TAMPA, Fla. — The Republican party formally fulfilled former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s dream of becoming his party’s official standard bearer on Tuesday.
The convention got off to a slow start as Monday’s session was canceled due to an impending hurricane. Fortunately, the storm missed Tampa, and only high winds and rain were left in its wake.
The security bubble around the convention site was incredible. All streets around the Tampa Bay Forum were blocked with chain link fences. Policeman from all over Florida were deployed along with the National Guard.
Protesters were not allowed near the convention site and were required to gather a few blocks away from the convention center in a fenced-in area called “Romneyville.”
On Tuesday night, Ann Romney’s task was to reintroduce her husband, Mitt, to the convention delegates.
Ann Romney began her speech saying, “This is going to be about love.”
Women delegates held up “We Love You” signs. Ann replied, “I love women.”
She said she and Mitt had hard times in the early years of their marriage. They ate tuna and pasta and lived in a basement apartment. It was not a “storybook marriage” having to raise five boys. It was a “real marriage.”
She closed her speech saying, “This man will not fail. This man will not let you down.”
Republican vice president nominee Paul Ryan energized the delegates on Wednesday evening saying Pres. Barack Obama’s economic policies have failed and that Obama was not willing to make the necessary changes.
Ryan stated, “After four years of getting the runaround, America needs a turnaround, and the man for the job is Mitt Romney.”
