Convention makes case for Romney

“Our problem with President Obama isn’t that he’s a bad person. By all accounts, he is a good husband and a good father. Thanks to a lot of practice, he’s also a good golfer.” [insert laugh track] “Our problem with Obama is that he’s a bad president.”

These words were spoken by Sen. Marco Rubio at the Republican National Convention last week, and they received heavy applause from the Republican-filled audience. The convention had many prominent political speakers who delivered witty one-liners like the above mentioned. The event brought more meaning and sense than just trivial jabs aimed at President Obama, however. It signified a united Republican party with a consistent and powerful message that was intended to convey why Obama shouldn’t be reelected.

The convention also defined. It defined Mitt Romney. Before the RNC, conservatives didn’t fully grasp Romney; some thought he was out-of-touch, too moderate and hard to trust, and others just did not know what to think about him, but for most, that changed.

One speaker that helped Romney’s chance at becoming the 45th president was his wife, Ann Romney. She spoke on opening night and stole the show. Instead of talking politics, she spoke about her and Mitt Romney’s life during college, family, faith and love for America. She told personal stories, such as how they met at a school dance and how they were broke college students.

Was it cheesy? Absolutely. Despite that, it was sincere, genuine and fantastically articulated. She helped people better understand Mitt. Not only that, she helped Mitt in the lady department. Poll numbers have indicated that his favorability rate among women voters is low, but an upswing is expected following the convention.

Ann Romney crafted her speech to include women.

“You are the best of America,” she said. “You are the hope of America. There would not be an America without you. Tonight, we salute you and sing your praises.” This line drew a standing ovation from men and women.

One of the best speeches throughout the RNC came from vice-president nominee Paul Ryan. Unlike Ann Romney’s speech, Ryan spoke about politics, economics and the failures of the Obama Administration - things we have heard before, but the greatest moments of his speech were personal statements.

During his speech, he spoke about his mother’s trials and tribulations when building her small business.

“It transformed my mom from a widow in grief to a small businesswomen...it gave her hope...it made us proud...my mom is my role model,” Ryan said.

The RNC was all about defining and humanizing the candidates, and quotes like the above mentioned undoubtedly succeeded in doing so. His primary duty was to introduce himself as a likeable, enthusiastic candidate. By the end of his speech, Ryan had the crowd cheering on their feet, and he brought something to the campaign that had desperately been missing: energy and enthusiasm.

The GOP even reached out to a Hollywood actor to deliver a special address. Clint Eastwood gave an amusing and rousing speech as he talked to an empty chair that he pretended was Barack Obama. Even some Republicans were begging the question, “What the hell?”

Overall, the convention not only helped the presidential ticket but also the entire Republican Party. For years, Republicans have been criticized for not being diverse. This year’s RNC proved the haters wrong. Some speakers included former Democratic U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño, Governor of New Mexico Susana Martinez and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The convention indisputably narrowed the gap between President Obama and Mitt Romney. It showed that Republicans won’t go down without a fight.

The Democratic National Convention is currently taking place in Charlotte, N.C. and will last until Thursday.

More important than watching the conventions, follow this important rule: Inform yourself. Think about it. Then vote on Nov. 6.