Tampa, U.S.A. — Good evening America, and hello to the fired-up delegation from the Buckeye State right in front of me.

My name is Rob Portman and they say I was on Governor Romney’s short list of vice presidential candidates.

Apparently, it wasn’t short enough.

But it’s been a great convention and I am delighted to be here tonight to talk about the fundamental differences between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama when it comes to understanding our economy.

Let’s begin by talking about something the Democrats love to demonize - Mitt Romney’s success in the private sector. He built a company from the ground up, created lots of jobs, and yes, he made money.

He made it the old fashioned way . . . He earned it.

Then you have Barack Obama, who has never started a business—never even worked in business. And he claims those who have should give credit to the government or someone else for their success.

So, you have one candidate who understands that success comes from working hard, competing and taking risks.

And you have another candidate who believes success comes from government.

Which one do you think knows how to turn this economy around?

Which one would you choose to invest your life’s savings?

Should it be any different for safeguarding our nation’s economy?

Or let’s say you don’t have any savings. Let’s say you’re worried about how to pay September’s rent or mortgage.

Let’s say you are one of the millions of Americans out of work or the millions more who have given up looking.

You’ve gotta be running out of patience – and hope. You have to be tired, looking for a new start.

Well, you don’t have to be patient any longer. Through your vote this fall you can change the leadership of this country and the opportunities for you and your family.

America, it has been nearly four years of over eight percent unemployment – and double digit unemployment for young people, Hispanics and African-Americans.

Four years. FDR and Truman won an entire world war in four years.

America is tired of waiting.

In business, if you don’t move rapidly, you are out of business. You are finished.

We want a president who operates at business speed not government speed.

President Obama says he deserves reelection because his economic policies have worked.

NOT in this universe they haven’t.

In fact, the experts tell us that if we don’t change our policies we are going back into recession next year.

Tens of millions of Americans are not out of the last recession!

Governor Romney had a plan to build his business. He now has a detailed plan to restore our economy and strengthen the middle class.

I ask you: Where is the president’s economic plan?

Blaming others does not qualify as a plan. Now the president did submit a budget. It was so bad that not a single Republican or a single Democrat in the entire United States Congress would vote for it.

He got zero votes. That is a failure of leadership.

President Obama has been right about at least one prediction he’s made about the economy. He said, “If I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.”

I think you are right about that, Mr. President.

It hasn’t worked, because you cannot spend your way, regulate your way, tax your way or blame your way out of the economic mess we are in.

You have to liberate the productive power of the American people through policies that encourage innovation, risk taking, investment and jobs.

And you have to compete and win in the global economy. Governor Romney understands this.

In contrast, President Obama is the first president in 75 years—Democrat or Republican—who hasn’t even sought the ability to negotiate export agreements and open markets overseas. Now why is this important?

Because 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside our borders. And to create jobs, our workers and our farmers need to sell more of what we make to those people.

While this administration has been dragging its feet, other countries have been busy negotiating hundreds of new trade agreements to benefit their workers and their farmers, taking away our opportunities.

President Obama has been so driven to advance his big government ideology that he has abandoned the daily economic work that a government must do to open markets, restore business confidence and create the climate for job growth.

This is the work President Romney would begin on day one.

Take trade with China. China manipulates its currency giving it an unfair trade advantage. So why doesn’t the president do something about it?

I’ll tell you one reason – President Obama could not run up his record trillion dollar deficits if the Chinese did not buy our bonds to finance them.

We are as beholden to China for bonds as we are to the Middle East for oil.

This will end under Mitt Romney.

We need to knock down these trade barriers abroad, but we also need to knock down the self-imposed barriers to success right here at home.

We need to reform our outdated and complicated tax code. We need to fix our burdensome regulatory system and we need an energy policy that encourages development of our resources right here, in the ground, in America.

America has a choice between Mitt Romney, who seeks to grow the economy, and Barack Obamawho seeks to redistribute it.

Which one do you think will liberate America’s entrepreneurial spirit?

At the other party’s convention, you will hear the chant, “Four more years. Four more years.”

Folks – we can’t afford four more years. How about no more years?

Governor Romney chose a terrific partner in Paul Ryan of Wisconsin – Paul is a close friend with a great family and a reformer’s heart.

Vice President Biden has told people out of work to just, “hang in there.” So much for hope and change.

Paul Ryan is not asking America to continue to hang in there. He is proposing new policies that will give poor and middle class families opportunities and hope for the future.

Mitt Romney made his mark turning around businesses and solving problems.

Paul Ryan made his mark as a respected reformer focused on results.

Together they will do what President Obama has not done: They will lead in breaking through the partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C.

America, give them the chance to restore America’s economy and restore the American dream.

I have seen that dream up close. When I was a kid, my dad left his job as a salesman and started his own business selling forklift trucks. My Mom was the bookkeeper. He had to borrow money from her uncle because the bank wouldn’t give him a loan. He lost money for the first few years, but he never lost his dream.

And by the time he retired and my brother took over, the business had 200 employees – supporting 200 families in Southwest Ohio.

This is the classic American story – not of government telling us what to do – but of free men and free women willing to work hard and take a risk to build something of value for themselves, their families and their community.

About a year into the Obama Administration – I asked my dad whether he would do it again. He said, “Rob – with all the uncertainty out there today – I don’t know if I would take the risk.”

In that one sentence, he summed up what I’ve heard from hundreds of small business owners across Ohio and around this great country. They’re afraid to make the investment and jobs are the casualty.

Ladies and gentlemen, we need new leadership and new policies to bring back the dream and renew America’s promise.

No more excuses, no more blaming others, no more waiting.

We need Romney /Ryan and we need them now! And with your help, it will happen.

Thank you and God bless our great country.

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Tampa, U.S.A. — The following are remarks as prepared for delivery by the Hon. Rand Paul, U.S. Senator, Kentucky, at the 2012 Republican National Convention:

When the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, the first words out of my mouth were: I still think it is unconstitutional!

The leftwing blogs were merciless. Even my wife said — can’t you pleeeease count to ten before you speak?

So, I’ve had time now to count to ten and, you know what? I still think it’s unconstitutional!

Do you think Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas have changed their minds?

I think if James Madison himself — the father of the Constitution — were here today he would agree with me: The whole damn thing is still unconstitutional!

This debate is not new and it’s not over. Hamilton and Madison fought from the beginning about how government would be limited by the enumerated powers.

Madison was unequivocal. The powers of the federal government are few and defined. The power to tax and spend is restricted by the enumerated powers.

So, how do we fix this travesty of justice? There’s only one option left.

We have to have a new president!

When I heard the current president say, “You didn’t build that,” I was first insulted, then I was angered, then I was saddened that anyone in our country, much less the president of the United States, believes that roads create business success and not the other way around.

Anyone who so fundamentally misunderstands American greatness is uniquely unqualified to lead this great nation.

The great and abiding lesson of American history, particularly the Cold War, is that the engine of capitalism — the individual — is mightier than any collective.

American inventiveness and desire to build developed because we were guaranteed the right to own our success. For most of our history, no one dared tell Americans: “You didn’t build that.”

In Bowling Green, Kentucky, the Taing family owns the Great American Donut shop. Their family fled war-torn Cambodia to come to this country. My kids and I love to eat doughnuts, so we go there frequently.

The Taings work long hours. Mrs. Taing told us that the family works through the night to make doughnuts. The Taing children have become valedictorians and National Merit Scholars.

The Taings from Cambodia are an American success story so, Mr. President, don’t you go telling the Taings: “You didn’t build that.”

When you say they didn’t build it, you insult each and every American who ever got up at the crack of dawn. You insult any American who ever put on overalls or a suit.

You insult any American who ever studied late into the night to become a doctor or a lawyer. You insult the dishwasher, the cook, the waitress.

You insult anyone who has ever dragged themselves out of bed to strive for something better for themselves or their children.

My great grandfather, like many, came to this country in search of the American Dream. No sooner had he stepped off the boat than his father died.

He arrived in Pittsburgh as a teenager with nothing, not a penny. He found the American Dream: not great wealth, but a bit of property in a new land that gave him hope for his children.

In America, as opposed to the old country, success was based on merit. Probably America’s greatest asset was that for the first time success was not based on who you were, but on what you did.

My grandfather would live to see his children become doctors, ministers, accountants and professors. He would even live to see one of his sons, a certain congressman from Texas, run for president of the United States of America.

Immigrants have flocked to our shores seeking freedom. Our forbearers came full of hopes and dreams. So consistent and prevalent were these aspirations that they crystallized into a national yearning we call the American Dream.

No other country has a Dream so inextricably associated with the spirit of its people.

In 1982, an American sailor, John Mooney, wrote a letter to his parents that captures the essence of the American Dream:

“Dear Mom and Dad, today we spotted a boat in the water, and we rendered assistance. We picked up 65 Vietnamese refugees.  As they approached the ship, they were all waving and trying as best they could to say, ‘Hello America sailor! Hello Freedom man!’ It’s hard to see a boat full of people like that and not get a lump somewhere between chin and bellybutton. And it really makes one proud and glad to be an American. It reminds us all of what America has always been — a place a man or woman can come to for freedom.”

Hung and Thuan Tringh are brothers and friends of mine. They came to America on one of those leaky, overcrowded boats. They were attacked at sea by pirates. Their family’s wealth was stolen. Thuan spent a year on a South Pacific island existing on one cup of rice and water each day until he was allowed to come to America. Now both of these men and their families are proud Americans. Hung owns his own business and Thuan manages a large company. They are the American Dream.

So, Mr. President, don’t go telling the Tringh family: “You didn’t build that.”

When the president says, “You didn’t build that,” he is flat out wrong. Businessmen and women did build that. Businessmen and women did earn their success. Without the success of American business, we wouldn’t have any roads, or bridges, or schools.

Mr. President, you say the rich must pay their fair share. When you seek to punish the rich, the jobs that are lost are those of the poor and middle class.

When you seek to punish Mr. Exxon Mobil, you punish the secretary who owns Exxon Mobil stock.

When you block the Keystone Pipeline, you punish the welder who works on the pipeline.

Our nation faces a crisis. America wavers. Unfortunately, we are one of a select group of countries whose debt equals their gross domestic product.

The republic of Washington and Jefferson is now in danger of becoming the democracy of debt and despair. Our great nation is coming apart at the seams and the president seems to point fingers and blame others.

President Obama’s administration will add nearly $6 trillion to our national debt in just one term.

This explosion of debt is unconscionable and unsustainable. Mr. President, we will not let you bankrupt this great nation!

Republicans and Democrats alike must slay their sacred cows. Republicans must acknowledge that not every dollar spent on the military is necessary or well-spent, and Democrats must admit that domestic welfare and entitlements must be reformed.

Republicans and Democrats must replace fear with confidence, confidence that no terrorist, and no country, will ever conquer us if we remain steadfast to the principles of our Founding documents.

We have nothing to fear except our own unwillingness to defend what is naturally ours, our God-given rights. We have nothing to fear that should cause us to forget or relinquish our rights as free men and women.

To thrive we must believe in ourselves again, and we must never — never — trade our liberty for any fleeting promise of security.

Author Paul Kengor writes of a brisk evening in small-town Illinois. Returning home from a basketball game at the YMCA, an 11 year old boy is stunned by the sight of his father sprawled out in the snow on the front porch. “He was drunk,” his son later remembered. “Dead to the world, crucified.” The dad’s hair was soaked with melted snow, matted unevenly against the side of his reddened face.

The boy stood over his father for a minute or two. He simply wanted to let himself in the door and pretend his dad wasn’t there. Instead, he grabbed a fistful of overcoat and heaved his dad to the bedroom, away from the weather’s harm and neighbors’ attention.

This young boy became the man – Ronald Reagan – whose sunny optimism and charisma shined so brightly that it cured the malaise of the late seventies, a confidence that beamed so broadly that it pulled us through a serious recession, and a faith that tugged so happily at all hearts that a generation of Democrats became Republicans.

The American Dream is that any among us could become the next Thomas Edison, the next Henry Ford, the next Ronald Reagan.

To lead us forward, away from the looming debt crisis, it will take someone who believes in America’s greatness, who believes in and can articulate the American dream, someone who has created jobs, someone who understands and appreciates what makes America great, someone who will lead our party and our nation forward.

I believe that someone is our nominee: Governor Mitt Romney.

As Reagan said, our freedom is never more than a generation away from extinction. If our freedom is taken, the American Dream will wither and die.

To lead, we must transform the coldness of austerity into the warm, vibrant embrace of prosperity.

To overcome the current crisis, we must appreciate and applaud American success. We must step forward, unabashedly and proclaim: You did build that. You earned that. You worked hard. You studied. You labored. You did build that. And you deserve America’s undying gratitude. For you, the individual, are the engine of America’s greatness.

Thank you.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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Tampa, U.S.A. — While we gather here tonight for the second night of the GOP Convention in Tampa, we’d like to pause to acknowledge those along the Gulf Coast impacted by Hurricane Isaac.

While it’s now been downgraded to a tropical storm, our hearts and our prayers remain with them.

And we pledge to help them recover and rebuild.

Tonight we have a terrific line-up for you. Our theme tonight is, “We can change it.”

We have heard of the challenges America is facing; now let’s talk about the solutions.

Those of you here in the convention, and those of you watching at home, know what needs to be done:

–We need to create more jobs and get our economy moving again.

–We need to make college affordable and within the reach of every child. I was the first in my family to graduate from college, so I know how important that is to the American Dream.

–We need a government that works for us, not against us, and lives within its means (just like you and I do).

–We also need a president who shares these ideas and values.

Our current president has a different philosophy.

For every problem, he has the same solution: more taxes, more spending and more government.

We know how those policies have turned out: more unemployment, more poverty, and more debt.

Friends, we know we can do better – we can change it. And tonight’s program is filled with people who will tell us how.

Senator John Thune will talk to us about how small businesses – like the one I ran with my family inWashington state – are the fuel our economy needs.

Senator Rob Portman will talk to us about the vital role of international trade in jump-starting our economy.

Governor Tim Pawlenty will share with us why he believes Mitt Romney is the man who can get the job done.

We’re so pleased that Mike Huckabee will be with us. We look forward to hearing his candid assessments as one of America’s favorite former governors.

And former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will talk about America’s role on the world stage – and how our current economic situation impacts our ability to lead.

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez will talk about how she became the first female Hispanic governor in American history – and how she hopes to break down barriers for other young women.

And finally, our keynote speaker is a man with the courage of his convictions, who is not afraid to tackle the tough questions facing our country, the next vice president of the United States, Paul Ryan.

So let’s start by talking about one of the first things that will change under Mitt Romney – Obamacare. Join me in welcoming Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens.

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Tampa, U.S.A. – It’s an honor, as always, my fellow Republicans, to join you at our national convention, and add my voice to yours as we nominate the next president of the United States, my friend, Governor Mitt Romney.

I had hopes once of addressing you under different circumstances. But our fellow Americans had another plan four years ago, and I accept their decision.

I’ve been blessed for so long to play a role in our nation’s affairs that I’m conscious only of the debt I owe America, and I thank you for the honor.

When we nominate Mitt Romney, we do so with a greater purpose than winning an advantage for our party.

We charge him with the care of a higher cause. His election represents our best hopes for our country and the world.

It is said this election will turn on domestic and economic issues. But what Mitt Romney knows, and what we know, is that our success at home also depends on our leadership in the world.

It is our willingness to shape world events for the better that has kept us safe, increased our prosperity, preserved our liberty and transformed human history.

At our best, America has led.

We have led by our example, as a shining city on a hill. We have led at the direction of patriots from both parties.

We have led, shoulder to shoulder, with steadfast friends and allies. We have led by giving voice to the voiceless, insisting that every human life has dignity and aiding those brave souls who risk everything to secure the inalienable rights that are endowed to all by our Creator.

We have led with generous hearts, moved by an abiding love of justice, to help others eradicate disease, lift themselves from poverty, live under laws of their own making and determine their own destinies.

We have led, when necessary, with the armed might of freedom’s defenders.

And always we have led from the front, never from behind.

This is what makes America an exceptional nation: It is not just a matter of who we are, it is the record of what we have done.

It is the responsibility that generation after generation of Americans has affirmed and carried forward.

It is the cause that many Americans have sacrificed everything — absolutely everything — to defend.

And when they have gone into battle, as they do today, they have done so with the conviction that the country that sent them there is worth their sacrifice, that it stands for something more than the sum of our individual interests.

May God bless all who have served, and all who serve today, as He has blessed us with their service.

We are now being tested by an array of threats that are more complex, more numerous and just as deadly as any I can recall in my lifetime. We face a consequential choice — and make no mistake, it is a choice.

We can choose to follow a declining path, toward a future that is dimmer and more dangerous than our past.

Or we can choose to reform our failing government, revitalize our ailing economy and renew the foundations of our power and leadership in the world.

That is what’s at stake in this election.

Unfortunately, for four years, we’ve drifted away from our proudest traditions of global leadership — traditions that are truly bipartisan. We’ve let the challenges we face, both at home and abroad, become harder to solve.

We can’t afford to stay on that course any longer.

We can’t afford to cause our friends and allies — from Latin America to Asia, Europe to the Middle East, and especially in Israel, a nation under existential threat — to doubt America’s leadership.

We can’t afford to give governments in Russia and China a veto over how we defend our interests and the progress of our values in the world.

We can’t afford to have the security of our nation and those who bravely defend it endangered because their government leaks the secrets of their heroic operations to the media.

I believe we can’t afford to substitute a political timetable for a military strategy.

By committing to withdraw from Afghanistan before peace can be achieved and sustained, the president has discouraged our friends and emboldened our enemies, which is why our commanders did not recommend that decision and why they have said it puts our mission at greater risk.

We can’t afford another $500 billion in cuts to our defense budget — on top of the nearly $500 billionin cuts that the president is already making. His own secretary of defense has said that cutting our military by nearly $1 trillion would be “devastating.”

And yet, the president is playing no leadership role in preventing this crippling blow to our military.

A wise congressman from Wisconsin has said, “Our fiscal policy and our foreign policy are on a collision course.” And that man is our next vice president, Paul Ryan.

But most of all, we can’t afford to abandon the cause of human freedom. When long-suffering peoples demand liberation from their jailers and torturers and tyrants, the leader of the free world must stand with them.

Unfortunately, this is not happening.

When Iranians rose up by the millions against their oppressive rulers, when they beseeched our president, chanting in English, “Are you with us, or are you with them?”, when the entire world watched as a brave young woman named Neda was shot and bled to death in a street in Tehran.

The president missed a historic opportunity to throw America’s full moral support behind an Iranian revolution that shared one of our highest interests: ridding Iran of a brutal dictatorship that terrorizes the Middle East and threatens the world.

The situation is far worse in Syria. What began as peaceful protests has now become, 18 months later, a savage and unfair fight.

With the full backing of Iran, and Hezbollah, and Russia—with tanks, and helicopters, and fighter jets,Bashir Assad is murdering men, women and children.

More than 20,000 people have perished. Extremists are gaining ground. And the conflict is becoming more dangerous by the day for our allies, and for us.

In other times, when other courageous people fought for their freedom against sworn enemies of the United States, American presidents — both Republicans and Democrats — have acted to help them prevail.

Sadly, for the lonely voices of dissent in Syria, and Iran, and elsewhere, who feel forgotten in their darkness, and sadly for us, as well, our president is not being true to our values.

For the sake of the cause of freedom, for the sake of people who are willing to give their lives so their fellow citizens can determine their own futures and for the sake of our nation — the nation founded on the idea that all people, everywhere, have the right to freedom and justice — we must return to our best traditions of American leadership, and support those who face down the brutal tyranny of their oppressors and our enemies.

Across the world, people are seizing control of their own destinies. They are liberating themselves from oppressive rulers. And they want America’s support.

They want America’s assistance as they struggle to live in peace and security, to expand opportunity for themselves and their children, to replace the injustices of despots with the institutions of democracy and freedom.

America must be on the right side of history.

The demand for our leadership in the world has never been greater. People don’t want less of America.

They want more.

Everywhere I go in the world, people tell me they still have faith in America.

What they want to know is whether we still have faith in ourselves.

I trust that Mitt Romney has that faith, and I trust him to lead us.

I trust him to affirm our nation’s exceptional character and responsibilities.

I trust him to know that our security and economic interests are inextricably tied to the progress of our values.

I trust him to know that if America doesn’t lead, our adversaries will, and the world will grow darker, poorer and much more dangerous.

I trust him to know that an American president always, always, always stands up for the rights, and freedoms, and justice of all people.

I trust Mitt Romney to know that good can triumph over evil, that justice can vanquish tyranny, that love can conquer hate, that the desire for freedom is eternal and universal, and that America is still the best hope of mankind.

And now, my fellow Americans: Let’s elect our next commander-in-chief, and the next leader of the free world, my friend, Governor Mitt Romney.

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Tampa, U.S.A. – As a proud American serving the nearly 4 million American citizens of Puerto Rico, I am honored to be with you tonight.

We gather to celebrate the hopes and dreams of every American. We all believe in the greatness of this nation, and this greatness lies within each of us.

Hard-working Americans are fighting every day to provide for themselves and their families, and to leave a more prosperous country for the next generation.

That’s true here in Florida, it’s true in Puerto Rico, and it’s true throughout this great land of ours.

But, as families have tightened their budgets, Washington continues its wasteful spending.

Unless we elect leaders who take responsibility now, our children and theirs will pay for it later.

You and I know there is a better way, and like many conservative governors around the country, we are proving it.

When I took office, I inherited a $3.3 billion budget deficit, per person the largest anywhere in the nation.

We couldn’t even meet our payroll. We were on the brink of bankruptcy.

But we did not shy away from our responsibility to lead.

We cut government expenses by almost 20 percent, starting with my own salary.

We reduced our deficit 90 percent, while continuing to invest in our schools, hospitals, and highways.

At the same time, we slashed taxes 50 percent on individuals and 30 percent on businesses, the largest tax cuts in Puerto Rico’s history.

And our private sector – the real economy – began to create jobs again.

Imagine if we had national policies that support rather than prevent growth! We’d then be able to truly unleash the engine of prosperity that our country and our people deserve.

That’s what Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will do for America. They understand that each community’s challenges are unique, but the answers are the same.

Our families cannot grow their budgets if politicians keep growing Washington’s budget.

Get government out of our way, and let freedom and the spirit of the American people shine through.

We can out-think, out-dream, out-work, and out-produce anybody in the world.

I know it, you know it, and Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan know it.

They have a plan and a vision that places our faith in you, the American people, not in Washington.

Ask any small-business owner in America today — from the dairy farmer in Appleton, Wisconsin, to the bodega owner in Kissimmee, Florida: they want to grow, to produce and to hire.

But they’re concerned, worried that Washington will continue to punish them with more taxes, more red tape, and more government control.

Give them the freedom to grow, and you’ll see how many jobs they create!

I like to talk a lot about freedom, because freedom is the essence of who we are as Americans.

Over 200,000 Puerto Ricans have served in uniform to defend our nation and the freedom we hold so dear.
Like in your home states, we raise and salute the American flag.

Just like our fellow citizens in Florida or Virginia, we share the same undying spirit that all Americans have.
Allow me to share an example of that spirit.

I visited a soldier from Puerto Rico at Walter Reed Army Medical Center several years ago.

This young man had bravely served in combat and was given little chance to live.

Without knowing if he could hear me, in every visit, I would whisper into his ear.

I would tell him how proud and thankful we were for his dedication and sacrifice, adding, no te rindas: don’t give up.

Months later, after his miraculous recovery, I had the honor of awarding him the Purple Heart.

He never gave up.

For him, and for every American in uniform, we will never give up.

For every mother who struggles, saves, and sacrifices so her children will have greater opportunities, we will never give up.

For every small-business owner who builds it to make a better life, we will never give up.

For Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, who know what it takes to put America back to work and back on track, we will never give up.

And for the values that make America great: the justice that is our right, the freedom to unleash the greatness within each of us, and the liberty that God endowed every American.

For that, I will never give up, you will never give up, we will never give up!

God Bless you, and God bless the United States of America!

And muchas gracias, thank you, Puerto Rico – I’ll be home tomorrow!

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Tampa, U.S.A. — Thank you. Thank you very much. Good evening everyone, and welcome to Barack Obama’s retirement party!

Four years ago, we came together for this convention back in my home state of Minnesota, and a lot’s happened since then.

We’ve had four years of Barack Obama in the White House.

Ah, the Obama White House, one bad decision follows another. Hard to say exactly just what his worst mistake has been. There’s so many to choose from: The stimulus. His energy policy. Obamacare. Taxes. Joe Biden.

I hear Joe’s particularly interested in tonight’s proceedings. He even thought about coming here toTampa. And he’s taking notes because when Paul Ryan speaks, Joe will finally get to hear what a real vice president sounds like!

But you know, President Obama isn’t as bad as people say, he’s actually worse.

The president takes more vacations than that guy on the Bizarre Foods show.

And I’ll give Barack Obama credit for creating jobs these last four years for golf caddies.

Actually, Barack Obama is the first president to create more excuses than jobs! In his view, it’s George’s fault. It’s the bank’s fault. It’s Europe’s fault. It’s the weather’s fault. It’s Congress’ fault. Mr. President, if you want to find fault, I suggest you look in the mirror!

I’ve come to realize that Barack Obama is the tattoo president. Like a big tattoo, it seemed cool when you were young.

But later on, that decision doesn’t look so good, and you wonder: what was I thinking?

But the worst part is you’re still going to have to explain it to your kids.

Next week, Barack Obama will plead with America to give his failed ideas another chance. He’s asking Americans to give him more time and more money.

Well sorry, Mr. President, but you’re out of time, and we’re out of money.

Barack Obama’s failed us. But look, it’s understandable. A lot of people fail at their first job.

Now, our opponents claim to be the party of the middle class. But Democrats don’t understand this fundamental point: it’s really hard for people to be part of the middle class if they don’t have a job!

I know a bit about these things. I grew up in a meatpacking town.

For much of his life, my dad was a truck driver. My mom was a homemaker. She died when I was 16, and my dad lost his job not long after that. And I was the only one of the five kids in our family who had a chance to go to college.

When I traveled the country these past few years, I met Americans from all different walks of life.

If you ask middle-class Americans about their hopes and dreams, they’ll share their heart, but also their concerns.

Can they pay the mortgage? Will they have enough money to buy groceries, or gas for the car? Will they be able to get their kids into college or pay the tuition?

But jobs don’t come from politicians. They come from entrepreneurs, inventors, innovators and risk-takers.

America’s entrepreneurs know taxes are too high, and regulations are too costly and complex. Obamacare frightens them. And they want more American energy.

And they’re collectively making one common plea. They’re saying: I want to grow my business and employ people, but they’re also saying this: Just get the government off my back!

We need to let them know help’s on the way, and help’s name is Mitt Romney.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have the best candidate. This isn’t his first job, or the first time he’s been a leader who has produced results.

He made a success of failing companies. He made a success of the Olympics. He even made government in Massachusetts more effective and efficient.

And now he’s ready to help get America back on track and Americans back to work. He has a plan to strengthen and grow America’s middle class with lower taxes; a government that works for the American people instead of dashing their hopes and dreams; lower energy prices; and greater access to a quality education for all.

There’s one other thing I want to leave you with tonight. It’s important for America to know that Mitt Romney is not only a great leader, he’s also a remarkable person. He’s smart, gracious and wise. And he has this infectious good cheer about him – something I appreciate and something America needs.

Mitt Romney never quits moving. When he sees a problem, he goes after it and finds the solution.

It’s that can-do spirit, combined with a lifetime of service and success that convinced me to support him. And it’s that can-do spirit that we need in the White House, leading America now.

As a former governor, I know that leadership takes optimism, but not blind optimism.

We need a leader who understands the depth of our challenges, but who also doesn’t shy away from them.

Mitt Romney knows what our problems are, and he has the tools, the experience, the energy and the right polices to fix them.

After four years of this president, we need Mitt Romney now, more than ever.

I’m proud to be supporting him for president of the United States, and I know you are too.

And with any luck, in a few months, Barack Obama will at last get some experience in the private sector.

Thank you. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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Tampa, U.S.A. — The following are remarks as prepared for delivery by the Hon. John Thune, U.S. Senator, South Dakota, at the 2012 Republican National Convention:

Good evening, fellow Republicans.

It’s no secret that I’m a sports fan. In fact, I get asked all the time if I’ve ever played basketball with President Obama. The answer is “no,” I’m still waiting for that invitation.

The next question is, “Do you think you could take him one-on-one?” I say, “I really don’t know, I’ve never seen him play.”

But I can tell you this. President Obama would be easy to defend, because you know he’s always going to go to his left.

Like many Americans, I’ve been blessed by the hard work and sacrifice of those who’ve come before.

Back in 1906, two Norwegian brothers named Nicolai and Matthew Gjelsvik came to this country in search of the American Dream. When they reached the shores of America, the only English words they knew were “apple pie” and “coffee,” which evidently they had plenty of on the trip over.

The immigration officials at Ellis Island determined that their name “Gjelsvik” – G-J-E-L-S-V-I-K – was too difficult to spell and pronounce, so they asked them to change it. The two brothers picked the name of the farm where they worked in Norway, which was called the Thune Farm. And so Nicolai Gjelsvik became Nick Thune, my grandfather.

With their new country and their new name, the two brothers began their new life by working on the railroad. They learned English and saved enough money to start a small hardware store.

And yes, Mr. President, they did build it!

My grandfather raised three sons. The middle son, my father, joined the Navy when World War II broke out.

He became a naval aviator, flying combat missions off the aircraft carrier Intrepid in the Pacific theatre. On one mission, he shot down four enemy aircraft, for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After the war, my dad quietly returned to South Dakota, his hardware store and his family.

Many versions of that story are told across this country. The details may be different – but the dream is the same.

I hate to say it, but that dream is in serious jeopardy. We have a sluggish economy, burdened by Obama administration policies that are weighing down our job creators. Middle-class Americans, in cities and on farms, are bearing the brunt.

The big-government bureaucrats of the Obama administration have set their sights on our way of life. Instead of preserving family farms and ranches, President Obama’s policies are effectively regulating them out of business.

His administration even proposed banning farm kids from doing basic chores!

Since President Obama took office, we’ve had 42 consecutive months of unemployment above 8 percent – the longest streak on record.

The cost of family health insurance premiums has risen by nearly 19 percent, college tuition has increased by 25 percent and fuel costs have doubled.

The number of people on food stamps has increased by 45 percent, and the debt we’re piling on the backs of our children and grandchildren has gone up by 50 percent. Yet for all President Obama’s talk about the middle class, middle-class incomes are down.

Folks, we won’t be in this situation with Mitt Romney in the White House. He understands what it takes for businesses large and small to thrive.

This knowledge doesn’t come from a textbook (although he’s read plenty of those). It comes from decades of rolling up his sleeves and getting the job done.

It comes from recognizing the strengths and contributions of every individual. His experience tells him that the most valuable insight can be gained – not by lecturing – but by listening.

And when he does use his presidential bully pulpit, it will be to champion the cause of small business and make it clear to all companies that it is safe to hire again.

On Day One of Mitt Romney’s presidency, the transformation of Washington will begin. Gone will be the arrogance of a president whose first instinct is to condemn achievement.

Gone will be the attitude that government knows best and solves all.

What you will see and hear is a president who will do everything in his power to make sure government is a catalyst for growth, not an obstacle to success. And, a president with a plan to strengthen the middle class.

May it never be said of us that when confronted with the economic peril before us, we averted our eyes, turned away and did nothing.

Our children’s future depends on our willingness to act and our decision to elect Mitt Romneypresident of the United States.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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Tampa, U.S.A. — I was so very honored to be asked to address one of this week’s themes, “We can do better.”

Then, I heard some folks backstage say that after hearing me speak, the delegates will say, “We sure can do better than Huckabee” and will nominate Mitt Romney to be the next President of the United States.

Tampa has been such a wonderful and hospitable city to us. The only hitch in an otherwise perfect week was the awful noise coming from the hotel room next door to mine. Turns out it was justDebbie Wasserman
Schultz practicing her speech for the DNC in Charlotte next week. Bless her heart.

Four years ago, Mitt Romney and I were opponents. We still are, but we’re not opposing each other.

We are mutual opponents of the miserably failed experiments that have put this country in a downward spiral.

Our country was in its origin an experiment, but an experiment in recognizing God-given individual liberty and creating a government in which no one is deemed better than another and all of us are equal.

Not equal in abilities, but in intrinsic worth and value. It is the essence of not just who we are, but what we are.

To those who question how once rivals can now be united, it’s simple – we have Barack Obama to thank.

He said, “You didn’t build it.”

Translation: “It doesn’t rightly belong to you!”

No small differences among us in our party approximate the vast differences between the liberty-limiting, radical left-wing, anti-business, reckless-spending, tax-hiking party of Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi, versus an energized America who knows that we can do better.

For four years, we’ve given a chance to a man with very limited experience in governing, no experience in business whatsoever, and since taking office, mostly an interest in campaigning, blaming, and aiming excuses at his predecessor, the Republicans, and people in business, or as Republicans like to call them, employers.

We’ve stagnated into an economy that has taken all that hope “down the slope” and left millions without jobs, forced out of their homes by foreclosure, and herded into dependency upon a government that promises us candy and gives us cavities.

Barack Obama seems intent on enrolling more people on food stamps. Mitt Romney’s focus will be on generating more jobs that would make food stamps unnecessary for them.

We know full well that we can do better.

Mitt Romney turned around companies that were on the skids; turned around a scandal ridden Olympics that was deep in the red into a high point of profitable and patriotic pride; and turned around a very liberal state by erasing a deficit and replacing it with a surplus.

Barack Obama said if he couldn’t turn things around in three years, it would be a one-term proposition. It’s been almost four … let’s make him a proposition he can’t refuse.
Let’s vote him out!

The job of President is admittedly tougher than running a company, Olympic contest, or a commonwealth, but when one sees what even Bill Clinton noted was a sterling record of problem-solving that has marked the life of Mitt Romney, we are confident we WILL do better.

Mitt has been loyal to his wife, his sons, his country, his employees, and his church.

I’m sure the press will tell you he isn’t perfect.

But for the past four years, we’ve tried the one the press thought was perfect, and that hasn’t worked out so well for us.

We can do better!

The Founding Fathers of our great nation left taxation and tyranny seeking religious liberty and a society of meritocracy rather than aristocracy. They created a bold experiment in government, believing God gave us unalienable rights, and government’s role is simply to make sure they are protected.

So fearful were they that government would grow beyond their intention that even after crafting our magnificent Constitution, they said, “We can do even better.” They added amendments that we call the Bill of Rights that limit what the government can do and guarantee what “We the people” have the unimpeded right to do – whether to speak, assemble, worship, pray, publish, or even refuse intrusions into our homes.

Many of them died to pass on that heritage. They had lived under the boot of big government and said, “We can do better.”

As a kid growing up in a household with a dad who never finished high school and a family in which no male upstream from me had ever finished high school, much less gone to college, I was taught that there was nothing I could do about what was behind me, but could change everything about what was in front of me.

My working-poor parents told me I could do better. They taught me that I was as good as anyone else. It never occurred to them to tell me that I could rest comfortably and wait for Uncle Sugar to feed me, lead me, and then bleed me.

They told me to get off my backside, work hard, take risks, and treat people honestly and honorably. And look what’s happened – I have become as the press label me, “a failed candidate.”

It’s true; I have fallen from the high perch of politics and now wallow in the mud of the media, but I still know that as a country, we can do better, and with Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, we will.

Let me clear the air about whether guys like me would only support an evangelical. Of the four people on the two tickets, the only self-professed evangelical is Barack Obama, and he supports changing the definition of marriage, believes that human life is disposable and expendable at any time in the womb or even beyond the womb, and tells people of faith that they must bow their knees to the god of government and violate their faith and conscience in order to comply with what he calls health care.

Friends, I know we can do better!

The attack on my Catholic brothers and sisters is an attack on me. The Democrats have brought back the old dance the “Limbo” to see how low they can go in attempting to limit our ability to practice our faith.

This isn’t a battle about contraceptives and Catholics, but of conscience and the Creator.

I care far less as to where Mitt Romney takes his family to church than I do about where he takes this country. Joe Biden said, “Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” Well, in the Senate, Joe’s party hasn’t produced a budget in three years.

What does that say about their values?

Speaking of budgets, Joe Biden’s budget shows that while he wants to be generous with your money through higher taxes and government spending, for years he gave less than two-tenths of 1 percent of his money to charity.

He just wants you to give the government more so he and the Democrats can feel better about themselves. Mitt Romney has given over 16% of his income to his church and charity, and I’d feel better about having a leader who gives more of his own money instead of mine.

My concern is not Barack Obama’s past; my concern is for the future – not his future, but the future of my grandchildren.

And under this President, we burdened each of them with tens of thousands of dollars of debt, and a system that will collapse upon itself because he thinks we can prosper by punishing productivity and rewarding reckless irresponsibility.

The Democrats say we ought to give Barack Obama credit for trying. That sounds like the nonsense of giving every kid a trophy for showing up.

Friends, we’re talking about leading the country, not playing on a third-grade soccer team!

I realize this is the man who got a Nobel Peace Prize for what he would potentially do, but in the real world, you get the prize for producing something, not just promising it.

Sometimes, we’re so close to the picture, we can’t really see it clearly. I’ve worked with Bono for the past few years in the ONE campaign to fight AIDS and hunger and disease around the world.

He’s an Irishman and a great humanitarian who told me of his admiration for America. He said we’re more than a country; we’re an idea.

He reminded me that we are an exceptional nation with an extraordinary history who owes it to the generations coming after us to leave them an extraordinary legacy.

If we don’t change the direction of our nation now, our bequest will be nothing but an extraordinary shame.
But we can do better.

President Obama is out of gas; Americans are out of patience, and our great Republic is almost out of time. It’s time we no longer lead from behind, but get off our behinds and leave something lasting for those who come after us instead of a mountain of debt and a pile of excuses.

Tonight, it’s not because we’re Republicans; it’s because we’re Americans that we proudly stand withMitt Romney and Paul Ryan to say we will do better!

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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Tampa, U.S.A. — The following are remarks as prepared for delivery by the Hon. Susana Martinez, Governor of New Mexico, at the 2012 Republican National Convention:

Thank you and good evening.

On behalf of the great state of New Mexico, let me express my gratitude for being invited to speak tonight.

Growing up, I never imagined a girl from a border town could one day become a governor.

But this is America

Y, en America todo es posible.

My parents taught me to never give up and to always believe that my future could be whatever I dreamt it to be.

Success, they taught me, is built on the foundation of courage, hard-work and individual responsibility.

Despite what some would have us believe, success is not built on resentment and fears.
We grew up on the border and truly lived paycheck to paycheck.  My dad was a golden gloves boxer in the Marine Corps, then a deputy sheriff. My mom worked as an office assistant.

One day, they decided to start a security guard business. I thought they were absolutely crazy—we literally had no savings, but they always believed in the American Dream.

So, my dad worked to grow the business.

My mom did the books at night.  And at 18, I guarded the parking lot at the Catholic Church bingos.

Now, my dad made sure I could take care of myself.

I carried a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum — that gun weighed more than I did!

My parents grew that small business—from one 18-year-old guarding a bingo—to more than 125 people in three states.

And sure, there was help along the way.  But my parents took the risk. They stood up.  And you better believe that they built it.

My parents also taught me about having the courage to stand for something.  So, I went to law school and became a prosecutor.

I took on a specialty that very few choose to pursue – I prosecuted child abuse and child homicide cases.  Cases that were truly gut-wrenching.

But standing up for those kids, being their voice for justice, was the honor of a lifetime.

Sometimes you pay a price for standing up.

When I was a young prosecutor, I got called to testify against my boss. I could have backed down, but I didn’t. I stood up to him.  And he fired me for it.

So I took him on, ran against him for district attorney and beat him by a landslide!

I fear some of our leaders today have lost the courage to stand up.

What we have now are politicians.  They won’t offer real plans, and only stand up when they want to blame someone else.

And I don’t say that just because a Democrat is in the White House.  I was a Democrat for many years.  So were my parents.

Before I ran for District Attorney, two Republicans invited my husband and me to lunch.  And I knew a party-switch was exactly what they wanted.

So, I told Chuck, we’ll be polite, enjoy a free lunch and then say goodbye.

But we talked about issues—they never used the words Republican, or Democrat, conservative or liberal.

We talked about many issues, like welfare – is it a way of life, or a hand-up?

Talked about the size of government — how much should it tax families and small businesses?

And when we left that lunch, we got in the car and I looked over at Chuck and said, “I’ll be damned, we’re Republicans.”

This election should not be about political parties.  Too many Americans are out of work, and our debt is out of control.  This election needs to be about those issues.
And it is the responsibility of both parties to offer up real solutions and have an honest debate.

In New Mexico, I inherited the largest structural deficit in state history.

And our legislature is controlled by Democrats.

We don’t always agree.

But we came together – in a bi-partisan manner—and turned that deficit into a surplus, all without raising taxes.

That’s not the kind of leadership we are seeing from President Obama.

He promised to bring us all together, to cut unemployment, to pass immigration reform in his first year and even promised to cut the deficit in half in his first term.

Do you remember that?

But he hasn’t come close.

They haven’t even passed a budget in Washington, DC in three years!

If he can take credit for government building small businesses, then he can accept responsibility for breaking his promise and adding 5 trillion dollars to the national debt.

Because he did build that.

As the first Hispanic female governor in history, little girls often come up to me in the grocery store or the mall.  They look and point, and when they get the courage, they ask “Are you Susana?” and they run up and give me a hug.

And I wonder.  How do you know who I am?

But they do. And these are little girls.

It’s in moments like these when I’m reminded that we each pave a path.   And for me, it’s about paving a path for those little girls to follow.

No more barriers.

In many ways Mitt Romney and I are very different. Different starts in life. Different paths to leadership. Different cultures.

But we’ve each shared in the promise of America, and we share a core belief that the promise of America must be kept for the next generation.

El sueno Americanos es tener exito.

It’s success.

Success is the American Dream.

And that success is not something to be ashamed of, or to demonize.

There is one candidate in this election who will protect that dream, one leader who will fight hard to keep the promise of America for the next generation.

And that’s why we must stand up and make Mitt Romney the next president of the United States.

Thank you!

Image Courtesy of  Robotclaw666

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Tampa, U.S.A. — The Republican National Convention unveiled the ad “This Is Mia Love,” before she spoke at tonight’s proceedings. Currently serving as the mayor of Saratoga Springs, Love is running for Utah’s Fourth Congressional District. If elected, Love would be the first black, female Republican elected to Congress ever.

Mayor Mia Love: The first day of college my father came with me to orientation and I remember he looked at me. He looked at me very seriously and he said, “Mia, your mother and I have done everything to get you to where you are right now.” We have never taken a hand out, we have worked hard for everything we have through personal responsibility. You will not be a burden to society. You will give back.

My favorite part of running for congress, hands down: talking to people and meeting with people. I love Utah. I mean look at how beautiful this is. We live in the greatest place in the world.

My heroes are my parents, my husband, and my children. They understand that they’ve got dreams and all they want to do is fulfill those dreams.
Washington needs a little bit more of that.

Jason Love: If I were to start listing the things that she’s involved in: Her role as mayor, her participation in service in our local church, she teaches fitness classes, she makes our home a wonderful place and helps me as a partner to raise our children, she’s very talented, her mind works very quickly.

Mayor Mia Love: We’re going to do one hill. The good news is? You’ll be happy when it’s done!

I am passionate about running, I am passionate about having a healthy life. It’s not about being thin it’s you are in life. It’s about how strong you are and how much endurance you have. Because difficult things are not easy, but they’re worth it.

If I could describe freedom in one word, it would be agency: the ability to make a decision and reap the benefits of those decisions or suffer the consequences.

If I could go to Washington tomorrow and change one thing, it would be to restore the power of the decision making back to the people.
It is not government’s responsibility to save our country. It’s up to us to save our country.

What makes America great is this idea that we are free, free to work, free to live, free to choose, and free to fail, because our failures make us better.

I have to say I have no regrets being where I am, and I love my life.

I’m Mia Love and I’m running for Congress.

Image Courtesy of  PBS News Hour

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Good evening. I have the honor of standing before you this evening for one reason, because thousands upon thousands of grassroots activists stood united, not for a candidate, but for the sake of restoring liberty. Accountability, quite rightly, rests firmly in the hands of “We the People.”

Since 2010, something extraordinary has been happening, something that has dumbfounded the chattering class.

It began here in Florida in 2010. In Utah, Kentucky, Pennsylvania.

Was repeated this summer in Indiana. Nebraska. Wisconsin.

And this past month, in the Lone Star State, Texas.

What is happening all across America is a Great Awakening.

A response to career politicians in both parties who’ve gotten us into this mess.

This national movement is fueled by what unites us: a love of liberty, a belief in the unlimited potential of free men and women.

I want to tell you a love story. It’s the story of all of us, a love story of freedom.

It’s the story of our Founding Fathers, who fought and bled for freedom and then crafted the most miraculous political document ever conceived, our Constitution. The Framers understood that our rights come, not from monarchs, but from God—and that those rights are secure only when government power is restrained.

This love story is the story of the brave Texans in the City of Gonzales. When General Santa Annademanded that they give up their guns and the cannon that guarded the city, they responded with the immortal cry “Come and take it.”

It’s the story of the greatest generation of Americans, who rose up to confront the grotesque evil that was the Nazis, and ushered in the greatest era of peace and prosperity the world has ever seen.

It’s the story of civil-rights heroes, like Dr. Martin Luther King, who stood strong against the scourge of discrimination, and bravely championed that every man and woman should be judged, not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character.

It’s the story of President Ronald Reagan, who turned back the creeping growth of government and restored Morning in America. Who spoke out against the oppressive evil of communism and demanded “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

It’s the story of my Mom. Irish and Italian, working class, the first in her family to go to college – a pioneering mathematician and computer programmer in the 1950s.

It’s the story of my Dad, who was imprisoned and tortured in Cuba, beaten nearly to death. He fled toTexas in 1957, not speaking English, with $100 sewn into his underwear. He washed dishes making50 cents an hour to pay his way through the University of Texas, and to start a small business in the oil and gas industry.

My father is here tonight. When he came to America, él no tenía nada, pero tenía corazón. He had nothing, but he had heart. A heart for freedom. Thank you, Dad.

It’s the story of each and every one of you. We are all sons and daughters of those who risked everything for freedom, and we have the duty to pass that same opportunity to the generations to follow.

And yet today, many in Washington seem content to saddle our children with a financial debt larger than our nation has ever seen.

Government is out of control, and we’re going broke.

But I’m here with a word of encouragement. Millions of Americans are standing up, saying we want our country back. Republicans, Democrats, and independents. We will not follow the path of Greece; we will not go quietly into the night.

This election presents a stark choice. Two visions: we can continue down the road of the Obama Democrats, towards more and more spending, debt and government control of the economy and our lives. Or we can return to the founding principles of our nation—free markets, fiscal responsibility, and individual liberty.

Unfortunately, President Obama’s campaign is going to try to divide America. They’re going to try to separate us into little groups, and try to scare everybody. They’re going to tell seniors that Medicare will be taken away, tell Hispanics that we’re not welcome here and send the Vice President to preach a message of division.

It’s sad, how far we’ve come from hope and change.

All of this is designed to distract from the real issues that matter. Twenty-three million Americans struggling for work. Sixteen trillion dollars in national debt. Government takeovers of healthcare, of financial services and many aspects of our economy.

Imagine, for a moment, if someone surreptitiously charged hundreds of thousands of dollars on your credit cards, saddling your kids with debts they could never escape.

That’s exactly the impact of this administration’s misguided policies. Heidi and I are blessed with two little girls, Caroline and Catherine, 4 and 1. When Caroline was born, our national debt was $10 trillion. Today, as the debt clock shows, it’s $16 trillion, larger than our gross domestic product.

How do we turn things around? How do we get America back to work? President Obama thinks the answer is more and more government.

Government is not the answer. You are not doing anyone a favor by creating dependency, destroying individual responsibility.

Fifty-five years ago, when my dad was a penniless teenage immigrant, thank God some well-meaning bureaucrat didn’t put his arm around him and say let me take care of you. Let me give you a government check and make you dependent on government. And by the way, don’t bother learning English. That would have been the most destructive thing anyone could have done.

Instead, my parents worked together to start a small business, to provide for their family and to chart their own future. That’s the American dream, and Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan understand that.

Under President Obama, 23 million Americans are struggling for work. Hispanic unemployment has risen to over 10 percent; African-American unemployment is over 14 percent. This is tragic.

And here I want to say something especially to the Democrats who are listening tonight. You can send a wake-up message to your party—the party that was once proud to be the party of working people. Obama’s policies have failed.

Jobs don’t come from government; they come from entrepreneurs and small businesses. Two thirds of all new jobs come from small business, and 2.3 million Hispanics own small businesses and yet this Administration has imposed higher taxes and crushing regulations on small businesses across our nation.

To restore America, to get Americans back to work, we must rein in the leviathan. We must stop spending money we don’t have and turn around our crushing debt.

Each of you comprises the fabric of our nation. Together, we must revive our many-century love story with liberty and restore that shining City on a Hill that is America.

I’d like to close with asking you a few questions, with apologies to Barack Obama.

Can we restore the Constitution?

Yes we can.

Can we retake the U.S. Senate?

Can we repeal ObamaCare?

And can we defeat President Barack Obama?

That, my friends, is change we can believe in.

Thank you, and God bless America.

Image Courtesy of  PBS News Hour

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Live free or Die! That’s the motto of the great state of New Hampshire. But I believe tonight we all share that view – as have generations of Americans before us.

Like most Americans – our family’s life changed after 9/11.

My husband Joe – who was on track to be a commercial pilot – instead served our great country flying combat missions in Iraq.

When he returned home from the war – he found himself in the same position as so many Americans – he needed a job.

So he started a family business – a landscaping and snowplowing company.

And when I say he – I mean we – because I spent many a sleepless night shoveling snow. And I’m proud of the fact that in addition to being a United States Senator – I’m also pretty good with a snow plow!

We are no different from most families who take risks starting their own business.

We borrowed money to pursue our dreams. And believe me, there was no guarantee of success. We certainly were not too big to fail – we had to make it work.

Yet through all the hard work and sacrifice – we pulled together as a family. As the business grew so did our extended family.

And I speak to you tonight with great concern – for our employees – their families – my family – and your family.

My concern is that President Obama is making it very difficult for small businesses to get started – to create jobs – and to survive.

I hear this all the time from the small business owners I speak with.

They want to focus on their business. The Obama Administration wants to bury them with rules, regulations and red tape.

From the National Labor Relations Board – to the Department of Labor – to the EPA.

Under this Administration, the regulations are up – and the job creation is down.

President Obama’s view is clear: he actually believes that as a family business grows – the federal government should take a larger share of its earnings.

That’s punishment for expanding and creating more jobs.

I call it a “success tax.”

And the very best example is Obamacare.

Let me tell you what I hear in the real world about Obamacare.

Just a couple of months ago – a successful restaurant owner in Concord, New Hampshire, told me about his dilemma. He wanted to open up a second restaurant – and hire more employees.

But he realized that if he did – he would trigger penalties under Obamacare and he couldn’t afford it. So he never opened up that restaurant.

Is that what we want for small businesses in America – to be afraid to grow because of the government?

To face penalties when you create more jobs?

To be told “you’re earning too much”?

Isn’t it time we had a leader who believes that creating jobs ought to be celebrated not penalized?

That is why Mitt Romney is running for president.

He’ll get the federal government out of the business of small business.

He’ll fight to lower and simplify taxes.

He’ll work to eliminate job-killing red tape.

And he will roll back Obamacare starting on Day One!

In both the private sector and as Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney always asked: how can I help small businesses grow, innovate, and compete?

It’s the right question. And it’s the question that this Administration never thinks to ask.

But why should we be surprised? President Obama has never even run a lemonade stand – and it shows.

So what we need to do is clear.

For the sake of the future of small business – we need to replace Barack Obama.

We need to replace Barack Obama with Mitt Romney. A man who truly gets it.

Mitt understands the hopes and dreams of small business owners throughout our great country.

But don’t just take my word for it. I want you to hear directly from someone on the front lines of small business.

Jack Gilchrist is a small business owner from Hudson, New Hampshire.

Three generations of his family have used their own hands to build Gilchrist Metal Fabricating. It’s a true family business – founded over 30 years ago by Jack’s father – and carried on by Jack and his son.

Jack Gilchrist is the face of small business in America, and yes he did build it. Please join me in welcoming my friend Jack Gilchrist.

Image Courtesy of  PBS News Hour

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We begin tonight with a fundamental question: Can we do better?

The answer, in my view, is obvious: You bet we can.

The American people are still asking “where are the jobs,” but President Obama only offers excuses instead of answers. His record is a shadow of his rhetoric. Yet he has the nerve to say that he’s moving us forward, and the audacity to hope that we’ll believe him.

Allow me to illustrate.

I’m what you’d call a regular guy with a big job. I’ve got 11 brothers and sisters. My dad and my uncles owned a bar outside of Cincinnati. I worked there growing up, mopping floors, waiting tables.

Believe me when I say I learned how to deal with every character who walked in the door.

So let’s say right now, a guy walked into our bar – full of guys looking for work, having a tough go of it – and said, “THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS DOING FINE.”

Well, do you know what we’d do?

That’s right: We’d throw him out.

If a guy walked into our bar – full of people paying more for health care, more for gas, more for everything – and said, “WE’RE BETTER OFF THAN WE WOULD HAVE BEEN.”

Do you know what we’d do? Throw him out.

If a guy walked into our bar – full of folks who couldn’t tell you the last time they got a raise or their house was above water – and said, “WE TRIED OUR ECONOMIC PLAN – AND IT WORKED.”

Do you know what we’d do? Throw him out.

Now let’s say a guy walked into our bar and before he could say anything he overheard a regular telling his story. Turns out this man runs a small business. Got involved with it while he was still working his way through school. Then, out of nowhere, his business partner died. They had just one customer at the time. So he fought like hell, through sleepless nights and close calls. They made it, thank God, paid their dues, proud of what they managed to do.

Now if a guy walked into our bar, heard all that, and said, “IF YOU’VE GOT A BUSINESS, YOU DIDN’T BUILD THAT.”

You know what we’d do. Throw him out.

By the way, that small business guy at the bar: That was my story. That was our business. We didbuild that.

It could just as easily have been the story of anyone who’s built something from nothing. No guarantees. No government there to hold your hand. Just a dream and the desire to do better. President Obama just doesn’t get this. He can’t fix the economy because he doesn’t know how it was built.

So in 70 days when the American people walk into the voting booth, what should we do? Throw him out.

Because we can do better. We can do a lot better. It starts with throwing out the politician who doesn’t get it, and electing a new president who does.

Mitt Romney comes from a family of builders. His father built houses, built businesses, built industry.George Romney was a can-do kind of guy. He was fond of the old saying that when things are at their worst, “that’s just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

Delegates, this is that time and this is that place. We’re here to preserve this country the same way we built it: by exercising our God-given right to set a new course.

Who better to turn this tide than a man who has dedicated his career to doing just that – for states, for businesses, for the Olympic Games.

President Romney – boy, I like the sound of that – President Romney will keep his word and his courage, too. He’ll keep faith with the idea that government exists to serve the people, and the people build the economy.

Mitt’s jobs plan will build a stronger middle class through energy independence; schools where our kids – not the teachers unions – come first; free trade, the path to a balanced budget; and an end to the uncertainty – and the tax hikes – that threaten small businesses.

It’s a big job, so we’re fortunate that Mitt has chosen as his running mate a leader who is second to none when it comes to rooting out and fixing Washington’s worst habits.

When I met Paul Ryan 22 years ago, he was a student at Miami of Ohio volunteering on my campaign. Soon, he will be our party’s nominee for vice president of the United States. Who says this isn’t the greatest country on Earth?

They call this “America’s comeback team.” Well, any good comeback needs some true believers.

So if you believe we can do better, if you want to leave our children a stronger, more prosperous America, then Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan need your help. Because we can turn this tide, but only if all of us are all in, all the way to the 6th of November.

It starts here with a convention that will lead to victory for our party – and more importantly, victory for our people and the great cause of freedom.

Image Courtesy of  PBS News Hour

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Some of you may know, the last time I spoke at a convention, it turned out I was in the wrong place.

So, Tampa, my fellow Republicans, thank you for welcoming me where I belong.

We have a country to turn around. This week you will nominate the most experienced executive to seek the presidency in 60 years in Mitt Romney.

He has no illusions about what makes America great, and he doesn’t confuse the presidency with celebrity, or loftiness with leadership.

What a difference four years makes.

The Democrats’ ads convince me that Governor Romney can’t sing, but his record convinces me he knows how to lead, and I think you know which skill we need more.

Now, America is a land of second chances, and I gather you have room for the estimated 6 million of us who know we got it wrong in 2008 and who want to fix it.

Maybe we should have known that night in Denver that things that begin with plywood Greek columns and artificial smoke typically don’t end well.

Maybe the Hollywood stars and the glamour blinded us a little: you thought it was the glare, some of us thought it was a halo.

But in all seriousness, do you know why so many of us believed? We led with our hearts and our dreams that we could be more inclusive than America had ever been, and no candidate had ever spoken so beautifully.

But dreams meet daybreak: the jobless know what I mean, so do the families who wonder how this Administration could wreck a recovery for three years and counting.

So many of those high-flown words have faded.

Remember the President saying of negative politics and untrue ads, “not this time?”

Who knew “not this time” just meant “not unless the economy is still stuck and we can’t run on our record?”

Remember, too, when he said, “this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal?”

Who knew the plain English version of it was, “middle America, get ready to shell out 60 bucks to fill up your car?”

And in terms of their crown jewel legislative achievement: who knew that when asked, “will government impose a new federal mandate requiring middle class Americans to buy health insurance whether they can afford it or not?”

The answer would be “Yes we can!”

So, 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.

This time, instead of moving oceans and healing planets, let’s get our bills in order and pay down the debt so we control our own future.

And of course, we know that opportunity lies outside the reach of some of our people.

We don’t need flowery words about inequality to tell us that, and we don’t need a party that has led while poverty and hunger rose to record levels to give us lectures about suffering.

Ladies and gentlemen, there are Americans who are listening to this speech tonight who haven’t always been with you, and I want you to let me talk — just to them – for a moment.

I know how loaded up our politics is with anger and animosity, but I have to believe we can still make a case over the raised voices.

There are Americans who voted for the president, but who are searching right now, because they know that their votes didn’t build the country they wanted.

To those Democrats and independents whose minds are open to argument: listen closely to the Democratic Party that will gather in Charlotte and ask yourself if you ever hear your voice in the clamor.

Ask yourself if these Democrats still speak for you.

When they say we have a duty to grow government even when we can’t afford it, does it sound like compassion to you — or recklessness?

When you hear the party that glorified Occupy Wall Street blast success; when you hear them minimize the genius of the men and women who make jobs out of nothing, is that what you teach your children about work?

When they tell you America is this unequal place where the powerful trample on the powerless, does that sound like the country your children or your spouse risked their lives for in Iraq or Afghanistan?

Do you even recognize the America they are talking about?  And what can we say about a house that doesn’t honor the pictures on its walls?

John F. Kennedy asked us what we could do for America.  This Democratic Party asks what can government give you.  Don’t worry about paying the bill, it’s on your kids and grandkids.

Bill Clinton took on his base and made welfare a thing you had to work for; this current crowd guts the welfare work requirement in the dead of night.

Bill Clinton, Jack Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson reached out across the aisle and said meet me in the middle; but their party rammed through a healthcare bill that took over one-sixth of our economy, without accepting a single Republican idea, without winning a single vote in either house from a party whose constituents make up about 50 percent of the country.

You know, the Democrats used to have a night when they presented a film of their presidential legends: if they do it in Charlotte, the theme song should be this year’s hit, “Somebody That I Used to Know.”

My fellow Americans, when great athletes falter, their coaches sometimes whisper to them “remember who you are.” It’s a call to their greatness at a moment when their bodies and spirit are too sapped to remember their strength.

This sweet, blessed, God-inspired place called America is a champion that has absorbed some blows.

But while we bend, we don’t break.

This is no dark hour; this is the dawn before we remember who we are.

May it be said of this time in our history: 2008 to 2011: lesson learned.

2012: mistake corrected.

God bless you, God bless America. Thank you

Image Courtesy of  PBS News Hour

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On June 5, voters in Wisconsin were asked to choose between going backwards to the days of double-digit tax increases, billion dollar budget deficits and record job losses.

OR moving forward with reforms that lowered the tax burden, balanced the budget and helped small businesses create more jobs.

On June 5th, voters in my swing state were asked to decide if they wanted elected officials who measure success by how many people are dependent on the government.

OR if they wanted leaders who believe success is measured by how many people are not dependent on the government, because they control their own destiny in the private sector.

On June 5th, voters in Wisconsin got to determine who was in charge – was it the big government special interests in Washington… or the hard-working tax payers of our state.

The good news is that – on June 5th – the hard-working taxpayers won.

Just ask Sandy Breth why that’s important.

When the economy took a dive a few years ago, she took a pay cut. Not long after that, she lost her job. Today, however, she’s working at G3 Industries in Mosinee, Wisconsin. In fact, she just received a promotion.

G3 is one of those companies that added jobs during the past year, and now has plans to add even more. The owner told me that he’s creating additional jobs in Wisconsin because he likes the way we are moving our state forward – and he’s even more committed since the election.

Without our positive changes, he told me he would not have had the confidence to grow his business in Wisconsin.

Improving the business climate is not only good for small business owners; it’s good for people like Sandy and her family.

We need more stories like hers in America because the past couple of years have been well, pretty tough.

Like many places across the country, Wisconsin lost more than 100,000 jobs from 2008 to 2010. Unemployment during that time topped out at over 9%.

But because of our reforms, Wisconsin has added thousands of new jobs and our unemployment rate is down from when I first took office.

Equally as important, we improved the economic climate for job creators.

Today, 94% of our employers believe Wisconsin is headed in the right direction. That compares to just 10% who thought the same thing two years ago.

Elections have consequences!

As was the case in Wisconsin two years ago, too many Americans think our country is headed in the wrong direction.

But Mitt Romney understands, like I understand, that people – not governments – create jobs.

With that in mind, my Administration is making it easier for people to create jobs in Wisconsin.

Our reforms put the hard working taxpayers back in charge – people like Sandy Breth.

Sadly, the federal government seems to be going in the opposite direction.

Nationally, we’ve experienced 42 consecutive months of unemployment above 8%. Last month, 44 of the 50 states saw an increase in the unemployment rate. And more than 12 million of our fellow citizens are unemployed.

We need someone to turn things around in America.

That leader is Governor Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney turned businesses around in the private sector. He saved the Winter Olympics.

And he balanced state budgets without raising taxes, and in a way that helped the private sector create more jobs.

Then, with the announcement of Paul Ryan as his running mate, Governor Romney not only showed that he has the experience and the skill needed to become president, he showed he has the courage and the passion to be an exceptional president.

With this pick he showed us that the “R” next to his name doesn’t just stand for Republican, it stands for Reformer.

Now, more than ever, we need reformers: leaders who think more about the next generation than just the next election.

That’s what you get from Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

In a few weeks, we will celebrate the 225th anniversary of our federal Constitution. Moments like that remind us that what makes America so great, what makes us exceptional, is that throughout our history, in moments of crisis, be they economic or fiscal, military or spiritual.

What makes America amazing is that there have always been men and women of courage who were willing to think more about the future of their children and grandchildren than they did about their own political careers.

Let this be one of those moments. Let this be our time in history so that someday we can tell our children and grandchildren that we were there, that we changed the course of history for the better.

Let us tell them that we helped elect Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to save America.

Thank you.

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The Republican convention has started and with it, the political attacks on the Democratic counter part, President Obama, and his economic policies.

The Republicans are very optimistic. This Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Forum was full of people who truly believe that getting Obama out of the White House is possible.

The Texas delegates were some of the most cheerful; they all wore the same cloth with the colors and symbol of their state and in cowboy hats. We should not forget that Texas is one of the states were the Republican Party is strong and is the native state of the former President George W. Bush.

The Republican National Committee Chairman, Reince Priebus, was the one that started the activities this Tuesday. He first reminded the crowd that under President Obama’s leadership there have been almost 23 million people who struggle to get a job.

Reince Priebus also said that he is convinced that the greatness of the United States comes from its people, not from the Federal Government, which he said was what President Obama believes. Priebus also accused Obama of having no experience managing a business.

Priebus also made reference to the two national debt clocks installed in the Tampa Bay Forum, one showing the total U.S. national debt and the other showing how much the national debt has increased since the convention started. Priebus reminded the crowd that the national debt is almost $16 trillion dollars and that since Obama took office, it has increased $5 trillions; Priebus criticized Obama’s administration for unnecessary spending.

The Wisconsin congressman, Sean Duffy, also criticized President Obama saying that young people are not able to live the American dream because of Obama’s failed economic policies. Duffy said that this has been the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression; he also said America needs to vote for Ryan and Romney to get fiscal responsibility in Washington.

Most of the speakers this Tuesday criticized the government unnecessary spending and also accused the Federal Government for intervening in areas were it shouldn’t — like in religious freedom, by forcing religious sponsored institutions like schools or hospitals to cover contraception methods in their employees insurances.

Congressman Tim Griffin, second district of Arkansas, also accused Obama for setting a new unemployment record; Fisher also said that under the Obama administration the government has taken $716 billion from Medicare to Pay for Obamacare. Congressman Fisher also said that Obama has opposed to the construction of the Keystone Pipeline, which, according to him, would be very beneficial to the country and would help to achieve energy independence of the United States.

Griffin also said that Obama has no idea on how to solve America’s problems and with Joe Biden as his navigator, things would not get better. Tim Griffin reminded the crowd that under a Romney administration things could be better.

Senate candidate for Nebraska, Deb Fisher, also had something to say to President Barack Obama. At the beginning of the speech she explained that she decided to enter politics because of the record spending, record debt and record unemployment the country is facing. She invited Obama to look to Nebraska, which has an unemployment rate of 4%, which was achieved by cutting spending and balancing the budget, and also letting the private sector do what it does best, which is growing the economy.

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The big gun of Republican party, Chris Christie, may have been scheduled for 10:30 the first night of the convention, but that did not stop the day’s first speakers from starting the fire fight early. Congressional candidates from across the country took to the stage and laid down the foundation for this season’s election campaign.

Each speaker incorporated the basic tenets of the conservative movement; smaller government, low taxes, and protection of life, all consistent themes in the conservative movement. Nothing new there. The real shots were measured in words about the results President Obama has gotten in the last three years. Congressional candidate John Archer of Iowa summed up the theme best,

“We’ve had three years of hope and change. Where has it gotten us?”

The strategy is clear, hammer away at the economic results the President has in his first term. President Obama’s record was target rich environment that each speaker took advantage to full effect. With two debt clocks clicking away overhead, each speaker made the case against the spending that has occurred under the President. Each ridiculed the idea of government creating success with a money giveaway. The consistent applause line was any statement proclaiming that, in fact, business owners did build their success, not government.

The die has has been cast and all republicans, at all levels will make this about the Obama record, unemployment, fighting tax hikes, and repealing Obamacare. The themes of the Romney campaign, “We Built It,” and “We Can Do Better,” are not just displayed in large placards around the hall, but found their way into each speech. Congressman, Tim Scott, summed up the feeling in the room succinctly by singing out, “Hit the road jack, and don’t you come back, no more, no more, no more.”

At the end of his rendition the crowd exploded in applause.

Convention speeches, especially the early afternoon ones, are staged affairs with every candidate attempting to get their 15 minutes of time. Circulated talking and speech points are passed and shared like candy bar freebies. No matter what the primary was like, everyone supports (in their speeches) the presumptive nominee. This true of all political conventions. The Republican convention is no different in that way, but there is a difference this year. There is a palpable air of urgency in each candidate.

This is expressed in the believe that the fiscal cliff the country is heading for could remake the country in a way the founders never wanted, envisioned, or would have agreed too. This is the election that could determine the future for not just the next decade, but for a generation. It is not just empty speeches, there is belief and fear as well. Stronger than either was a determination in each speaker’s voice that they were committed to winning the election and supporting Mitt Romney.

And this was just the warm up acts. The main act tonight of Ann Romney and Chris Christie will truly set this convention off.

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Tampa, U.S.A. — Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and Republican National Convention CEO William Harris made the following statements regarding convention planning:

“The Republican National Convention and the Republican National Committee, working in consultation with the Romney/Ryan campaign, are in regular contact with the National Weather Service, Governor Scott and local emergency officials in an effort to track and understand the potential impact of the storm. Governor Scott and local emergency officials have assured us that they have the resources in place to respond to this storm should it make landfall, as our primary concern is with those in the potential path of the storm.

We will continue to work closely with them and federal officials to monitor the storm and discuss any impact it might have on the Tampa area and the state of Florida. We continue to move forward with our planning and look forward to a successful convention.” – Bill Harris, President and CEO of the Republican National Convention

“We are just days away from the Republican National Convention where we will officially nominate Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan as the ticket who will get America working again. The Republican Party is ready for the mission ahead: sending America’s Comeback Team to Washington to rein in federal spending and put Americans back to work.

While President Obama is out of ideas, we have candidates for president and vice president who are uniquely qualified to answer the challenges of our time, and we look forward to helping them get elected in November.” – Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee

About the 2012 Republican National Convention

The 2012 Republican National Convention will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum August 27-30, 2012. Nearly 50,000 visitors are expected to come to the Tampa Bay area for the event, including delegates, alternate delegates, media and other guests.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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The tropical storm Isaac is  the main issue threatening the Republican Convention, but it is not the only one, Joe Biden’s Florida visit on August 27 and Augusto 28, with a stop in Tampa included, could also affect the Republican National Convention.

Biden’s visit to Tampa may take some media attention out of the convention, also President Obama has planned to campaign on August 28 and August 29 in Iowa, Colorado and Virginia, which may also take media attention out of the convention. Michele Obama has also plans to campaign on August 29; she has a planned appearance on David Letterman’s show On CBS.

Isaac has turned into a serious problem for the GOP Convention organizers’ security plans, half of the expected officers come from different parts of Florida that could be affected by the storm, which may force them to stay home.

Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee stated: “We’re in a situation right now where we don’t know what’s going to happen.” David Gee also explained that some agencies might decide not to send security officers to Tampa if their area is affected by Isaac.

The Republican National Convention expects more than 3,500 officers from 59 law enforcement agencies from all around Florida. Inside the convention hall the Secret Service will be in charge of the security.

The Republican officials have tried to calm things down saying the convention will proceed as expected. Republican National Convention CEO William Harris stated: “We continue to move forward with our planning and look forward to a successful convention,” Harris added that “Governor Scott and local emergency officials have assured us that they have the resources in place to respond to this storm should it make landfall, as our primary concern is with those in the potential path of the storm.”

The Florida Governor Rick Scott also said that the state, local and federal authorities had no plans to cancel the convention. Scoot hopes the hurricane does not affect Florida, but he reminded that Florida is the most prepared state in the country for hurricanes.

Jeff Masters, director of meteorology for Weather Underground, explained that it is not probable that Tampa takes a direct hit from Isaac, but it could sideswipe the city causing rain and flood.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn also said the city is prepared for Isaac, he stated: “We have contingency plan after contingency plan,” and added: “We are ready in the event that it happens. I don’t think it’s going to be a factor in this particular convention. But we are prepared in the event that it is.” With 50,000 people coming to the convention the storm has become a big issue.

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Tampa, U.S.A. — On August 20, Kelly Shackelford, President and CEO of Liberty Institute, and Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, officially released The Survey on Religious Hostility in America at a press conference during Platform Week at the Republican National Convention.

Simultaneously, they launched an interactive website at www.religioushostility.org, where more than 600 cases of religious hostility, most occurring during the past decade, are documented and available for public download.

Whether a federal judge threatens a high school valedictorian with incarceration for referring to Jesus in her graduation speech; a city official prohibits senior citizens from praying over their meals; or the U.S. Department of Justice tells churches and synagogues which pastors and rabbis they can hire and fire, attacks on Americans’ religious freedoms have dramatically increased, both in frequency and in the types of incidents.

On the site, the public can view a U.S. map that contains a sampling of the 25 most egregious incidents of religious hostility. There is also a place to share personal stories of religious discrimination, and a photo gallery representing more than a dozen groundbreaking cases.

“There is really no place you can go in America to avoid these chilling attacks—every community and every age group is affected,” Shackelford said. “We have hundreds of examples. It’s more prolific than we’ve ever seen in the history of our country.”

Perkins added, “As our country enters one of the most critical elections of our time, it’s vital that people of all faiths continue the important work of defending our most precious liberty.”

In 2004, The Survey of Religious Hostility in America was born when Shackelford, along with a number of Liberty Institute’s clients, testified before the U.S. Senate about the growing religious hostility in America. Because the opposition insisted these select testimonies were simply isolated incidents, Senators Kennedy and Cornyn asked Liberty Institute to provide additional information, which led to the development of the first hostilities document.

Led by President and CEO Kelly Shackelford, Liberty Institute is a nonprofit law firm, dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches and throughout the public arena. Liberty Institute’s vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our nation’s Founders. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.

Since 1983, Family Research Council (FRC) has advanced faith, family and freedom in public policy and public opinion. President Tony Perkins and his team of seasoned experts promote these core values through policy research, public education on Capitol Hill and in the media, and grassroots mobilization.

Through outreach to pastors, FRC equips churches to transform the culture. Strategically located inWashington, D.C., FRC is the leading voice for the family in our nation’s halls of power. For information, visit, www.frc.org.

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Minneapolis, U.S.A. — EPG Security Group has announced it will be heading to Tampa later this month to provide protective services for senior elected officials and special events surrounding the Republican National Convention. The firm has been retained by two different national political clients to provide security for areas inside the convention forum itself, parties for state delegations and the elected officials attending those events.

Both contracts are the result of relationships initially forged with EPG Security Group when the RNC was held in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2008. The work performed by EPG in St. Paul led to the firm being brought to Washington, DC, to provide security for events around President Obama’s inauguration in 2009, and again for the Speaker of the House’s election party in 2010.

“I am proud of the relationships we’ve established with our political clients and extremely proud of the hard work of my team,” said Erik Bergling, CEO of EPG Security Group. “Together they are the foundation of our continued growth.”

“I was impressed by EPG’s Midwest work ethic when they worked for us at the RNC in St. Paul,” said Julie Wadler, founder and president of Epiphany Productions, Inc., a premier, full-service event management and fundraising firm based just outside of Washington, DC, that has hired EPG to provide RNC-related security in Tampa.

“Our reputation as event planners is based on exceptional service, know-how, and attention to detail. We need to work with vendors that provide us with those same qualities, so we can give our clients the best, customized services they need to be successful. Erik Bergling and his firm do just that. They are flexible, easy to work with, detail-oriented, and – yes, nice.”

EPG Security Group is an independently owned full-service security and investigative agency providing executive protection, uniformed officers, and investigative programs. Clients include numerous national political organizations and think tanks. EPG has been honored with working the Obama Inauguration in DC, and the Republican National Convention. Based in Minnesota, EPG Security has networks extending worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.epgsecuritygroup.com/.

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The Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus has announced that Florida Senator Marco Rubio and New Jersey Governor will have their opportunity to speak at the Republican National Convention on Tampa this month, one will have the keynote speaker role and the other will introduce Romney in his speech, in which he will accept the Republican nomination for President.

Priebus through his twitter account stated: “Excited to announce this am that @GovChristie will be the @GOPconvention keynote speaker and @marcorubio will introduce @MittRomney!”

With this announcement it is clear that the Republicans are making a huge effort to organize a world-class convention. Almost all of their rising stars are having the opportunity to speak and consolidate themselves as future leaders.

Reince Priebus, referring to the announcement that Christie will be the keynote speaker at the Convention, stated: “As governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie has proven how bold Republican leadership gets results. He has fearlessly tackled his state’s most difficult challenges, while looking out for hardworking taxpayers. He is a leader of principle and conviction, and I am excited to hear him address the Republican National Convention as our keynote speaker. Governor Christie will make the case for America’s Comeback Team and will rally our party and country in support of the Romney-Ryan ticket.”

The key note speaker position will also represent a great opportunity for Governor Christie to be considered as a presidential candidate in the future, and it will also grant him the opportunity to express his ideas nationwide. Referring to the announcement that Rubio will introduce Romney, Priebus also had something to say.

He stated: “Senator Marco Rubio is without a doubt one of America’s most dynamic and inspiring leaders, and I am excited to announce that he will introduce Governor Romney at the Republican National Convention…Senator Rubio is a proven leader and a man of true character and it is fitting that he will take on such an important role at our convention in his home state. Throughout his career, he has shown true dedication to constitutional principles, fiscal responsibility and free enterprise. As the son of immigrants, he has witnessed the promise of the American Dream firsthand and has worked to secure that promise for future generations.”

The presidential nomination acceptance speech by Senator John McCain at the Republican National Convention in 2008 drew 38.9 million viewers across the country. This year more viewers are expected, and the introduction is a great opportunity for Rubio to consolidate himself as the leader of the future.

Let’s not forget that not until few days ago, when it was not known that Paul Ryan would be Romney’s running mate, Rubio and Christie were some of the favorite candidates to become the Republican’s vice-presidential pick, and although they are consolidated figures among the Republicans, they had not been announced as speakers at the Convention. Many thought it was because one of them was going to be chosen as Romney’s running mate, and many still believe that Rubio will become the United States first Hispanic president.

Image Courtesy of  Luigi Novi [CC-BY-3.0 or CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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Tampa, U.S.A. — Erin Fesler, a freshman at Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, Florida, has been selected as the first place winner of the 2012 Republican National Convention’s “Elephants on Parade” art competition.

The competition was open to middle and high school students throughout the Tampa Bay area.  Participants were asked to submit a project that answered the question: “What does being an American mean to me?”

Fesler painted “Perseverance, Innovation, Sacrifice, Liberty, Unity and Strength” using oil paints on canvas. She says each element of the work – which incorporates an American bald eagle, a Native American, the Statue of Liberty, a NASA spacecraft, the United States Capitol building, an American flag and Arlington National Cemetery – represents a unique facet of our country’s identity.  As part of her prize, the painting will be displayed in the main convention venue, the Tampa Bay Times Forum, during convention week.

“I started painting about two years ago and I am interested in politics. I am taking an American Government class and it’s teaching me a lot about the political system and how it all works,” Fesler explained. “[The convention] is just amazing; it’s such an honor to be here. It just furthers my understanding of everything I am learning.”

Fesler, along with four other finalists, will have the opportunity to tour the Times Forum and the Tampa Convention Center, where an expected 15,000 credentialed media will be based for the convention.

“I commend Erin on her artistic accomplishment in this contest, as well as her desire to learn about the American government system,” said convention CEO William Harris. “This great country will succeed on the shoulders of the next generation, including Erin and her peers.”

The winning artwork can be seen here: http://goo.gl/2TgbO.

The 2012 Republican National Convention will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum August 27-30, 2012.  Nearly 50,000 visitors are expected to come to the Tampa Bay area for the event, including delegates, alternate delegates, media and other guests.

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Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, one of the rising stars of the Republican Party, has been selected as a speaker for the Republican National Convention. This will grant him the possibility to consolidate himself, along with Rick Santorum, as one of the nation’s conservative stars.

The Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who was the former Republican Chairman of Wisconsin, announced during an episode of the Fox News channel program “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren”  that Scott Walker would have a very “prominent role” during the Convention.

Walker is the son of pastor, and grew up in a small Wisconsin town. He attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, and while still in school he worked for IBM. He left school his senior year to work with the American Red Cross.

His political career started in 1993 when he was elected to the State Assembly. In 2002 he was elected for the Milwaukee County Executive, where he spent eight years. During this time he was able to reduce the county’s debt by 30 percent.  He also reduced the county’s workforce by more than 25 percent, and was the author of nine consecutive budgets without raising the property tax levy from the previous year. Milwaukee was one of the counties in the nation that recorded a budget surplus.

On January 3, 2011 Walker became Wisconsin’s 45th governor. During his time in office he has done reforms that have eliminated the state’s $3.6 billion budget deficit without raising taxes. Governor Walker also intends to create 250,000 jobs by 2015. His plan to reduce budget deficit also included drastic measures: like making state workers pay more for health insurance and making payment of union dues voluntary. Because of this Democrats and unions came together to gather nearly 1 million signatures to force a recall election.

But in June, Governor Walker survived the recall election, becoming the first governor in the U.S. history that has survived a recall attempt.With his crucial victory against Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Walker won the right to finish his term, and also proved he had the  support of the voters to fulfill his plan to curb state spending.

His victory on the recall election was easy, and the Republicans saw in him a great leader supported by many in his effort to rein in government spending, so he has been given a protagonist role in the convention.

Walker recently expressed his support and the importance of the Tampa Convention, he stated: “We have seen the power of bold ideas right here in Wisconsin. The American people are demanding bold reform and we need to put a leader in the White House who will fight to turn our country around. The Republican National Convention will be an important rallying point for our country and our party and I look forward to sharing our story of reform and officially nominating Mitt Romney as the next president of the United States.”

Image Courtesy of  Gateway Technical College

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Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has announced five additional speakers which will join the eleven that had already been announced, making the total sixteen. Other additional speakers will be announced in the next days.

The new five speakers that will address the Republican National Convention are:

Riece Priebus has expressed his satisfaction at the talent and leadership each of the speakers announced for the Convention have shown during his or her entire career. Priebus stated,“These five remarkable individuals will bring a diversity of experiences and perspectives to the convention stage in Tampa, where they will voice their support for Governor Mitt Romney. They have each served the public in their own impressive ways, and they all share a dedication to the Republican principles of individual opportunity, responsible government and personal liberty.”

Each of the new speakers has recently criticized President Obama. Pam Bondi chastised him, arguing that the “government take overs coming out of Washington have to stop,” she added that “as an attorney general, we are constantly fighting the federal government back from overreaching and over-regulating – from the EPA to health care.”

Ted Cruz said that with a new President in the White House, they could stop the unnecessary government spending and restore the United States’ Constitution. Luis Fortuño, on the other hand, flattered Mitt Romney for his business experience and said he is the one that could really save the U.S. economy.

Sam Olens stated that “the jobs-killing, unconstitutional policies coming out of Washington, D.C. must be undone.” Most of the speakers have criticized Obama for the way he has handled the economy during his presidency and for the high unemployment rate in the country.

Scott Walker stated that “the American people are demanding bold reform and we need to put a leader in the White House who will fight to turn our country around.” He said he is fully committed to Romney, and will help in everything he can to put him in the White House.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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The Pauls are back in the political scene. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, son of Ron Paul, has been announced as a speaker in the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Ron Paul was not taken into account in the Republican Convention four years ago, but in the last four years the Pauls have increased their visibility. So this time, the Pauls haven’t been overlooked by the Republicans and Sen. Rand Paul will have the opportunity to speak in the Convention.

Sen. Rand Paul is a Doctor by profession; he attended Baylor University and graduated from Duke Medical School in 1988.  He is the third of five children born to Carol and Ron Paul. His father is also a Doctor who graduated from Gettysburg College and the Duke University School of Medicine.

Rand Paul’s official webpage explains that “Rand is a hard-working, dedicated physician, not a career politician. His entrance into politics is indicative of his life’s work: a desire to diagnose problems and provide practical solutions.”

Senator Rand Paul has recently criticized the Democrats’ Tax Hike plan. He stated: “It boggles the mind to think that now, during an economic recession; Senate Democrats put forth a plan to raise taxes on nearly a million business owners, farmers, ranchers, and families. Their idea of a tax plan includes damaging tax increases that would severely hurt small businesses and hike the estate tax from 35 percent to 55 percent. Fortunately for the American people, this tax bill is dead upon arrival, as our Constitution requires that all tax bills originate in the House of Representatives, and this one did not.”

Sean Sullivan, writer for the Washington Post blog The Fix, said that “Rand Paul will be a candidate for president — whether in 2016 or 2020— so he’ll want to use this national platform to boost his visibility outside of those people already devoted to his cause.”

Sen. Rand Paul’s father, Ron Paul, decided to enter politics in 1971. He started as a delegate to the Texas Republican Convention and then attempted to enter Congress but was defeated in 1974. In 1976 he won a special election to finally enter Congress when Congressman Robert Casey was given a presidential appointment, but lost it in the general election by less than 0.2%. He regained the seat in 1978 and was reelected in 1980 and 1982. In 1984 he attempted to enter the Senate but he failed, so he returned to his medical practice.

Ron Paul ran for President in 1988. His official webpage explains he did it as a “libertarian, more to spread the libertarian ideas than to actually win the office, then returned to his medical practice and co-owned a coin dealership.” In 1996 he won a congressional seat; he was reelected in 1998 and 2000. In 2008 he decided to run for President again but lost very early in the process, in 2010 he won his 12^th term in Congress with 80% of the votes. In 2012 he decided to run again in the Republican primaries but was defeated by Mitt Romney. Still, his popularity has been increasing year by year.

Ron Paul was not invited as a speaker to the 2008 Republican Convention after he lost in the Republican primaries against John McCain, but in recent years his popularity has increased, so he has been taken into account once more. It seems like his son Rand is the one that will fulfill all the dreams his fathers hasn’t been able to.

Many Republicans think that in the future, he has the potential to be a presidential candidate.  It’s obvious Ron and Rand have had their ups and downs in their political careers, but now they are in the best political position they have ever been, and is their time to consolidate themselves into the Republican Party.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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From the eleven speakers announced for the Republican Convention, four of them are women: Condoleezza Rice, Susana Martinez, Nikki Halley and Mary Fallin.

Republicans wish to gain women’s sympathy during a time in which they have been accused by the Democrats of waging war against women.

The Democrats have directed hard criticism against the Republicans for trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which Democrats think is a law that offers many benefits and crucial protection for women.

Nevada Senator Harry Reid wrote in a Huffington Post article called “Republicans Renew War on Women” that “thanks to the Affordable Care Act, new insurance plans are already required to cover preventive care like mammograms, colonoscopies, blood pressure checks, prenatal exams and childhood immunizations without cost-sharing. Yet Republicans are so intent on blocking women’s preventive services like contraception coverage from taking effect, they are willing to risk national security.” Democrats want their voters to see the Republicans as the villains on this subject.

Reid continued criticizing the Republicans for blocking the opportunity for women to gain access to contraception methods. Sen. Reid said that the Republicans are only acting for ideological motives and are putting them ahead of scientific reasons.

Mary Fallin is the lastest female politician announced as a speaker for the Tampa Convention, and she is currently the first female Governor of Oklahoma. She is one of the most popular governors in the country, based on a poll made by sonnerpoll.com and released in January; almost 70 percent of the surveyed thought Fallin was doing a good job after just a year in office.

The Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times poll on the presidential race shows that in key states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, Obama has an advantage on female vote over Romney, so Martinez, Rice, Halley and Fallin have a difficult mission trying to gain female voter’s sympathy for the Republicans.

Each of the women selected for the Republican National Convention have something special to offer and have made history in their positions. Susana Martinez is the first female Hispanic Governor of New Mexico and of the Country; Condoleezza Rice was the first African-American women that became Secretary of State, Nikki Haley is South Carolina first female Governor and Mary Fallin is Oklahoma first female Governor. This will hopefully prove to the female voters that the Republicans have women in important positions and that they support them.

Image Courtesy of  Northfoto / Shutterstock.com

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Former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, is repeating his appearance as a speaker in the 2012 Convention; in 2008 he was one of the speakers at the Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is one of the best known conservatives and he will surely help Mitt Romney.

Huckabee remarked on the importance of the 2012 election, stating:

“I’m honored to be invited by Governor Romney to address my fellow Republicans at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, but especially grateful for the opportunity to explain to my fellow Americans why this election provides the most stark contrast of political platforms in American history.

“Four years ago, we were promised an economic recovery and the creation of millions of jobs, but have now seen the longest period of record unemployment since the Great Depression. We were promised that the sacred institution of marriage would be protected, but now we have the first president in history to support changing the nature and definition of marriage.

We were promised that faith would guide these decisions, but instead we have seen a full frontal assault on the conscience and convictions of religious liberty by insisting that this new government run health care system include forcing churches, colleges, hospitals, and businesses to bow their knee to the Baal of the federal government. I will do all I can to help Mitt Romney become our president.”

In his 2008 speech he warned Americans that Obama’s election “would elevate our taxes and our risks in a dangerous world.” He also criticized Obama for taking his campaign to Europe, by saying that Europeans did not vote or pay taxes in the United States. In one of his harder critics towards Europe he stated: “let me hasten to say that it’s not what he took there that concerns me. It’s what he brought back: European ideas that give the government the chance to grab even more of our liberty and destroy our hard-earned livelihood.”

Romney recently made his own trip to Europe in which he visited London and Poland. He also visited Israel. He received a lot of criticism for his trip, and one senior Republican strategist who was granted anonymity to speak candidly said: “Why on earth is he seeking to improve his foreign policy cred when there will not be a single vote cast on that subject?”

Most of the Republican criticisms towards Obama are the same that Huckabee expressed in his 2008 speech, in which he explained that Americans do not want more government but rather a smaller one. This is still one of the main criticisms against the Democrats, that they are trying to make a huge government. Huckabee quoted Abraham Lincoln, and said it was he who “reminded us that a government that can do everything for us is the government that can take everything from us,” which shows how dangerous a huge government really can be.

Critics against Obama during the 2012 campaign are basically giving the same arguments as the ones Huckabee made in his 2008 speech; let’s see if Mike Huckabee surprises us with his speech in the Tampa Convention.

Image Courtesy of  Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

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New Mexico Governor, Susana Martinez, who is the first female Hispanic governor in the U.S. and the first female governor of New Mexico, is among the chosen speakers at this year’s Republican National Convention.

Three women are among the first seven announced speakers that include Condoleezza Rice, Nikki Haley, Susana Martinez, John McCain, Rick Scott, Mike Huckabee and John Kasich. These three women are expected to boost Rooney’s profile for the female vote. Polls have shown that President Obama is currently ahead of Romney when it comes to appealing to the American woman.

Both Martinez and Nikki Haley, who is Indian-American, are expected to help Romney with minorities, who now majorly support Barack Obama.

Something that may surprise many is that none of Romney’s top considerations for the vice-president post–Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio or Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey–are among the seven headline speakers. This will keep his vice-president nomination a mystery, at least until the eve of the 2012 Republican National Convention.

The Republicans have only announced the speakers mentioned so far. They are holding back with the rest, including the keynote speaker — an honor that could catapult a rising member of the party to national prominence.

Susana Martinez could help Romney with the Hispanic segments of women and according to Fox, “she can also address voters who feel securing the nation’s Southern border is a top concern.” New Mexico was won by Obama in the 2008 election with 56.7% of the votes, but Martinez’ popularity in the state might give Romney a slight advantage in this year’s race.

The Democrats also know the importance of the Hispanic vote in this election, so they have chosen Julian Castro, the mayor of San Antonio, for their keynote speaker at the Democrat National Convention in Charlotte on September 4. Both Martinez and Castro will try to help their respective parties gain the support of Hispanic voters.

Susana Martinez’ background is very humble; she comes from a middle class working family, and her parents started a security business with almost no money in their pockets. Susana herself worked as a security guard while attending college. Governor Martinez obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma.

Martinez’s official website explains that “she was elected on November 2, 2010, pledging to cut wasteful spending, lower taxes to create more jobs, end ‘pay-to-play’ practices and other corruption in government and fight to reform education.”

Susana Martinez has expressed the importance of the Republican National Convention for achieving victory in the November elections: “The Republican National Convention will give Mitt Romney momentum for securing a critical victory for our country this fall. Americans want to work. They want to build their businesses, compete and succeed in order to create more jobs and a secure future for their families.

Mitt Romney knows that is the formula for our economic growth – not more government roadblocks. We will share this message in Tampa in a few weeks, and the American voters will make their voices heard on this at the polls in November.”

Image Courtesy of  Albuquerque Public Schools

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The Republican National Committee Chairman, Reince Priebus, has described the members of the list of headliners that will address the Republican National Convention as “some of our party’s brightest stars, who have governed and led effectively and admirably in their respective roles. Ours will be a world class convention, worthy of the next president of the United States, and these speakers-and those that will be announced later-will help make it a truly memorable and momentous event.”

Republican National Convention Chief Executive Officer, William Harris, said that “these individuals exemplify the Republican Party’s commitment to economic growth and long-term job creation, and reflect our proud tradition of protecting America’s interests around the world.”

South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley, is one of the chosen speakers; Haley is Indian-American and was the first woman in her state elected as Governor. Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, explains that “minorities are overwhelmingly behind President Obama at this juncture, so the Republicans want to at least show that the party has minorities in high office.”

Nikki Haley’s is considered to be “one of the strongest fiscal conservatives in state government” and she  has always fought for a smaller and more efficient government. She  is also a fierce critic of the public sector, unnecessary spending and led South Carolina in the fight for accountability and transparency in the legislature she is now in charge of.

Scott Huffmon, a Winthrop University political scientist, says that Haley’s appearance in the Republican National Convention would definitely help her political career  “both nationally and at home.” Although Haley has said she is not interested in the Vice-president candidate post, Huffmon added that “she is a very good public speaker. It’s probably going to raise her recognition and favorability nationally.” The exact date that Haley will give her speech is still unknown.

Haley has already spoken about the importance of the November election, stating: “The future generations of our children and our grandchildren are at stake in this election. While Americans work to build their businesses and create jobs, leaders of the Democratic party have spent more than three years raising taxes, increasing spending and taking away our health care choices. The Republican National Convention will be a time for not just our party, but our country to come together and get behind Mitt Romney as the next president of the United States. I look forward to being a part of this historic event.”

Image Courtesy of  maryaustinphoto

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