GOP convention ‘built it’ to bash Obama
Mitt Romney took his turn at blasting and belittling Barack Obama Thursday night, working too hard on twisting “hope and change” into a weapon rather than offering new ideas to woo the disappointed to his side.
In his speech accepting the GOP nomination for the presidency, Romney tried to cozy up to those who once backed the current president and now feel disaffected and are hurting financially. Choose me, he said, and let me get the unemployed to work and end the divisiveness that tears at our nation.
But Romney, in his workmanlike speech, never presented a convincing case for how he would solve the nation’s steep challenges.
Capping off a divisive political convention, Romney strove to present himself as a candidate of hope and unity. He promised bipartisanship. It was a bit too familiar, and a little short of convincing.
With no suspense left in political conventions, the events become well-orchestrated pep rallies, offering giddy delegates and politically inclined TV viewers a capsule summary of the campaign. For the GOP, the just-completed venture in Tampa could be titled “We Built It” — to bash the other guy
Audiences got a heavy helping of speakers intended to show the GOP as diverse, woman-friendly, beneficiaries of great parents and survivors of hard-luck life stories. But in the end, they did little to replace the GOP’s “party of no” reputation.
More troubling: The misstatements, omissions and deceit.
Romney promised no higher taxes on the middle class, overlooking the tax breaks middle-class families experienced during Obama’s tenure. While he praised immigrants, he neglected to mention his position favoring self-deportation and against the DREAM act.
He had a lot of help in the not-quite-full-disclosure speeches.
Paul Ryan, the vice presidential candidate, established himself as the leader of the conservative movement with a muscular speech that set the convention hall afire. Unfortunately, much that Ryan said was hypocritical or patently dishonest.
He criticized Obama for ignoring a bipartisan debt commission report, not mentioning the report never found its way to Congress because too many of the commission’s own members voted against it. One of those “no” votes was Ryan.
He blasted Obama for his plans to capture $700 billion in anticipated Medicare spending over 10 years and use some of that money to expand the Medicaid program. But Ryan’s own budget plan cuts the same elements of the Medicare program, for deficit reduction.
Even one of Ryan’s best lines was tarnished by omission. He appealed to young voters living in their parents’ homes, “staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life.” But he offered no specifics on how a Romney administration will get those young people employed.
The storm-shortened convention had its uplifting moments.
Ann Romney successfully spread love to the crowd, to her husband and to women at large.
Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice offered a respite from name-calling, accurately calling the crisis in K-12 education the civil rights issue of the day, and offering a more welcoming line on immigrants.
Overall, though, the 2012 Republican National Convention did much to fire up the base and little to inspire the rest of America.
Expect similar fancy staging, weird outfits, and over-the-top speeches at next week’s Democratic National Convention. And after that, may we please interrupt the disturbing, secretly funded commercials for some specific proposals for moving this nation forward?
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 3 weeks agoWhen you have no record to run on, you serve up posts like this one.
When the best you felt was the day you voted for Obama, then you know his Presidency has been a total failure.
A new day is coming for America.
JR Beillenhouser
9 months, 3 weeks agoBut Romney, in his workmanlike speech, never presented a convincing case for how he would solve the nation’s steep challenges.
Read more here: http://voices.kansascity.com/entries/gop-convention-built-it-bash-obama/#storylink=cpy
Well step number 1 is getting rid of Obama.
Mark Hastert
9 months, 3 weeks agoProforma…in a few days it’ll be the Dems turn and they’ll be as honest about Romney as the Pubs were about Obama. Then GH et al can howl about it. This is all posturing for the people in the pews. Nobody but the faithful and the press was listening.
We’ll here about Republican obstructionism. see commercials with Pub after Pub vowing to block Obama at every turn, Rush wishing for Big O to fail, replay the debt ceiling crisis, “corporations are people”, Ryan’s I voted against it but I was really for it… you get the picture.
I’ll enjoy the Republican whining as much as they’re enjoyed the Obama bashing. It won’t change anybody’s mind.
In the mean time I organizing a convoy of illegals to be trucked in to vote in key states. We’re using Canadians this time, they’ll pass without notice…..Shssssh, Don’t tell Kobach
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 3 weeks agoNote hastert made meniton of not one obama “accomplishment”. Fear and dismal, the donkey’s campaign strategy on display…. The big 0’s “signature achievement” is a healthcare bill that a majority of Americans are still against after 3 years.
What a “legacy” this man will leave January 20, 2013. Just simply was not up to the job libs, he tried, but not up to it…..
Mark Hastert
9 months, 3 weeks agoRomney’s pollster, Neil Newhouse, boasted this week that “we’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact-checkers.”
Kinda says it all donesn’t it?
GH you make it too easy…
I’ll be happy to give you a list GH, Thirty +/- months of private sector job growth
Health care reform despite your party’s refusal to act on it through five different Republican Presidencies.
Stepped up immigration enforcement and deportations (well in excess of the Bush years)
Three new free trade agreements.
Domestic security (As you liked to say during the Bush years “he kept us safe”)
Bid Laden, Bin Laden, Bin Laden….
We’re out of Iraq
We’re getting out of Afganistan
More student loan money at lower interest rates
The Hamp program helped tens of thousands stay in their homes resulting in fewer foreclosures.
Domestic energy production is higher
LOWERED taxes,
Shall I go on GH?
It’s really a long list made even more impressive since he’s done it in spite of your party’s obstructionism. Almost heroic
Kevin Sheely
9 months, 3 weeks agoFact-checkers, like most of contemporary journalism, is nothing more than opinion masquerading as hard news. Obama promised smart, commonsense healthcare reform and he said it would be worked out in a transparent and bi-partisan manner. Instead we got a stinking mess of government legalese paid for by a giant new tax and enforced by an army of new IRS agents. He’s robbing one unsustainable entitlement of $716,000,000,000 in order to fund an entirely new unsustainable entitlement. No thanks.