The line-up was fabulous, and the speakers didn't disappoint. The first big name was Michael Steele. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a transcript of his speech, and it wasn't televised (as far as I know), so I can't comment on that. It's too bad, since Steele is a great conservative leader, and really should have commanded more time than he got, especially from the MSM. How often have we heard complaints that the GOP isn't the party for African Americans? Well, it's kind of hard to reach out to that constituency when the biggest African American speaker isn't even covered...!
Anyway, then came Mitt Romney. Here's his speech:
Some highlight excerpts:
Last week, the Democratic convention talked about change. But what do you think? Is Washington now, liberal or conservative? We need change all right: change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington.Good stuff, and a great warm-up of the crowd.
We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington: Throw out the big government liberals and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin.
It's the same prescription for a stronger economy. I spent 25 years in the private sector. I've done business in many foreign countries. I know why jobs come and why they go away. And I know that liberals don't have a clue.
They think that we have the biggest and strongest economy in the world because of our government. They're wrong. America is strong because of the ingenuity, and entrepreneurship, and hard work of the American people.
The American people have always been the source of our nation's strength, and they always will be.
[L]iberals would replace opportunity with dependency on government largesse. They grow government and raise taxes to put more people on Medicaid, to take work requirements out of welfare, and to grow the ranks of those who pay no taxes at all.
Dependency is death to initiative, to risk-taking and opportunity. It's time to stop the spread of government dependency and fight it like the poison it is.
You know, it's time for the party of big ideas, not the party of Big Brother.
Here's Mike Huckabee's speech:
Some excerpts:
But I want to begin by doing something a little unusual. I'd like to thank the elite media for doing something that, quite frankly, I wasn't sure could be done, and that's unifying the Republican Party and all of America in support of Senator McCain and Governor Palin.More good stuff. Huckabee definitely has charisma and can relate to a crowd very, very well.
The reporting of the past few days have proven tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert.
John McCain offers specific ideas to respond to a need for change. But let me say there are some things we don't want to change: freedom, security, and the opportunity to prosper.
Barack Obama's excellent adventure to Europe...
... took his campaign for change to hundreds of thousands of people who don't even vote or pay taxes here. But 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.
The fact is, my friends, most Americans don't want more government. They want less government.
It was -- it was, in fact, the founder of our party, Abraham Lincoln, who reminded us that a government that can do everything for us is the government that can take everything from us.
But the fireworks hadn't even begun yet. Rudy Giuliani lit up the sky in a very provoking performance that made me wonder if he would be tapped as McCain's press secretary. Transcript is here (you can look up the videos on YouTube if you want to watch, but this speech was quite a bit longer than the others, so I didn't post it here). Some of the more potent excerpts:
'We the people' - the citizens of the United States - get to decide our next president...not the media, not Hollywood celebrities, not anyone else.Whoa! Giuliani threw down the gauntlet with this speech. He was clearly immensely enjoying the throwdown, too. I did watch Giuliani's speech, and it really got the crowd hopping.
You're hiring someone to do a job - an important job that involves the safety and security of your family. Imagine that you have two job applications in your hand - with the names and party affiliations taken off the top. They're both good and patriotic men - with very different life experiences that have led them to this moment in history.
You've got to make this decision right. Who would you hire?
On the one hand, you've got a man who has dedicated his life to the service of his country. He's been tested time and again by crisis. He's passed every test. Even his adversaries acknowledge that he is a true American hero. He loves America as we all do - but he's sacrificed for it as few do.
On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer, and immersed himself in Chicago machine politics. Then he ran for the state legislature - where nearly 130 times he was unable to make a decision yes or no. He simply voted "present."
As Mayor of New York City, I never got a chance to vote "present." And you know, when you're President of the United States, you can't just vote "present." You must make decisions.
A few years later, he ran for the U.S. Senate. He won and has spent most of his time as a "celebrity senator." No leadership or major legislation to speak of. His rise is remarkable in its own right - it's the kind of thing that could happen only in America. But he's never run a city, never run a state, never run a business.
He's never had to lead people in crisis.
[O]ur opponents want to reframe the debate. They would have you believe that this election is about 'change versus more of the same.' But that's really a false choice. Because "change" is not a destination ... just as "hope" is not a strategy.
John McCain will bring about the change that will create jobs and prosperity. He will lower taxes so our economy can grow. He will reduce government spending to strengthen our dollar. He will expand free trade so we can be even more competitive. He will lead us toward an America that will be independent of foreign oil by an all-of-the-above approach, including nuclear power and off-shore drilling.
This is the kind of change we need.
For 4 days in Denver and for the past 18 months Democrats have been afraid to use the words "Islamic Terrorism." During their convention, the Democrats rarely mentioned the attacks of September 11.
They are in a state of denial about the threat that faces us now and in the future.
Look at just one example in a lifetime of principled stands -- John McCain's support for the troop surge in Iraq. The Democratic Party had given up on Iraq. And I believe, ladies and gentlemen, that when they gave up on Iraq they were giving up on America. The Democratic leader in the Senate said so: "America has lost."
Well, if America lost, who won? Al Qaida? Bin Laden? In the single biggest policy decision of this election, John McCain got it right and Barack Obama got it wrong.
If Barack Obama had been President, there would have been no troop surge and our troops would have been withdrawn in defeat.
What do you think most other candidates would have done in that situation? They would have acted in their own self-interest by changing their position. How many times have we seen Barack Obama do that?
Obama was going to take public financing for his campaign, until he didn't.
Obama was against wiretapping before he voted for it.
When speaking to a pro-Israel group, Obama favored an undivided Jerusalem. Until the very next day when he changed his mind.
John McCain said, 'I'd rather lose an election than a war.' Because that's John McCain.
When Russia rolled over Georgia, John McCain knew exactly how to respond.
Having been to that part of the world many times and having developed a clear worldview over many years, John knew where he stood. Within hours, he established a very strong, informed position that let the world know exactly how he'll respond as President. At exactly the right time, John McCain said, "We're all Georgians."
Obama's first instinct was to create a moral equivalency - that "both sides" should "show restraint." The same moral equivalency that he has displayed in discussing the Palestinian Authority and the State of Israel.
Later, after discussing it with his 300 foreign policy advisors, he changed his position and suggested that the "the UN Security Council," could find a solution. Apparently, none of his 300 advisors told him that Russia has a veto on any UN action. Finally Obama put out a statement that looked ...well, it looked a lot like John McCain's.
Here's some free advice: Sen. Obama, next time just call John McCain.
Shortly after Giuliani spoke, Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin took the stage...by storm. But I'll save that for its own post.
All in all, it was a great night for the RNC. The energy is finally there, the enthusiastic support is finally there, and many doubters were silenced. This one has become long enough for now.
There's my two cents.
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