Live Blog: Republican Convention Speeches
Posted: August 28, 2012 Filed under: 2012 presidential campaign, U.S. Economy, U.S. Politics | Tags: Ann Romney, Chris Christie, live blog, Mitt Romney, Republican National Convention, Rick Santorum 94 Comments
Screen displays “Over The Top” as Mitt Romney reaches the total number of delegates needed for the nomination (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Good Evening!!
Well, the deed is done. Mitt Romney is finally the official nominee of the Republican Party. We thought it might be fun to live blog the speeches tonight.
First up will be Rick Santorum, scheduled for 7PM. Santorum’s speech will focus on Work and Welfare, according to Real Clear Politics.
It’s not the timeslot he would have preferred, but Rick Santorum’s speech to the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night is being touted as “particularly good” by the Romney campaign.
That was the praise issued by senior Romney strategist Russ Schriefer, who said that he has seen a copy of Santorum’s speech, which is slated to open the evening session in Tampa at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
In keeping with themes that he often homed in on during his own presidential run, Santorum’s convention speech is expected to touch upon his blue-collar roots and social conservatism, but the hot-button issue of welfare reform will be at the center of his remarks.
Doesn’t that sound delightful? He’ll probably say something like this:
Seriously, the Christian Science Monitor explains why Santorum’s speech is so important to the Romney campaign.
Tuesday night in Tampa, Santorum brings to the stage his newly won star power as a leading voice of social conservatism – and an unspoken message that Romney, who governed Massachusetts as a moderate, can now be trusted.
Santorum’s appearance represents “another piece of the mosaic they’re trying to put together of a united Republican Party and conservative movement,” says Gary Bauer, a social-conservative leader who endorsed Santorum for president. “Republicans only win when they bring together social, economic, and foreign policy conservatives. I think it’s happening.”
Here is the full schedule for tonight, from the Houston Chronicle:
7 p.m. Reconvene
Remarks by Speaker John Boehner
Remarks by RNC Chairman Reince Priebus
Video and remarks by Mayor Mia Love (Saratoga Springs, UT), U.S. congressional candidate
Remarks by Janine Turner
Remarks by former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum
Remarks by Host, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers
8 p.m. Remarks by U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (NH), accompanied by Jack Gilchrist
Remarks by Governor John Kasich (OH)
Remarks by Governor Mary Fallin (OK)
Remarks by Governor Bob McDonnell (VA), accompanied by Bev Gray
Remarks by Governor Scott Walker (WI)
9 p.m. Remarks by Governor Brian Sandoval (NV)
Remarks by Sher Valenzuela (small business owner, candidate for DE Lt. Governor)
Remarks by Senate Republican Candidate Ted Cruz (TX)
Remarks by Artur Davis
Remarks by Governor Nikki Haley (SC)
10 p.m. Remarks by Mrs. Luce’ Vela Fortuño
Remarks by Mrs. Ann Romney
Remarks by Governor Chris Christie (NJ)
Benediction by Sammy Rodriguez
Adjournment
I’m guessing Ann won’t speak until at least 9:00, maybe later. Then Chris Christie will give the keynote. In between Rick and Ann, we’ll see such charming personalities as Bob “Vaginal Probe” McDonnell and Scott Walker, representing the Koch Brothers. What? No Todd Akin?
If we fill this thread up, we’ll start another one. Have fun documenting the atrocities!
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
Mama Lopez
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
I’m going to watch MSNBC. Is anyone else up for making the most of the torture?
We’re beginning to get hammered here. A lot of folks have lost electricity. I don’t know if I can stand any more stress than I feel already.
I hope it won’t be too bad. Hang in there, Dak.
I don’t have a TV — so I greatly appreciate the remarks by SkyDancers!!!
The GOPers are dancing in the aisles now for some reason. You’re lucky you can’t watch.
Some seriously revolting people scheduled to speak tonight. Too bad I don’t drink alcohol or take drugs. Heck, I can’t even swallow popcorn. But I have some generic chocolate Ensure to enjoy. So let the games begin!
I have MSNBC on. What networks are others here watching?
Yeah, I have to experience it sober too. I may indulge in some ice cream if I get desperate.
Roll call – Fannie here. What? Turns out we won’t hear about a prince and his princess……….
Boehner looks like he spent the whole afternoon under a sunlamp.
Here we go with “Obama doesn’t know how the economy was built.” Why is that orange man?
Boehner invokes the name of George Romney, who was opposed to the party becoming extreme and supported civil rights.
Yup, the Romney Family did some building alright……called a porfolio………
The photos of Boehner holding the “winner’s’ name — boehner has that look that only really really really drunk people have. So if the photos (carefully selected) show him as drunk as a skunk — he must have put on quite a show!
Ed Shultz saying they are trying to pretend to be “regular guys.” Boehner talking about throwing Obama out like a bouncer in a bar and about Paul Ryan as a rags to riches story when he was born wealthy, grew up wealthy, and is now a multimillionaire.
That was a weird story from Boner to begin the evening. Maybe he is playing the role of Buddy Hackett in tonight’s show.
Al Sharpton talking about the “he doesn’t understand America ” meme that Boehner invoked.
I wonder if any of these guys are going to propose any actual solutions?
Their solution to everything is to give rich white guys tax breaks and kick the black dude out of the white house.
Orange Man Boo-Hoo Boner talking about his family’s bar and how “they did build it”. Brick-by-brick no doubt. Slurring words. Sounds totally blotto.
“Three orange guys walk into a bar…” And then somebody who doesn’t understand how to build a bar gets thrown out. Guess who?
I want to hear some discussion, some talk about business vs. government……..I mean with business you can say I am sorry Jane but I have to lay you off, but with government you got to take care of people. I mean we work all of lives, and have funds taken out of paycheck, and then what the government is going to take and say, sorry Jane you are on your own? We gave to the government so that later they would look out for our welfare, and the republicans want to do what to government?
Good luck with that. We’re more likely going to here “you’re on your own.”
According to some nutjob — the GOP wants to drown the government. This was Raygun’s theme as well — government is the problem according to St. Ronnie.
They are all convinced that they would be rich as Romney if only they did not have to pay any taxes, any school taxes, any gas taxes to pave the roads, any Social Security taxes for their old age etc. Stupidest people on the planet!!
Hell, I’m a SWS………….thought I was Fannie.
What’s a SWS?
Hee, Hee……I is a SWW………suburban white woman.
Oh, sorry. I guess that’s what I am too.
Why the networks should ignore Ann Romney’s speech.
OMG, there’s no doubt Boehner knows bars and apparently so does Preibus, both Boehner and Preibus sound 3 sheets in the wind. The “we built this” theme will be a clunker if they can’t find anyone better than the first 2 drunk used car salesmen to deliver it. If it doesn’t improve from here they’re in trouble
You’re right Priebus looked and sounded really drunk in that clip!
If the humpty is drunk too, they’re in real trouble.
BB I went to click, instead I clunk.
I’m surprised RNC Chairman Reince Priebus could even stand up. Whoa!
Will Rick S. be sober? Will he wear a sweater vest to soften his attack on all those gummit teat-sucking welfare parasites?
We should try to count the dog whistles in his speech, which is now an hour overdue.
Excepts from Ann’s speech.
Did she say let them eat cake?
Heh, Obama seems to be taking things in stride.
Obama on RNC: ‘It should be a pretty entertaining show’
Pretty good. They wish he’d get really angry and yell. But he won’t.
No, he won’t get angry. He’ll laugh it off. A bit like Big Dawg in that respect.
You know while the debt clock was ticking, you and I were skipping rope. Who is the foodies eating up all that nice stuff in Tampa. Isn’t me.
Another thing, didn’t Romney have something like 800 veto’s – virtually all were overridden.
This convention better pick up soon. Really boring. I can’t imagine anyone but news junkies like us are watching.
I may switch over to home shopping for some excitement.
I’ve been switching to C-span to see what’s happening. I think I just saw the Oak Ridge Boys. They sure don’t look like the used to. It looked like ZZ top singing gospel.
I was attending a meeting at a motel they were staying at … I was walking towards them and I had no idea who they were. They looked like they were going to get all excited about me running up them. I was in my 30s and looked really good. I only really noticed them because they looked totally disappointed when I walked by them without saying anything. I kept thinking, they act like I should know who they are but they just look like old fat truck drivers to me. Later, some older women–my age now–told me who they were. They were singing at Ak-Sar-Ben. I laughed. You would’ve too if you’d have seen their faces. They guy with the curly black hair was sure I was going to throw myself at him. I just thought they were totally hicky and gross looking. I was 32 max so, you remember the age.
More swell news for Rmoney 🙂
TPM: Ron Paul Not Endorsing Romney: ‘Put Me Down As Undecided’
They screwed Ron Paul royally. Pierce wrote something about it tonight.
Sort of what 0bama did to Hillary — except that Romney shoved the knife in Ron Paul’s back and then twisted the knife.
Hurricane Isaac has made landfall.
Yup. We’re going to be on the dirty side. I imagine it’s going to be a bumpy ride all night.
Hang on tight!
watch out for them mean old aligators………take care.
Just keep safe. I hope it whistles by you.
According to Kelly Ayotte, RMoney spends his every waking moment thinking about how to help small businesses grow.
In China and India.
She read her speech like she’d never seen it before.
CurrentTV has Cenk Yugur, Elliott Spitzer, Jennifer Granholm, Joy Behar, and Al Gore as commentators for their coverage. Spit was flying. 🙂
I guess we missed Rick Santorum. Did anyone see him?
Not a word about Sanitorum’s speech on any of the blogs that follow politics.
Nope. Maybe they moved Rick out to the parking garage to speak to the common people.
Gov. Vaginal Probe speaking next according to MSNBC.
McDonnell says govt. needs to get out of the way of small businesses and into vaginas instead. It’s the American Dream come true.
He must be later.
Maybe. He was scheduled early.
Why do they keep talking about setting people free………….During the first 5 minutes I thought Kasick was running for President, then he went off the fucking cliff calling Romney a natural leader, and that he build the Olympics in Utah…………yup, on our dime. Then what a low blow to Biden….I mean lousy golfer.
John Kasich was VERY animated. Also lied like a rug about what he has done to grow OH’s economy and what Romney did for the economy in MA.
Here comes Governor Vaginal Probe.
I can’t look at him without thinking about that horrible law.
Scott Walker — UGH!
Scott Walker now. Talking about people being dependent on govt. vs. being the master of one’s own destiny. Funny coming from a guy who can’t take a dump without the Koch Bros. approval.
Walker says Mitt’s choice of Ryan as VP shows Romney has courage and passion. The courage and passion necessary to drive Granny off the cliff.
Country song now: “Blood, Sweat, and Freedom”. Not exactly “Coal Miner’s Daughter”.
Had to walk my dog……………missed Walker, thank God.
Frothy Mix scheduled for 9:15 ET. Ann Romney at 10:05. Christie at 10:35.
I’m starting to flag. I need to call it a night.
Thanks for contributing, Beata!
I’m almost ready to attack something. Gotta watch something else.
I don’t know if I can survive long enough to watch Chris Christie. I know I can’t stomach Ann.
I guess they moved Santorum’s speech to prime time. Rachel said he’s coming up soon.
Do you know this night was actually billed as Women’s Night by the Romney Team? How many straight white misogynist guys talked tonight? Including Governor Vaginal Probe?
What?!
http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/08/slate-get-ready-for-ladies-night-at-the-rnc
Rick Stardom coming up pretty soon,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Here comes Rick the Dick.
Rick’s grandfather worked for the company store, but Santorum thinks that’s the “American Dream.”
Stardom’s first lie, millions more unemployed since Obama………damn liar.
Here we go. Marriage is dying out in places where there’s dependency on government. Like Virginia, where most people work in government jobs?
I can’t stomach this…
Fucking liar.
OMG. That’s hilarious!
OMG – that Christie ballon is hilarious!
LOL!!!! That is hysterical. The Met Life Blimp ain’t got nothin on Christe. I heard Christie is bringing the Big Tent to the GOP, his Suit Jacket.
Home school everybody, mandatory home schooling is needed.
lol
Chris Matthews mentioned Stardom using tax payers money to home school his children in Va…………..I can’t help but think that he was the number 2 candidate – if Romney hadn’t been nominated it would be Mr. Stardom.
All men, All MEN………not women, not humankind…………but all men have life, liberty and happiness…………..that from Mr. Stardom.
All that is coming from Stardom’s mouth is putting me to sleep…………..I am sure to wake up crying.
To paraphrase Daffy Duck: He’s despicable!
Oh Jeeze. Do we have to hear about his daughter? Is he going to talk about the dead fetus too?
JJ’s just posted her RNC cartoon thread above. Come up for some laughs!