RNC Wraps Up With Romney and Some Surprises

TAMPA – Actor and Director Clint Eastwood made a surprise endorsement, Marco Rubio wowed the delegates and Mitt Romney's friends and partners told America of their experiences with the man vying to be the next President of the United States. In his acceptance speech, Romney showed a more personal side than we've thus far seen.

Stories of lean days and raising kids, dreaming of growing up in his father's footsteps in the Michigan auto world, before going off on his own, and understanding the important role of his stay at home wife were among the stories he hit between political issues. His speech still contained plenty of red meat, asserting that the President had failed to improve the economy, while weakening our position in the world by not being tough enough with Iran.

Romney claimed the President was responsible for raising taxes on the middle class, while saying that was something he could never do, and that the President believed in punishing people for success.. Romney's speech was twice interrupted by protesters, though no one in the press gallery could determine what the dissent surrounded, before the protesters were ejected from the arena, while supporters shouted them down with chants of “USA, USA.”

Eastwood, who'd recently endorsed the former governor of Massachusetts, said that he understood why voters had been attracted to President Obama when he ran in 2008, but that he had failed in his efforts to improve the economy, and that 23 million unemployed Americans was proof that it was time to turn the country over to new ideas. The meandering speech included a shtick in which Eastwood pretended to be interviewing President Obama, while inferring that the President was telling him to shut up, as well as telling both Romney and Eastwood to go (expletive) themselves.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush spoke mostly about education, promoting school choice and charter school policies, while accusing the administration of sticking with the same old failed programs. Senator Marco Rubio gave an articulate and impassioned speech, perhaps the best of the convention, claiming that the policies the President had enacted were more reminiscent of those in countries that people left in order to come to America. Rubio invoked his father, who'd immigrated from Cuba and worked “behind a bar in the back of the room, so that one day I could stand behind the podium in front of the room.” Rubio received warm applause and stood out for delivering the best speech of the four days.

The Republican delegation was most responsive to accusations of “class warfare,” “demonizing success,” and “apologizing for America,” as well as promises to get tough with Iran and achieve energy independence through exploiting our own oil and natural gas reserves. The Democrats will have their national convention September 3-6 in Charlotte, North Carolina.