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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Romney copying Reagan's 1980 path to victory

TAMPA, Fla. - The Romney campaign has seized on Ronald Reagan's 1980 playbook, hoping to copy the Gipper's transformation during his GOP convention and subsequent debate with Jimmy Carter from a mocked B-tier Hollywood actor to a respected and winning presidential alternative.

Several Republicans including Romney's son Tagg said that Mitt Romney's path to the White House is a carbon copy of Reagan's, who was ridiculed by Carter and his team as they tried to divert attention to their hapless management of the economy.

Former Republican Party boss Haley Barbour said Carter accused Reagan of being a warmonger and loony conservative but when voters saw him perform well at the 1980 convention and debate, they thought, "Reagan doesn't look like a nut to me. He seems like a pretty nice guy."

That's the goal of Team Romney here--use family to show his softer side, highlight his charity and spell out in detail his plans for the presidency. "We don't have to hit it out of the park," said son Tagg Romney. Instead, he said, his father simply needs to show that he's not the ogre the Obama team is making him out to be.

Barbour suggested that Romney is on the verge of a big break out, based on polling numbers. He noted that when Romney became the presumptive nominee, the first Gallup Poll had him up by 2 percent. When Reagan became the presumptive nominee, he added, Gallup had him 14 points behind Carter and nine points behind at the beginning of the GOP convention.

Romney, however, is dead even with Obama.

But Democrats don't buy it and think Romney is moving too late to remake his image. Bill Burton, co-founder of the Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action, told Secrets, "Romney missed a critical opportunity to tell the American people his story this spring and summer. As a result of only attacking President Obama and not introducing himself, voters see Romney as the kind of guy who got rich by rigging the system and profiting from the losses experienced by hard-working middle class families."

And, he added, a softer performance in Tampa might not work. "He can fix that some during the convention but there has been a hardening of Romney's perceived indifference to the middle class that will be difficult to wash away," said Burton.

Via: Washington Examiner

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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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Beware of the Mainstream Media

A recent outburst by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews was a near classic example of how some members of the media are so over the moon about Obama that it serves as a reminder that their long knives are out for the Romney-Ryan ticket.

Matthews’ man-crush on Obama is blatant, but I do take some heart from a recent Newsweek cover and article that tore Obama to shreds with facts and figures. It was so unusual, given the usual news magazine adoration accorded Obama that I found it odd, though welcome.

Much depends, of course, on the coverage that will be given by the network news channels, ABC, NBC, CBS, and we should include PBS as well. From my observation, only C-SPAN makes a good faith effort to provide balanced coverage of both parties and political viewpoints.

And, of course, there’s Fox News. “Fair, balanced and unafraid” is their motto, but Fox has been afraid to get anywhere close to the issues involving Obama’s blatantly false birth certificate, the fact that his closest advisors in the White House are committed Marxists, along with his long association with friends who fit that description such as Bill Ayers.

Moreover, Fox has liberal commentators such as Juan Williams on staff and invites liberals to share their views on air as well. That said, its conservative tilt makes it about the only TV news channel a conservative can watch without wanting to throw up

.

Matthews became incensed with GOP Chairman Reince Priebus during a recent discussion prior to the convention, riding his hobby horse that any criticism of Obama is racist. This charge is used to inoculate Obama against a reasoned examination of his policies, all of which have brought the nation to the brink of financial collapse, along with massive unemployment and other ills. In the area of foreign affairs, he has thoroughly weakened America’s capacity to influence the world.

Via: Canada Free Press

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REPUBLICAN CONVENTION BACKUP PLAN: JUST READ OBAMA'S 2008 PROMISES FROM THE PODIUM

If, as George Orwell once observed, the greatest enemy of any left-wing government is its previous propaganda, then Barack Obama’s most fearsome enemy is a small volume his campaign published in 2008: Change We Can Believe In: Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise. I bought it after Obama won the presidency that November, and it makes for very entertaining--and somewhat sad--reading nearly four years later.

Among the many promises Obama makes are the following: “Send Rebate Checks of $1,000 to American Families,” “Staff the Government Based on Talent, Not Political Loyalties,” and “Eliminate North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Programs.” Some of the pledges combine hubris with bad policy: “Create Five Million New Green Jobs,” “Create Automatic Workplace Pensions.” Others are just silly: “Create a ‘Craigslist’ for Service.”

No matter who you are, there’s a broken promise in this book for you. Seniors? Obama promised to “Preserve Social Security” and “Put Medicare on Solid Footing.” Greens? Obama said he would “Rally the World to Stop Global Warming.” Chicago residents? Obama pledged to “End the Dangerous Cycle of Youth Violence.” The scale of Obama’s cult of personality can be measured by the wide scope of his disappointments today.

Via: Breitbart

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Federal judge says Ohio must count disputed votes

IT JUST DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER FOR OBAMA

A federal judge ruled Monday that Ohio must count improperly cast ballots this fall if the mistake is caused by an election worker rather than the voter, a small but potentially significant issue in an important presidential battleground state.

The decision could mean that thousands of votes that otherwise would have been rejected — most of them cast in urban areas where Democrats are concentrated — will have to be counted.

“Recent experience proves that our elections are decided, all too often, by improbably slim margins — not just in local races . . . but even for the highest national offices,” U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley wrote. “Any potential threat to the integrity of the franchise, no matter how small, must therefore be treated with the utmost seriousness.”

The legal fight is probably not over. “We respectfully disagree with the judge’s ruling and will likely appeal,” said Matt McClellan, a spokesman for Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R).

It is one of several contentious voting issues in Ohio, which has a history of close presidential elections, partisan battles to control whose votes are counted, and litigious interest groups and politicians.

Among other issues, the Obama campaign is suing over a decision by the Republican-controlled legislature to curtail early voting in the state. Democrats are incensed about Husted’s decision that weekend voting before the November election should not be allowed. And a conservative voting rights group is threatening to sue to remove what it says are questionable registrations among the state’s more than 7.7 million voters.

Marbley’s decision, which relied in part on the Supreme Court’s 2000 ruling in Bush v. Gore, concerned a subset of votes called provisional ballots. Such ballots are cast when a voter has some irregularity — a lack of proper ID, a name change not recorded, a missing entry on the voter rolls — that keeps him or her from filing a regular ballot. Local boards of elections then must decide whether to count them.

The civil rights group Advancement Project, the Service Employees International Union and others challenged a part of Ohio state law that says provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct should not be counted, even if the voter was following a poll worker’s instructions.

Via: Washington Post

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Chris Christie disses Jerry Brown as 'an old retread'

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christieripped California Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday, saying that the state’s voters should have elected Meg Whitman but instead went with a “retread” who is failing to lead.

“California made the bad choice by going with an old retread," Christie told California’s delegation to theRepublican National Convention, a crowd that lapped up his message. “Let me tell you this – I cannot believe you people elected Jerry Brown over Meg Whitman. … Jerry Brown. Jerry Brown? I mean, he won the New Jersey presidential primary over Jimmy Carter when I was 14 years old.”

Christie said the 74-year-old, three-term governor told him that he’s not trying to raise taxes, that he is allowing voters to decide by putting a tax proposal on the ballot.

“Man, that's leadership, isn’t it?” Christie said.

PHOTOS: The protests of the GOP convention

A spokesman for Brown said Christie was trying to deflect attention from rising unemployment in New Jersey. “It’s no wonder Gov. Christie wants to distract from his massive failure with a windstorm of rhetoric,” said Gil Duran.

California hating is a popular pastime with Republicans these days, from presidential nominee Mitt Romney on down.Christie mentioned Brown in his State of the State address in January.

Christie, who will be the keynote speaker at the convention on Tuesday, held up his state as evidence for dispirited California Republicans that conservatives can win in a Democratic state.

“The message I want to deliver to California this morning is there is hope. There is hope,” Christie said, speaking in the lobby of the Tradewinds resort at a delegate breakfast that had to be moved indoors because of the weather caused byTropical Storm Isaac. “Don’t give up on the fact California can be governed. You’ve seen it governed before. You’ve seen it governed effectively. California once did have great governors like Gov. Pete Wilson. ” Wilson was in the audience.

Christie said Romney’s leadership skills are why he was the first governor to endorse Romney last year, and he slammed Obama as “nothing more than a Chicago ward politician.”

Whitman introduced Christie at the event, and both reminisced fondly about a 2010 campaign appearance in Los Angeles where he defended her from a heckler. After a protester accused Whitman of ducking questions and “looking like Arnold in a dress,” Christie stood up, moved between the two of them and shot back, “You want to yell? Yell at me."

“I was just thrilled to death to be defended by Chris Christie,” Whitman said on Monday.

Christie said he enjoyed the town hall.

“You’ve got two choices with a bully. You can either sidle up to him or punch him in the face first. We decided to punch first,” he said.

Via: LA Times

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GOP CONVENTION TO FEATURE MORE HIGH-PROFILE HISPANICS THAN DNC

Republicans will feature five prominent Hispanics -- Govs. Susana Martinez (NM), Brian Sandoval (NV), Luis Fortuno (Puerto Rico), Sen. Marco Rubio (FL), and Senate candidate Ted Cruz (TX) -- in their national convention's primetime lineup. 

Yet, the mainstream media continues to paint Republicans as a party that needs to be more inclusive while ignoring the lack of prominent national Democrats who are Hispanic. 

If Cruz wins the Texas Senate seat, as he is expected to do, Republicans will have five Hispanic senators and governors. And three of the states (New Mexico, Nevada, Florida) that have elected Hispanic Republicans to high-profile posts are crucial swing states with a significant number of Hispanic voters. 

Cruz will be featured on Tuesday. Martinez will speak before Paul Ryan on Wednesday. And Marco Rubio will speak before Mitt Romney. 

Meanwhile, Democrats only have one Hispanic politician who has been elected to a high-profile office -- Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), who is of Cuban descent. 

Democrats often tout the importance of the Mexican vote, but there are no Democrats of Mexican descent on the national level. Two of the party’s most prominent politicians of Mexican descent -- Antonio Villaraigosa (Los Angeles, CA), who chairs the Democratic National Convention, and Julian Castro (San Antonio, Texas), who will keynote the convention -- are mayors.

Democrats often paint Republicans as anti-Hispanic and Democrats as the party of inclusion, but prominent Democrats who make these arguments are often not of Hispanic descent. And yet, the "neutral" mainstream media continues to run segments about how the GOP needs to diversify its ranks while never running any segments or that ask why a party they assume Hispanics should support en masse has failed to elect Hispanics to high-profile positions. 

When Mitt Romney addressed the National Association of Latino and Appointed Officials (NALEO) this year, he said Democrats often take the Hispanic vote for granted. And Hispanics may seriously think about what Romney said given the dearth of prominent 

Hispanic Democrats in high-profile offices.

Via: Breitbart

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Newt to Chris Matthews: Your thinking can be pretty racist, you know

Via News Busters, you’ll enjoy watching Matthews being given a taste of his own medicine but this clip is more useful as a demonstration of why it’s pointless for the two sides to talk to each other. The problem isn’t that Tingles is willing to presume racism; the problem is that his presumption is irrebuttable, with subconscious racism the inevitable fallback presumption in cases like these when the accused protests vehemently enough. You’re guilty, even if you don’t know it. 

What possible good can a conversation with those parameters do except to provide a lazy blogger like me with easy content on a slow news night? It’d be more dignified for both of them if Gingrich just got up and left. Cede the airtime to some liberal guest who can come on and tell Matthews what he wants to hear. That’s not a useful conversation either, but at least both participants would respect the other’s good faith and sincerity. I’d prefer that to Dog-Whistle Theater.

Via: Hot Air
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Dissatisfaction with Obama Isn't Enough

"Throw the bums out," the vernacular for incumbent fatigue, is the emotional response to the analytical dissatisfaction with the status quo.  Yet a bum can survive if a challenger can't promise a compelling vision of the new order.

Obama understands how this calculus of organization change applies to his re-election.  He knows that this election is a referendum on his record, his stewardship of the resources under his command, and how well he mitigated inherited messes.  Obama has been a failure on all three counts.  No, he has been spectacularly dreadful -- his record, stewardship, and mitigation -- leaving a legacy of despair and divisiveness. 

Thus, Obama loses the referendum.  And he knows it.

It is no surprise, then, that Obama's campaign has been devoted to framing Mitt Romney -- and Paul Ryan -- as unfit to lead the nation.  Nullification of Romney/Ryan legitimacy denies the challengers' standing to present a compelling vision of their new order.  Students of organizational behavior know that resistance against or invitation to change is a function of how well a compelling vision of the new order can be asserted and be convincing enough to outweigh the risks of dumping the status quo.

This simple mathematical formula -- (f) R = D+V (rough symbolism) -- is far from novel or profound.  Barack Obama beat John McCain because of Bush fatigue and Obama's compelling vision as the messiah.  Likewise, the 2010 Tea Party sweeps in the U.S. House and in state capitols reflected the deep unhappiness with the tax-and-spend, recklessly irresponsible fiscal policies of the Democrats.  And compelling new faces such as Marco Rubio and Scott Walker provided the vision for the safe bet in rejecting the status quo.

Of course, a few 2010 candidates failed miserably in presenting a compelling -- indeed, competent -- vision of the new order.  To wit: Christine O'Donnell in Maryland and Sharron Angle in Nevada.  Thus, resistance to change triumphed in some cases.

Via: American Thinker

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Obama Admin: Hey, You Know What We Need? More People Receiving Government Handouts…

More Americans rely on their families for assistance than the government, so federal officials have undertaken an effort to help people to apply for federal assistance.

“Given that only 15 percent of you turn to government assistance in tough times, we want to make sure you know about benefits that could help you,” USA.gov announced today. The ”government made easy’ website has created a “help for difficult financial times” page for people to learn more about the programs.

The government got that statistic from a poll asking Americans what helps them the most during tough times. Here are the results:

• Savings 44%
• Family 21%
• Credit cards/loans 20%
• Government assistance 15%

“Government assistance comes in different forms—from unemployment checks and food assistance to credit counseling and medical treatment,” USA.gov reminded readers.

This leg of the financial assistance push has ended. “Although our campaign to highlight Help for Difficult Financial Times has ended, we know that your struggles may continue,” said USA.gov today. “We will keep updating the tools and information we provide to help you get back on your feet.

Via: Washington Examiner

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GM Suspending The Manufacture Of Chevrolet Volt

AP

GM Suspending Chevrolet Volt Output Due To Slow Sales

By James R. Healey

General Motors is halting, for a month, the manufacture of its well-known but seldom-sold Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car, according to trade publication Automotive News.

It would be the second interruption in production for the Volt, which can go 38 miles on battery power before needing a recharge from its gasoline engine or via a plug-in.

Via: USA Today

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RNC unveils national debt clock, immediately recesses

TAMPA, Fla. — Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus gaveled in the 2012 Republican National Convention Monday afternoon, in the process unveiling two massive national debt clocks.

To cheers from delegates and guest — and with Hurricane Isaac menacing in the Gulf of Mexico — Priebus announced the beginning of the RNC.

“Ladies and gentlemen, by the authority contained in the rules adopted by the 2008 Republican National Convention, the Republican National Committee has directed that the 2012 Republican National Convention be held in Tampa, Fla. starting at 2 p.m. on the 27th day of August 2012,” he said.

“So it is my privilege to proclaim the 2012 Republican National Convention in session and called to order,” Priebus said with six slams of the gavel and immediately announced a recess, ending official activities until Tuesday as a result of Hurricane Isaac.

While in recess, Priebus directed attendees to focus on two large debt clocks overhead — one bearing the ever increasing national debt, the other displaying the debt tally accrued just during the convention.

“For this convention we also want to draw your attention to the unprecedented fiscal recklessness of the Obama administration depicted by the real time national debt clock shown here in the arena,” he said. “For this convention we have actually installed a second national debt clock that will log the debt that accrues during the course of this convention.”

The national debt is at a record $15.9 trillion and that the Obama administration has overseen an $5 trillion increase in the debt.

“This clock reminds every delegate and every American why we are here in Tampa – because America can and must do better,” Priebus said in a statement in advance of the unveiling. “Every American’s share of the national debt has increased by approximately $16,000 during the current administration.”

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Via: Daily Caller

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Katrina Anniversary: Obama Plans to Campaign in Va. While Isaac Lands in La.

=(CNSNews.com)   – The White House announced on Monday that President Barack Obama plans to campaign in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday--the day the National Hurricane Center predicts Hurricane Isaac will hit the Gulf Coast.

Wednesday, Aug. 29, is also the seventh anniversary of the day that Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast in 2005.

According to the center, Tropical Storm Isaac is predicted to become a Category One Hurricane by Monday night and will make landfall along the Louisiana and Mississippi coastline late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

According to the center, Isaac will have maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour with storm surges up to 12 feet.

National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service fall under the umbrella of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning at 1:42 p.m. CDT for New Orleans, stating that Isaac was strengthening and becoming more organized. It advised New Orleans residents to "rush to completion of preparations for the protection of life and property. Evacuate if directed to do so by local officials ... or if your home is vulnerable to high winds or flooding."

Isaac "is currently forecast to make landfall as a Category One hurricane near the southwest pass of the Mississippi River Tuesday night," said the warning.

The warning had not been updated at the time of publication.

Via: CNSNews

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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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All-Out Marxist Media Assault on Romney/Ryan begins with Gusto!

First and foremost—lest I forget—both the presidential and vice-presidential “debates” questioning of Romney, Obama, Ryan and Biden will be moderated by the most leftist “journalists” who inhabit the alphabet network stables. To top it off, the sole vice-presidential debate’ “moderator”—Martha Raddatz—was married to Obama FCC appointee Julius Genachowski whom the Daily Caller reports: “Genachowski and classmate Barack Obama worked together on the Harvard Law Review, Genachowski as notes editor and Obama as the publication’s president. They graduated in the same class.”

Note: This year, the media bias appears to be greater than ever…if that’s even possible.

The Marxist media have been passing on each and every Obama syndicate (which includes all White House staff and all Democrats in Congress) unsubstantiated negative story (aka “lie”) perpetrated against both Romney and Ryan. Long after they have been proven false, the media (including—of course—CNN and MSNBC) continue to float and “report on” these concocted yarns and tall-tales that Romney (while Governor of Massachusetts) outsourced jobs to India, caused a woman with no health insurance to develop and die from Cancer (not only did she have health insurance but, the entire premise of the ObamaAD appears to have been manufactured by Obama operative Stephanie Cutter illegally in conjunction with an Obama SuperPac) and—another lie delivered via Ms. Cutter—that Romney lied to the SEC and is a felon.

Note: As with all Marxists and other totalitarian aficionados, at some point it becomes almost impossible to keep up with their contrived lies. This is what they count on occurring.

However, with regards to the upcoming debates, we suspect the questioning may go a little like this:

Via: Canada Free Press

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