The Week In Tampa: A Stumble Out Of The Gate, And A Limp To The Finish

[SunsetDreams]

TAMPA, Fla. — The 2012 Republican National Convention began with a day of canceled events, and ended with a bizarre unscripted moment in which Clint Eastwood lectured an empty chair. And there were few true bright spots in between.

The party’s rising star, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, failed to impress with his much-hyped keynote address. The vaunted vice presidential nominee? His speech took a pounding from fact-checkers, potentially knocking the Romney campaign off kilter just as it enters the home stretch.

And then there’s the racially charged flying legumes.

There was much for Republicans to celebrate in Tampa: the fresh faces on stage who energized the room and revealed a deep Republican bench of young talent, the emergence of Ann Romney as a beloved national figure and a final night that went a long way toward humanizing Mitt Romney with compelling personal stories.

...

On the first day of the convention, tensions boiled over as they staged a rowdy protest during the official roll call vote. On the second night, they sat for a video tribute to Paul, then walked out en masse, chanting anti-RNC slogans.

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/08/romney-tampa-fail.php?ref=fpa

Bizarre Convention.

Obama/Biden 2012

[sadbear]

1. Ann Romney, a beloved national figure?

C'mon TPM, there's no need to pull any Paul Ryans.