I just read a great op-ed by Gail Collins at The New York Times, about how the GOP convention failed at what it was supposed to be doing for the past two days, define Mitt Romney for the entire country, premised on the theme that Mitt Romney was something that needed a renovation like an old house. Forget the etch-a-sketch, they need a complete makeover here without using government dollars, "just private corporations and rich people."
Instead, the country has witnessed a parade of speeches where the GOP elite ended up talking more about people in their own families. Was it because it was difficult to find things to say about Mitt Romney? Even Rick Santorum talked about his coal miner grandfather as did Ann Romney, and Collins notes that Mitt Romney may be the only person at the convention who doesn't have a coal miner in his family tree.
It is a very funny piece, so if you need a good laugh, I suggest you have a look. Here's a taste:
“Tonight I want to talk to you about love,” she [Ann Romney] said. The critical point was that Ann loves Mitt and Mitt loves America. What could be better than that? Then, half an hour later, Governor Christie decreed that respect trumps love. If these people can’t even decide where love ranks on their to-do list, you can appreciate why they found it impossible to get together to build a new presidential candidate.
(snip)
The best humanizing story about a robotic presidential candidate I can remember was the one John Kerry’s daughters told about how Kerry had saved their hamster Licorice from a “watery doom” by diving off a dock, retrieving the animal and administering C.P.R. And, actually, that didn’t work out so well.
They’ll make do with what they’ve got. One thing’s for sure: nobody in Tampa is all that interested in talking about Mitt Romney interacting with pets.
Renovating Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan Would Take Us Back—We Can't Afford That
Perhaps the GOP was looking to build a Mitt Romney reminiscent of a bygone era. If that's so, this video produced by the Obama Campaign for web sharing in the style of the old black and white newsreels they used to show at the movies before television was a household item does a much better job of defining the Romney-Ryan ticket.
Narrator: Mitt Romney has chosen Paul Ryan to be his vice presidential candidate. Mr. Ryan is new to the national scene. Out-of-Step Views from a Bygone Era! He is known as the author of the extreme GOP Budget.
Video of Paul Ryan: The Path to Prosperity.
Narrator One that many say, hurts the middle-class.
Fox Panel: One of the things that Paul Ryan's plan makes very clear is that the sacrifice will come from the middle-class and the poor.
Narrator: What exactly does his plan do?
Video of Wolf Blitzer: What Paul Ryan has done would be ending Medicare as we know it.
Response from Pundit (I don't know her name): The Paul Ryan Medicare Plan turns Medicare into a voucher system.
Video of Krystal Ball: Paul Ryan would cut Pell Grants for college students by $170 billion dollars and cut off a million students over the next decade.
Narrator: Even as it makes these dramatic cuts, it cuts taxes for the nation's millionaires and billionaires.
Video of Bob Schieffer interviewing Paul Ryan: You actually want to lower taxes on the wealthy.
Voice of Ed Schultz: It gives a 4.3 Trillion dollar tax cut to the wealthiest in this country.
Narrator: What's, perhaps, most important for the American public to understand are Paul Ryan's views towards woman.
Female guest on news show: Paul Ryan's vision for the United States is fiercely and harshly anti-female.
Voice of Male Commentator: He helped sponsor anti-abortion legislation that used the term "forcible rape."
Voice of Another Male Commentator: Ryan also voted four times to defund Planned Parenthood.
Video of Joan Walsh: Paul Ryan just the other day said well the method of conception doesn't matter as though rape is just another method of conception.
Narrator: It's clear that Paul Ryan's vision for America is one that will take the nation back to a very different era.
On Screen: Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan Would Take Us Back.
On Screen: WE CAN'T AFFORD THAT. WrongForTheMiddleClass.com