Who’s Speaking at the RNC and Who, Notably, Isn’t
You can tell a party’s strategy not just by whom they invite to the party, but by who is left off the speaker’s dais.
Next week’s Republican National Convention features a well-scripted mix of diverse names and faces designed to paint an attractive picture not just for Republicans but for the undecided or persuadable in the TV audience.
But it also leaves off some key names that most would associate strongly with the Republican story over the past four years — and with the GOP’s future.
Barring a change in schedule by Hurricane Isaac, the convention is opening Monday with the formality of NRC Chairman Reince Priebus welcoming delegates, the Oak Ridge Boys singing the national anthem, and procedural steps by convention chairman John Boehner (R-Ohio), Rules Committee Chairman John Sununu, Resolutions Committee Chairman Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.), and Resolutions Co-Chairmen Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
As afternoon turns into the primetime session, the speaker of the House returns for remarks, along with hosting Gov. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), former Democratic Rep. Artur Davis (Ala.), Texas Senate Republican candidate Ted Cruz, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Puerto Rican first lady Lucé Vela Fortuño, and Ann Romney.
The first day’s lineup is a microcosm of the party mix that convention organizers want the national audience to digest. You have the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House, the first and only nods to the Tea Party, a rising-star woman governor, and a mix of ethnic diversity. As the tussle over Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-Texas) delegates continues and the Paulstock festival is planned to rock another part of Tampa, the Rand Paul slot is clearly an attempt to appease the libertarian wing — though at CPAC, the Paulistas wanted to be more excited at Rand over Ron than they actually were, as father and son don’t hit all the same notes.
Rand Paul is the only member of the more than five-dozen strong Tea Party Caucus in Congress who has a convention speaking role during the week. Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) have been prominent proponents of the Tea Party platform in the upper chamber in the 112th Congress, but neither is speaking.
Also missing from the week’s speeches are Tea Party favorite Reps. Allen West (R-Fla.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.). The first black Republican to be elected from the South since Reconstruction, Scott has served as one of two freshman liaisons to GOP leadership and has succeeded at bringing members of both parties together to promote entrepreneurship through his Revitalizing America initiative. It’s hard to think of a better guy to get up and counter President Obama’s “you didn’t build that” meme.
The convention will use Davis, a co-chairman of Obama’s 2008 campaign, as a welcome mat to invite other Democrats and independents frustrated with the past four years to come over and support Romney. Expect this speech to be heavy on the struggling economy and stubborn unemployment rate.
On Tuesday evening the RNC will press the “We Built It” theme with a governor-heavy slate.
Mia Love, the Saratoga Springs, Utah, mayor running for the House, will speak along with former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.).
Then comes the gubernatorial flood: John Kasich (Ohio), Mary Fallin (Okla.), McDonnell, Scott Walker (Wis.), Bobby Jindal (La.), Susana Martinez (N.M.), and Chris Christie (N.J.). In the middle of the governor-centric spree will be Sher Valenzuela, a small-business owner running for lieutenant governor in Delaware.
Santorum is the only of Romney’s competitors in the GOP primary to have a speaking role at the convention. And if there’s one thing we learned this primary season, it’s that Texas Gov. Rick Perry (a previous RNC speaker) is great at giving a speech (see: 10th Amendment, and one of the only speakers to really rile up the base at CPAC) if not great at debating. Perry’s not an enthusiastic supporter of Romney, but neither is Santorum. Santorum is strong among social conservatives, but the GOP goes into the convention with a renewed focus on social issues that Romney’s team doesn’t want.
What happened to Mitch Daniels? Does the RNC not want anyone to speak clearly about America’s fiscal abyss?
Mitch pulled away from frontline politics to accept the presidency at Purdue University. Good man for the job at Purdue.
Mitch Daniels? Seriously?
Romney is alread accused of killing that guy’s wife. Do you want him to face a few million counts of murder for all the people who would die of excruciating terminal boredom if Daniels spoke? He’s already taking a huge risk as it is with the present lineup.
What part of Daniels’ serial signals that he doesn’t want to play now did you miss? Besides, the only reason Romney is at effective parity with Obama, a sitting president, is because EVERYBODY knows about the fiscal time bomb facing the country. What they haven’t resolved in their own minds is exactly how much they are willing to sacrifice individually to save the country. Extent and equality of suffering hasn’t been limned clearly yet and won’t for years.
56 of our Founders put their name to a document declaring that their cause was liberty. 236 years later, our cause is the same. If you wish to pledge—as they did—to defend economic liberty, take a moment to watch Free Market America’s newest video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6h9IJ15rdQ
The Institutional Republicans do not want to show anyone or anything that would really inspire resistance to Obama and his regime. They don’t do either inspiration or resistance all that well.
No problem. That is what we expect, because it is their convention, not the convention of the TEA Party/Patriot Movement. We know they hate us. And they know that we will still vote for Romney in November. Or more accurately, we will vote against Obama. But I suspect that this is the last time we will be under one party banner, unless Romney surprises everybody and starts really rolling back the damage done to the country and Constitution since January 2007 when the Democrats took Congress.
Let them do it any way they want to. November 6 is the payoff and the place where history will change, one way or another.
Subotai Bahadur
Yep.
As usual, dead on target.
With a few exceptions a bunch of stuffed shirts & losers. What, McCain speaks & Alan West & Palin don’t??? This is just the SOS repackaged by RINOS w/ a few very small bones thrown to the Tea Party? Me? I’d rather watch the grass grow than this convention…
Why would anyone in their right mind watch this collection of boring washed up hacks?
Well I know this much. If they ain’t having George Patton, Charles Martel and Pope Urban II speaking, I’m not going.
No Sarah Palin, no Allen West, big mistake, big stupid mistake. Wake the hell up you Republican boneheads, you’re supposed to wake the electoral base and fence sitters up not put them to sleep.
A little advise Mitt, a personal invitation to these two let everyone know who is in charge,YOU, not the Republican Hierarchy.
Which tells you all you need to know.
There will be fireworks.
Since the theme of “We Built That” is a direct attack on Obama’s “You didn’t build that,” why aren’t there actual entrepreneurs and industrialists and small business owners speaking?
This is a parade of politicians. Where are the actual job creators from the private sector?
There are a lot of legal immigrants who built their own businesses here in America. In the town I used to live, there was one immigrant from family China who arrived with little money but who started a dry-cleaning business. Years later he opened more businesses and now has a chain of dry-cleaning stores employing more people.
That’s the kind of speaker the GOP should have at the convention. It would show both how the private sector creates jobs–and it would show how the GOP welcomes legal immigrants to America.
This is Romney’s show. Why Allen West isn’t speaking is a mystery, however, Palin might heat it up, but I no longer trust her. She is not a Romney supporter and anything she says would sound hypocritical, so best she not speak. I will watch as much of the Convention as I can, except for Santorum. What the heck is he doing there? He is almost as bad as Obama with his I, Me, My and the constant whining he does. Before you get too bent out of shape over the list of speakers, both known and not so well known, remember that even though this year it is Romney’s show, it is still the Republican National Convention and they need to support down ticket and Governor’s races as well as the national race plus take care of party business. Some of it will seem plodding without any glitz and glamour, but I think there will be plenty of interest and enough entertainment to go around. Please watch as much as you are able. Go Romney/Ryan!
doesn’t want Sarah Palin, Allen West, Michelle Bachmann, Jan Brewer, etc. to speak, I don’t trust him.
Why not let Gov. Brewer speak and go after Obama more? Why not let Rep. Cantor speak and talk about fiscal reponsibility? Why not let Rep. West speak and show Republican diversity? Why not let Mourdock (or more of the several other of the candidates in needed seats) speak and demonstrate he is capable of replacing Sen. Lugar? And why not hear from Rep. Bachman, Herman Cain, and former Gov. Palin?
Because to showcase anyone but RNC “approved” selections would actually cause news and excitement. There might be a story and provide more incentative for the news organizations to provide more than just 3 hours of coverage. The RNC might get someone elected or in their minds cause a harmful story (Rep. Todd Akin).
As we know politics is theatre. You can’t have the warm up show better than the main act. Ryan’s speach is more likely to stir up the crowd than Romney will. All the other prementioned non-speakers would whip the crowd up and it would be a let down when the nominees appeared and spoke.
Also this is all rewards for those who curry favor at the national level and for those who may become the next “golden” boy or girl. It is a nod to those who have “served” the party.
I’m sitting this one out. Yes, it’s the most important election in our country’s history. So what?
Obama is an America-hating sonofabitch? I know that and more. I’m still sitting it out. Why?
Because, I can trust Obama to be what he is. Republicans double-cross their best and finest.
Oh, very shrewd. That’ll teach ‘em.
you’ll win Missouri if Akin’s out?
That and the fact that in California/Massachusetts/New York/Vermont/whatever other deep blue state that you’re from, it won’t matter, anyway.
it’s the Missouri voters that count. How do you know they don’t think the way I do, snorky?
Get Smart some of you didn’t get your nominee in on the action… SO WHAT, NEITHER DID I. But like a spoiled brat of a child who got most of what you wanted in life…’MAN UP!” I WANT TO DEFEAT THIS POS WHO CALLS HIMSELF AN AMERICAN…ANY WAY I CAN! SOME OF YOU …GET REAL…AND SOME OF YOU WHO ARE PRETENDING TO BE DISGRUNTLED PUBS’ OR CONSERVATIVE…JUST MAY BE ‘NOT!” TIME TO MAN UP, SUCK IT UP… PULL IT IN …AND REMEMBER THE NEXT ELECTION JUST MIGHT NOT EVEN HAPPEN…BECAUSE YOU WILL BE UNDER A ISLAMIC/COMMUNIST DICTATOR WHO WILL REIGN YU AND A FAMILY MEMBER IN …ANY TIME YOU FORGET YOUR ARE NO LONGER OPERATING IN ‘FREE MODE!” … and if so you will think back and remember how could I have been such a stuborn fool?
If Obama is a SonofaB_ _ _ _and you can trust him, what do you call the Republicans you cannot trust…..hmmmmmmm.
I’ve almost concluded that the Dems deserve another 4 years. Not because they’ve earned it, but because their opponents, the Repubs, can’t get off the
benches. To allow Obama to trash his office, the constitution, presidential honor and decency is not acceptable. To sit by while he bails out his friends and spends the taxpayers money to take never-ending vacations, violating the rule of office to raise money, and getting passes instead of impeachment, is abhorent. I blame his opponents, who have shown themselves to be week-kneed asses. Where are the real conservatives? Gingrich? West? Pallin? Someone is
asleep at the switch. Wake me when it’s over.
#12. You are a fool! Sit it out and let this country go down the drain. Will there be another election in 2016, maybe but by that time 60% of the people will be taking gov handouts and they will never vote to loose those benefits. This is the one time we can reverse it without civil war.
Maybe you don’t have chilren so you don’t care, I do, I care.
Romney is the man for the times. He will reverse the trajectory of this administration!
The state dept is thinking of getting rid of all our nuclear arsonal (see breitbart) so we will be defenseless.
But you take your selfish wants and sit this one out!
Well said.
Do I know you?
Maine to Toronto, a long way, don’t think so! But who knows.
I must say I was increasingly worried as I read this article that Rubio’s name wouldn’t come up. He along with Christie are IMHO the best two speakers in the Republican party. It sounds like Rubio is getting a strong spot just before Romney from the last sentience in the article, but I can’t be sure – it might just be a cameo. I’m not sure if he is regarded as Tea Party but I certainly see him as one of the 2010 insurgent candidates who destroyed a privileged RINO against the odds. Every time i hear him speak I want to follow him up San Juan Hill.
The only – and I mean only – reason to vote for Romney is as the anti-Obama. I suspect you won’t be able to tell the difference between the two when he wins. They’re both in banksters’ pockets. F… the GOP. I can’t wait to steal the party out from under them.
And not being 0bama is good enough reason for me to support Romney, however distasteful I find some of his past positions.
I am proudly and happily supporting the man who will turn things around! I’m not holding my nose, or hiding as I go to the voting booth! He is a good, honest man and I believe he will do as he has stated. We have to get behind him because as the ugly drips out about this admin almost everything has to be changed. It’s going to take a superhuman effort to get rid of all the rats running around all the agencies.
I hope one of the first things he will do is to stop all conventions out of town. It can be done on the computer. He stopped all the dinners that the olympics were loving to have and ordered pizza in and they could buy their drinks down the hall for $1.00.
He is a smart business man and lives by the bottom line.
“I’m not holding my nose, or hiding as I go to the voting booth!”
Just curious, Toronto Gal, where exactly are you going to vote for Romney? Last I heard, Canada was still a foreign country. Or are you an American living in Canada? Or has Obama given another executive order allowing Canadians to vote in American elections?
I don’t live in Toronto any more – born there lived there until college. I still love it. Is that OK? Can I do that? I’m a proud American citizen, over legally, police clearance, health clearance, sponsor, had to agree to never take welfare. Quite a difference than happening now, eh?
Have sad story about the Canadian health care system. But I think obama’s will be worse.
The two primary aims of the convention are to not give the opposition any ammunition and to introduce Romney to the country. Firing up the base is what the campaign is about, in part.
The speakers that you folks seem to favor have been notable Dem targets. We do not need that kind of distraction.
I liked conventions better when they actually did real work.
Sometimes no candidate had a majority of the delegates going into the convention, so the party had to choose its nominee at the convention. That was exciting. At the 1976 GOP convention, Reagan came within a hair’s-breadth of beating Ford for the GOP nomination. That was exciting.
Sometimes there were big fights over issues in the platform, which got put to a vote. That was exciting too. The conventions in 1968 were very exciting.
Conventions now are useless–and boring. How many American viewers are going to sit to watch speech after speech after speech after speech. The only remains purpose is to create sound bites for YouTube type videos to be used in campaign websites.
They have indeed become boring. Perhaps because they’ve moved away from doing their job being of being by the people, for the people, to being commercial and plastic. It’s so hollywood glitzy fake and insincere it’s sickening.
They’re so far removed from the public which they serve, it’s difficult to take them seriously, let alone believe a word they say.
Florida’s Col. West missing is a real head-scratcher.
I’m guessing he’s seen as divisive or extreme because of his outspoken views on Islam. The RNC probably imagines that “moderate Muslims” will be turned off and therefore will change their votes to the Democrats if West speaks….
Yeah, like there are “moderate Muslims” or Muslims that vote Republican anyway….
throwing the election again, just like in 2008
I wont be watching this Rino garbage. The Repub party has moved so far center it’s unrecognizable as the Grand Ole Party. I guess it has ‘evolved’ like progressives suggest our Constitution has.
We don’t have to cast a vote for Romney to not cast a vote for Obama. There are two Third Party candidates running who are much more conservative than Romney. One of which my husband and I will be casting our votes for.
Remember Abraham Lincoln was a third party candidate and a long shot. He was also one of our greatest Presidents to have ever served.
I am a life-long Republican and so have generations of my family before.
Since 2008 the only Republican that consistently inspired Republican ranks have been non other than Governor Sarah Palin.
Rarely, if ever, has any human being been subjected to such a vitriolic onslaught by the Liberal Media precisely because they recognized that this American Woman stood for our tradition of family values as few in either party could have.
Therefore, the combined might of the Democratic Propaganda Machine was unleashed on this truely American standardbeared of what is good and right in the United States of America.
I know that if I make a statement there are usually many others that feel the same way and eventually other conservative commentators will take up many of my earlier suggested principles.
I would respectfully suggest to Governor Romney as this year’s GOP presidential candidate that he disavow his handlers restrictive access and include a truely remarkable woman that did most of the hard slogging for the GOP cause while you were but a distant element in the wind.
Without Ms Palin there can only be an elitist-screened-and politically corrected selection of speakers to the GOP national convention in Tampa, Florida.
leaving Sarah Palin out in the cold. Crude, and ungrateful.
Total creeps.
Obama is happy, jumping for joy, right along with them.
Silly…she’s not there because she does not fit in. Imagine being able to see Russia from her backyard even with her glasses….great foreign policy experience. …better a side-line cheerleader at most!
Everyone should know by now that this is no longer the schedule. ABC, NBC & CBS are not going to televise the first day of the convention (which cuts coverage of Ann Romney’s speech) and there is a hurricane headed for Florida which might shorten the whole thing.
The line up of speakers sounds reasonable, there are some I would prefer hearing, but there isn’t room for everyone. I think it would be rude not to have John McCain speak – he was the nominee in 2008 and deserves a spot regardless of how some factions of what is laughingly called the Republican party feel about him. Santorum deserves a spot, he came in second – there is a reasonable contingent of Tea Party (Santorum, Huckabee, Cruz, Rubio, Rand Paul, Haley). I think it would have been a good idea to showcase some business owners, but there are time/space problems.
Whiners need to put on their big boy/girl pants and see the forest, not just a few favorite trees. You either get out and work/vote to elect Romney-Ryan OR you are de-facto supporting 4 more years of Obama.
That’s the Reality. The media is so poor at reporting exactly how bad things are both at home and abroad – it could be now or never to hold on to our way of life. I didn’t start out a ‘Romney fan’, but the more I learn about him – the better I like him. I’ve always been a fan of Paul Ryan. These two men are serious about fixing some of our problems.
Kibby’s a big boy.
thinking the same thing.
I would dis-invite Huckabee after his support of Akins. The man puts a face on smarmy. Obviously he is torn between the money connected with his TV job and the power connected with political jobs. I think I would sit out any election involving him as a candidate.
the GOP chair tell Levin that Palin was invited to speak and she declined and said something to the effect she had a scheduling conflict and I have not heard Palin rebutt that statement. Is this true? Why doesn’t someone ask her directly is this is so? She could clear up all the speculation if she wanted to.
You didn’t hear….she’s got a part on scooby do