of millions of undisclosed dollars going right into a sitting president's campaign coffers is a major story, whether the corrupt media wants to pretend it is or not.

In 2008, McCain disclosed the names and addresses of all his donors, including those under $200.

Obama did not.

In 2012, both Romney and Obama should be pressured to do the same. And if I were Romney, I would follow up on this letter by doing exactly that.

Via: Breitbart

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REPUBLICAN YOUTH VOLUNTEERS HIT THE ROAD IN SWING STATES

The Republican National Committee is deploying as many grassroots supporters as it can to go door-to-door for the Republican presidential ticket in three swing states, starting this weekend.

“Deploy to Ohio, Virginia, or North Carolina to knock on doors and make phone calls for Romney-Ryan 2012 and other Republican candidates,” reads the flyer for the Republican National Committee Swing State Bus Deployment.

The Republican campaign effort for this election cycle has vastly outpaced that for previous presidential elections. This year, volunteers for the Republican National Committee have made nearly 5 times more phone calls than in Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)’s 2008 campaign for president, according to a statement from Kirsten Kukowski, Communications Director for the RNC.

“We’ve already contacted more voters than both the 2004 and 2008 cycles and we still have 5 weeks left,” she said.

The bus deployment that starts this weekend is part of the larger Get Out the Vote ground game, she said.

Keegan Conway, a recent college graduate volunteering at the RNC headquarters, hopes to make the cut for this weekend’s bus trip to North Carolina, he said.

“I’d be going with another intern from the office and some of my friends at the phone bank,” he said.

Conway came to Washington from California’s Central Valley 3 months ago to educate people about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s message, he said.

Via: Human Events

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Democratic National Committee predicts Romney will win first debate vs. Obama

It's a further lowering of expectations ahead of the first debate in Denver next week. Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse tells Fox News he thinks Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will win.

Woodhouse says the way the DNC sees it, challengers win the first debate when they are up against incumbents.

"Mitt Romney has had a lot more time to debate, the president has not debated in the past four years in terms, of a campaign debate. I think the president will hold his own, but he's not known for sound bites. And these are 60 second, 90 second responses."

AFP/Getty Images

Mitt Romney

'THE AMATEUR' AUTHOR EDWARD KLEIN: ROMNEY HAS AN ADVANTAGE IN FIRST DEBATE

Woodhouse says Democrats are "trying to be realistic about expectations" because the president is "lucky to be able to devote three consecutive hours to debate preparation."

Woodhouse also paints Romney as a good debater and gives him credit for "dispatching Newt Gingrich" who Woodhouse considers a pretty good debater.

Woodhouse said he wants to see Obama "talk from his heart about where the country was and where he wants to take the country."

He's looking to see the president connect with Americans during the debate, the way Woodhouse thinks Obama was able to do in Charlotte during the Democratic National Convention.

Via: NY Post

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How To Read Political Racial Code

Part of my job when I speak about politics is to speak up for black people and say things black people need said. This mission has rarely felt so necessary as it has when racial code words recently entered the Presidential election. These code words are ancient racial stereotypes in slick, modern gear. They are linguistic mustard gas, sliding in covertly, aiming to kill black political viability by allowing white politicians to say ‘Don’t vote for the black guy’ in socially-acceptable language. Sometimes the code comes directly out of a candidate’s mouth. Sometimes it comes from supporters, or can be found in advertisements.

(MORE: Inside the Racist Mind)

Do not be fooled by the canard that both parties do it. That was former RNC Chairman Michael Steele’s response when I asked him about it on my MSNBC show “The Cycle.” Using certain words to invoke racialized fear and scare white working class voters is a long-established part of the Republican playbook. The GOP is a 90% white party and has been for decades. According to Ron Brownstein of the National Journal, Mitt Romney will need over 60% of white people to vote for him or he will lose. “That,” Brownstein says, “would be the best performance ever for a Republican Presidential challenger with that group of voters.” Given that math, in a base turnout election where Romney has a big lead among white, non-college educated men, it’s understandable why he’d try to motivate those voters with code words that remind them of their racial difference with Obama and stigmatize that difference. In this effort a word like “welfare” is extremely valuable. Sure there are more white than black Americans on welfare, but when a candidate says ‘welfare’ many whites think of their tax dollars being given to blacks.

So when Romney began running ads about Obama “dropping the work requirement from welfare” — ads which are still running even though the claim has been thoroughly debunked — he was merely updating Ronald Reagan’s old “welfare queen” meme. Both are designed to create racial resentment around entitlements. This tactic is bolstered by the classic stereotype of blacks as lazy. A recent Pew Research Center poll, for example, found that 57% of Republicans believe people are poor because they don’t work hard. When a recent Washington Post poll asked “Why do most black voters so consistently support Democrats?” the second reason given by Republicans was “black voters are dependent on government or seeking a government handout” while for Democrats it was that “their party addresses issues of poverty.” (The top answer for members of both parties was “Don’t know”.)

Via: Time Magazine

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WHILE RED STATES DROWN, WHITE HOUSE RELEASES BEER RECIPE

This week, the media solemnly suggested that, with a tropical storm bearing down on the Gulf Coast, the RNC should considering canceling their convention. It would be in poor tasted, they scolded, to continue with political speeches and celebrations while New Orleans was threatened with another devastating storm. Today, as the storm moves north and residents of the Gulf Coast begin to clean up, over 500,000 people are without power and thousands remain in shelters. In other news today, the White House released its own beer recipe.

From the White House:

Inspired by home brewers from across the country, last year President Obama bought a home brewing kit for the kitchen. After the few first drafts we landed on some great recipes that came from a local brew shop. We received some tips from a couple of home brewers who work in the White House who helped us amend it and make it our own. To be honest, we were surprised that the beer turned out so well since none of us had brewed beer before.

As far as we know the White House Honey Brown Ale is the first alcohol brewed or distilled on the White House grounds. George Washington brewed beer and distilled whiskey at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson made wine but there's no evidence that any beer has been brewed in the White House. (Although we do know there was some drinking during prohibition…)

Since our first batch of White House Honey Brown Ale, we've added the Honey Porter and have gone even further to add a Honey Blonde this past summer. Like many home brewers who add secret ingredients to make their beer unique, all of our brews have honey that we tapped from the first ever bee-hive on the South Lawn. The honey gives the beer a rich aroma and a nice finish but it doesn't sweeten it.

Via: Breitbart

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The RNC and DNC big difference: They Got Clinton, We Got Clint

The footnote to the Republican National Convention (RNC) in light of the upcoming Democratic National Convention (DNC) is—they got Clinton and we got Clint.

Clint Eastwood got off the best line in last night’s RNC when directing imaginary questions to an angry at being questioned Barack Obama symbolized by an empty chair:  “I can’t do that to myself!” and later, “Romney can’t do that to himself either.”

Eastwood’s attempt to personify an empty chair as Obama was more realistic than what the DNC will try to do with keynote speaker former President William Jefferson Clinton: a keynote speaker,  who has stated outside the venue that “Obama doesn’t know how to be president.  I mean, he doesn’t even know how the world works.  He’s incompetent.” (Rush Limbaugh), now trying to sell a failed president to a hurting America.

But trying to fashion a Socialist reality with no truth has been the Obama administration’s mission for the last 1,319 and still counting days of our lives. (CFP Countdown clock until Obama Leaves Office).
Obama purportedly wasn’t watching RNC speakers, including mighty Mitt Romney last night.

But this is the email, subject “Their Night” he sent out last night:

From: Barack Obama info@barackobama.com
Subject: Their night
Date: 31 August, 2012 12:16:11 AM EDT
To:       cfp@canadafreepress.com
Reply-To: info@barackobama.com
Friend—
Tonight was their night.
But our focus must be on tomorrow.
The fundraising deadline tomorrow is one of the last we get to build the campaign it takes to win.
Will you donate $5 or more right now?
I’m proud to be on this team.
Let’s go.
Barack
P.S.—With 68 days to go, I’m counting on you to help us keep pace in spite of unprecedented spending on the other side. Pitch in before the big deadline tomorrow.

Via: Canada Free Press

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Poll: Romney gets convention bounce, takes national lead

Romney leads with 44 percent support, compared with 42 percent for Obama

Mitt Romney has taken the lead over President Obama with a bounce in the polls from the Republican National Convention.

Romney leads with 44 percent support, compared with 42 percent for Obama, according to a Reuters-Ipsos national tracking poll released Thursday.

The Republican candidate started the week trailing Obama 46 to 42 percent. The swing of 6 percentage points is likely due to voter focus on the Republican National Convention, which concludes Thursday night in Tampa, Fla.

The Real Clear Politics average of polls now shows Obama with only a 1 percentage point advantage over Romney, 47 to 46 percent, though that average doesn’t take into account the latest Reuters-Ipsos data.

While that’s good news for the Romney campaign, the bounce is likely to be short-lived as Democrats convene for their convention next Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C. 

Romney also saw a small uptick in his personal appeal, according to the poll, with 30 percent now saying the GOP nominee is “ likable,” up from 26 at the start of the week. 

A historically low favorability rating has dogged Romney throughout his run for the White House, but he’ll look to build on the strong convention speeches given by his wife, Ann, and running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), when he addresses the nation for the first time Thursday night as the Republican nominee. 

The Reuters-Ipsos poll of 1,481 Americans was conducted online and has a 3 percent margin of error.

Via: The Hill

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TEA PARTY TO GOP: WE BUILT YOUR MAJORITY

Tuesday's theme at the Republican National Convention was "We Built It," but the night's speakers did not reference or mention the Tea Party movement that built the current Republican majority in the House during the 2010 midterm elections and infused a party that seemed all but moribund after the 2008 elections and the latter part of George W. Bush's presidency with enthusiasm, life, confidence, money, manpower, purpose, and a little swagger.

On Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who, like his father, Ron, is one of the most prominent symbols of the Tea Party movement that revolted in part against the spending habits of Republicans and Democrats during the last decade, addressed the RNC.

But even Paul did not explicitly mention or make note, by name, of the Tea Party movement.

This has left many Tea Partiers to wonder if the Romney campaign and the RNC are deliberately trying to disassociate the Republican and Romney brands on the national stage from the Tea Party brand that has given them momentum against Obama. Tea Party members were also perturbed, to say the least, that the RNC passed rules concerning delegate selection and convention rules that stripped power away from the grassroots on Tuesday.

"Their words and their actions speak for themselves," Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of the influential Tea Party Patriots wrote. "The term 'tea party' appears to have been banned from the convention."

This strategy is risky for Romney and Republicans for three reasons.

First, 2012 is going to be a base election, and Tea Party voters need to turn out enthusiastically for Romney for him to win. Second, should Romney win, this strategy could potentially create a rift between establishment Republicans and the Tea Party, making it tougher for Romney to govern and push his agenda. Third, should Romney lose, the feud with the Tea Party could potentially cause an even bigger internecine conflict.

Via: Breitbart

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Paul Ryan’s Powerful RNC Speech: ‘Let’s Get This Done’

FNC

The following is a transcript of vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan's speech at the Republican National Convention on Aug. 29, 2012.

Hello, everybody.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you
very much.

Hey, Wisconsin.  Thank you.  Thank you.

Thanks so much.  Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellows citizens, I am honored
by the support of this convention for vice president of the
United States.

Via: Fox News

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Top 5 GOP Convention Appeals to Disaffected Democrats

In 2008, Artur Davis spoke at the Democratic National Convention. Four years of Obama and he  endorsed the Republican nominee and was given a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. Here are five more Democrats who changed their minds.

1. Davis in 2012: “Do you even recognize the America they’re talking about?”

Former Alabama Democratic congressman and current Virginia resident Artur Davis spoke Tuesday at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa Bay.

Davis, a Harvard Law School graduate known for his strong record on veterans’ affairs, endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election but subsequently became the only member of the Congressional Black Caucus to vote against Obamacare.

“This time, in the name of 23 million of our children and parents and brothers and sisters who are officially unemployed, underemployed, or who have stopped looking for work, let’s put the poetry aside, let’s suspend the hype, let’s come down to earth and start creating jobs again,” Davis said.

Davis’ speech Tuesday was widely hailed by conservatives but derided by liberals prior to their even hearing it: Fourteen members of the Congressional Black Caucus attacked Davis before the convention by signing an open letter accusing him of lying about his political transformation.

“We have come to the disturbing conclusion that your recent public statements have no basis in real policy or political disagreements, but rather they stem from transparent opportunism and a personal determination to overcome failing to win the Alabama Democratic primary for Governor in 2010,” according to the letter.

Liberal media outlets also attempted to pre-emptively minimize the impact of Davis’ speech.

Via: Washington Free Beacon

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DNC CHAIR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA: REPUBLICANS “CAN’T JUST TROT OUT A BROWN FACE”

(NBC NEWS) TAMPA, Fla. — Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said that Republicans “can’t just trot out a brown face” to make inroads with the Latino community, an increasingly important growing bloc.

As the GOP prepares to showcase some of its rising Hispanic stars during the next two days of its national convention, the Democratic mayor dismissed Republican overtures toward Latinos as insincere.

“You can’t just trot out a brown face or a Spanish surname and expect people are going to vote for your party or your candidate,” Villaraigosa said at a press conference here organized by the Democratic National Committee. “People are going to vote just like Anglos do, just like African-Americans do, and virtually every demographic group. They vote for people based on what they say, what they’ve done, and what they’re going to do,” he later added.

Among the Latinos speaking in Tuesday’s Republican National Convention programming are Rep. Francisco Canseco, R-Texas. Sher Valenzuela, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Delaware, Republican Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Texas GOP Senate nominee Ted Cruz.

But, other staunch opponents of illegal immigration — like Iowa Rep. Steve King, who’s speaking as well on Tuesday — will also be among the featured voices in the day’s program.

“I don’t think it’s going to do much for him, frankly,” Villaraigosa said of the GOP’s overall message.

The Los Angeles mayor predicted that President Barack Obama would win “close to 70 percent” of the Latino vote in his re-election effort; Romney advisers have set a goal in the upper-30th percentile in targeting Hispanic voters.

Latino voters are of particular importance in swing states like Colorado, Florida and Virginia — a sign of shifting demographics that Republicans have worried would put them at a long-term political disadvantage unless they were to become more welcoming of Latinos.

Ryan Williams, a spokesman for Romney, said in response to today’s Democratic bracketing event: “Today, as we learn that more than a quarter of Democrats believe President Obama does not have a clear plan for creating jobs, his surrogates in Tampa continued to launch false and baseless attacks against Governor Romney.

The facts speak for themselves – with 23 million Americans struggling for work, nearly one in six Americans living in poverty, and median incomes declining, the Obama campaign cannot defend a record of broken promises and failed policies. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have a plan to strengthen the middle class by creating jobs and turning around our economy.”

Via: Pat Dollard

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A “mystery speaker” for Thursday night?

The cancellation of the first night of the Republican convention forced planners to compress the schedule a bit.  Bobby Jindal had to drop out, of course, for very good reason, as Tropical Storm Isaac continues to aim at southern Louisiana and Mississippi.  That still left a little room, though, for some intrigue, as the RNC’s schedule has a mighty suspicious hole in prime time on the final night of the convention (via Kate Hicks):

Republican convention planners appear to have a surprise planned for those tuning in Thursday night.

Buried deep in the convention schedule released Monday is a vague reference to a mystery speaker scheduled for the event’s final evening. “To Be Announced” has a prime speaking slot late in the Thursday program.

By then, speakers from Mitt Romney’s church will have taken the stage that night. The co-founder of Staples office-supply chain will have spoken about working with Mr. Romney during his time at Bain Capital. State officials from Massachusetts will have talked about the former governor. Olympians will have already thanked the presidential candidate for leading the 2002 Winter Games.

The only other speakers to follow “To Be Announced” will be Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Mr. Romney himself, suggesting that the unnamed guest may appear during the 10 p.m. hour when the networks all will be broadcasting the convention.

Let the games begin!  Who might be important enough to feature in prime time just before Rubio’s nominating speech?  It won’t be former President George W. Bush, who will address the convention via video on Wednesday.  It won’t be his brother Jeb either, who’s already scheduled for Thursday evening.  The newest member of Augusta, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, has a slot on Wednesday. Newt Gingrich has his slot on Thursday already set, and Rick Santorum will open the festivities later today.  Ron Paul will have a video presentation on Wednesday.

So who isn’t speaking at the convention?  Here are a few names:

• Governor Rick Perry
• Herman Cain
• Fred Thompson
• Michele Bachmann
• Rush Limbaugh
• Sarah Palin

Of these six (and there are more, but they don’t spring to mind), only Palin and Limbaugh would warrant the prime-time treatment and mystery-guest roll-out.  Herman Cain and Rick Perry would be brilliant in this forum, but they wouldn’t get a more choice slot than Gingrich or Santorum, who actually won delegates during the primary process, and that would be true of Bachmann, too.  Fred Thompson would also be a great speaker, but again, I can’t see him getting a slot ahead of current Republican office holders and rising stars in the GOP.

If I had to guess right now, I’d say that organizers made the arrangements for Palin weeks ago, and want to get the biggest splash possible with the mystery-guest treatment.  If so, they’ve done a good job remaining disciplined on that strategy.

Update: Allahpundit flagged this story to me, which might complicate matters for a Palin surprise:

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who starred at the 2008 Republican National Convention and will skip this one, Tuesday morning offered her support to conservatives pressing for a floor fight over attempts by Mitt Romney’s allies to centralize control over the Republican Party. (Some of the parties appear to have reached a compromise in advance of Palin’s missive.)

“We have to remember that this election is not just about replacing the party in power. It’s about who and what we replace it with. Grassroots conservatives know this,” Palin said her Facebook posting. “Without the energy and wisdom of the grassroots, the GOP would not have had the historic 2010 electoral victories.”

Word yesterday was that this got resolved by all parties, so the controversy may be moot by now.  As for Rush Limbaugh, well, he does live and work in Florida …

Via: Hot Air

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Romney formally chosen as GOP nominee, convention moves into full swing

TAMPA, Fla. –  Mitt Romney was formally nominated Tuesday as the Republicans' presidential candidate, hitting the magic number of delegates late in the afternoon -- capping an eight-year quest for his party's nomination.

Shortly before 6 p.m., Romney notched the 1,144 delegates needed to claim the party nomination going into November. The New Jersey delegation, whose governor is giving the keynote, delivered the final delegates that put him over the top. 

The proceedings, as per tradition, were part pep rally for the individual state delegations that one-by-one took the stage and jazzed up the crowd before announcing their delegate totals. But they also concluded what for Romney has been a protracted and hard-fought battle for the nomination -- he is here in Tampa only after warding off a rotating field of feisty primary challengers ranging from Rick Perry to Newt Gingrich to Rick Santorum to Herman Cain. 

The nomination sets into motion a convention that until a few hours ago was fairly lifeless. Tropical-storm-turned-hurricane Isaac delayed the convention start by a day and continued to overshadow the event. But the atmosphere at the Tampa Bay Times Forum late Tuesday was ebullient. Concessions were flowing in the halls of the arena, and delegates -- some in state-specific costume -- had been streaming in all day in advance of the nomination and later a slew of major speeches. 

Romney and his family, as well as running mate Paul Ryan and his family, touched down in Tampa earlier in the day. 

Romney's wife Ann, upon landing in Tampa, immediately went to the convention site for a walk-through ahead of her speech Tuesday night. She did a quick sound-check, reading the opening of the Gettysburg Address from a teleprompter placed at the back of the room. 

Via: Fox News

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ANN ROMNEY: WOMEN NOT 'DUMB ENOUGH' TO ACCEPT OBAMA

Ann Romney entered the Tampa Bay Times Forum to thunderous applause and cheers. Her speech focused on the strengths exemplified in mothers -- working or no -- and their efforts not just in holding the home together but holding the country together. Her speech was a stark contrast to the left's demonizing portrayal of Republican women.

"It's the moms who've always had to work a little hard to make everything right," she remarked, "It's the the moms who hold this country together."

Her message was one of empowerment, not victimhood. She opened by asking for prayers for those in Tropical Storm Issac's path, then launched into a shot against the rhetoric of "war on women" from the Obama campaign.

She received a standing ovation when she asked: "A storybook marriage? Not at all. Mitt and I have a real marriage."

"You may not agree with Mitt's positions or his politics... only 13% of Massachusetts is Republican, so it's not like it's a surprise to me," she said, before promising, "no one will work harder than Mitt Romney to make this country a better place to live." It echoes the question conservatives have been asking for months: can you honestly say that you're better off now than you were four years ago?"

"Mitt Romney was not handed his success," Romney stated. "He built it!" Her words directly contradicted President Obama's stereotype of the Republican candidate: "Mitt doesn't like to talk about how he helps others. He sees it as a privilege, not a talking point." After listing his accomplishments in Massachusetts, Mrs. Romney proclaimed, "this is the man America needs... This man will not fail."

Via: Fox News

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Ron Paul delegates: ‘We were robbed!’

TAMPA, Fla. — Republican leaders averted a floor fight at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, but not without boos, yelling, bruised feelings and allegations of cheating.

Before the state-by-state convention vote for the GOP’s presidential candidate, Ron Paul supporters lost a voice vote to seat more of their delegates from Maine.

“We were robbed!” a backer of the Texas congressman shouted in response. Paul delegates began chanting “seat them now!” The majority behind Mitt Romney tried to drown them out with chants of “USA! USA!”

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus had to intervene and gavel the convention back to order.

Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu then presided over a voice vote on even more controversial RNC rule changes. The modified rules were intended to shorten the primary process and, critics charge, strengthen national party leaders at the expense of state and local Republicans.

Ron Paul supporters were the most vocal in their objections, as is their custom, but a broader cross-section of conservatives opposed the rule change. Longtime GOP national committeeman Morton Blackwell wrote in a letter to delegates that they “would amount to a power grab by Washington, D.C. party insiders and consultants designed to silence the voice of state party activists and Republican grassroots.”

A chief complaint was that the rules changes would advantage early front-runners like Romney over conservative challengers, including not only Paul but runner-up Rick Santorum and tea party favorite Michele Bachmann.

Via: The Daily Caller

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New RNC convention video: “Switchers”

Because nothing sells in politics like apostasy, does it?  Just days after the Obama campaign released a web ad featuring Republican Democratic Women for Obama, the RNC will release a new video ad to be played during the Republican National Convention featuring former Barack Obama loyalists looking for some real hope and change:

It occurs to me that playing the apostasy card makes perfect sense for Republicans in this cycle.  They need Obama voters in 2008 to change their minds in order to win the election.  I’m not sure, though, why Team Obama feels the need to push that angle.  If they hold their 2008 coalition, they would cruise to victory in this cycle.  They don’t need McCain voters to switch — they just need Obama 2008 voters to turn out in 2012 and not to have changed their minds.  Instead of building off of brand loyalty, though, they’re trolling for Republicans — and doing it badly.  That should tell us all we need to know about their confidence in this cycle.

Meanwhile, the same super-PAC that accused Mitt Romney of causing terminal cancer has a new spot out today, called “Olive,” supposedly an “independent” whose business got ruined by Romney.  And it’s just as fact-based as its most notorious offering, as Jammie Wearing Fool discovers:

Via: Hot Air

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REPUBLICAN CONVENTION SET TO ROCK LIKE A HURRICANE

This isn’t 2008 any more. The conservative movement, aware of the dire threat to America’s future, is unifying this time. Their awareness is spreading to independents, as Steve Bannon’s devastating indictment of the Obama presidency, The Hope & The Change, produced by Citizens United, shows. That means that Barack Obama is in trouble.  The bounce the Romney/Ryan team should get from this week’s Republican National Convention should be very real, no matter how the press spins it for Obama.

The RNC isn’t going to waste any time gunning their engine; the second night, the Convention features a screening of Bannon's The Hope & The Change, which features the personal stories of 40 Democrats and independents who supported President Obama in 2008, but now want nothing to do with him. (Monday night, Bannon and Citizens United are slated to show one of the late Andrew Breitbart's great passion projects, Occupy Unmasked, as well.)

Another salient fact to note is that Paul Ryan, who is garnering stunning positives in surveys being conducted, is still largely an unknown to the general citizenry.  Just as Obama was a fresh face in 2008, Ryan has the glow of someone who hasn’t been diminished by excessive exposure to the public. And he’s a politician who grows on people with time.

Via: Breitbart:

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Gov. Chris Christie: No Chance I’ll Tone It Down During Keynote Address

'It's A Great Opportunity For Me Personally, It's Great Opportunity For Our State'

ASBURY PARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) –Governor Chris Christie is on his seventh draft of his keynote address for next week’s Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

“I’m not nervous, no. I’m excited. It’s a great opportunity for me personally, it’s a great opportunity for our state,” Christie said on Monday.

WCBS 880′s Peter Haskell reports

Christie told WCBS 880′s Peter Haskell that likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney reached out the day before he announced his running mate.

“I called him and he told me that he had decided to go in a different direction for vice president. [He] asked me if I’d be willing to do the keynote address. I told him that I would be,” Christie told Haskell.

Romney chose Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate, but Christie said there are no hard feelings.

“I think it’s about the record we’ve established here and I think Gov. Romney is an admirer of that record and I think that’s why he asked me,” Christie told Haskell.

The famously brash governor said he has no plans to tone it down for the national audience.

“I don’t think they have any expectation nor have they requested that I have a personality-ectomy between now and next Tuesday,” Christie told Haskell. “They know what they’re buying,” Christie added.

The governor said he worked on his speech while he was on vacation last week.

The keynote speech is the highest-profile spot for someone not accepting the party’s presidential or vice presidential nomination. The slot has launched many political figures including President Barack Obama, who was the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Four years later, he won the White House.

The Republican National Convention will kick off from Tampa next Monday and wraps up Thursday, Aug. 30.

How do you think Gov. Christie will do at the Republican National Convention? Do you think he’s a rising national star in the party? Please share your thoughts below…

Via: CBS New York

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