Was the Republican National Convention a Success for Mitt Romney? >
Convention a Home Run for Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney did an amazing job of defining himself
August 31, 2012
Was the Republican National Convention a success for Mitt Romney?
In a word, yes.
Mitt Romney hit a home run with his well-organized convention. Paul Ryan did extremely well, but Romney's acceptance speech was an out of the park home run.
Fortunately for Romney, the speech will be what is remembered from this convention, not the badly handled power grab from earlier in the week.
We all know the first rule of politics is you define yourself; you do not let the other guy define you. Romney did an amazing job of defining himself.
[See a Slideshow of the 11 Most Memorable Political Convention Speeches.]
There was hardly a dry eye in the auditorium or in the TV audience as Ted and Pat Oparowski told the story of their 14-year-old son who was dying from Hodgkin's disease. The story of Mitt Romney visiting that child, developing a friendship with him is beyond touching. The part of the story where the boy asks Romney, who is a lawyer, to help him write a will so his prized possessions will go to the right people is priceless.
People will remember this. Romney is not the cold, stiff executive who likes firing people. He is the caring man who took time from his busy life to offer comfort to a dying boy.
The brilliance of this is that President Obama has no come back. There is no one who will come forward to tell stories of how Barack Obama comforted their dying child or cooked them Thanksgiving dinner while their child was in intensive care.
[Take the U.S. News Poll: Did Romney's Acceptance Speech Convince Voters He Can Turn America Around?]
While the convention was going on, conservative media outlets reported that Barack Obama sent form letters to the families of fallen Navy SEALs, which were signed not by him but by his autopen.
There is the contrast. Mitt Romney comforts a dying child and Barack Obama sends form letters to the families of military personnel killed for this nation.
This is the contrast this convention set up for Romney. It is a battle he almost cannot lose.
For Romney, this convention was better than a success. It was a true home run.
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- Other Arguments
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#121979
Yes — The RNC overcame Isaac, united Republicans behind their nominee, and improved Romney's White House chances
FORD O'CONNELL, Republican Strategist, Conservative Activist, and Political Analyst
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#27350
No — The RNC's happy talk allowed speakers to skip over the ticket's less cheery policy plans
BRAD BANNON, President of Bannon Communications Research
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#38563
No — The party faithful are already behind Mitt Romney, but he failed to make the case to voters
PENNY LEE, Democratic Strategist and President of Venn Strategies, LLC
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#45141
No — RNC's speakers focused on Romney's intangibles, not the platform
BRANDON ROTTINGHAUS, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston
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#56763
No — Mitt Romney missed an opportunity to present detailed plans, and his surrogates weren't much help to him
ZERLINA MAXWELL, Democratic Strategist and Writer
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#64543
Yes — Tampa an overall success, but if the GOP was looking for a winning message, it didn't build it
JAMIE CHANDLER, Political Scientist at Hunter College
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#75866
Yes — The convention presented Mitt Romney as a compassionate leader capable of turning country around
LARA BROWN, Author of 'Jockeying for the American Presidency: The Political Opportunism of Aspirants'
