Annalise Domenighini
Executive Managing Editor
Mitt Romney accepted the Republican nomination for president Thursday, Aug. 30, ending the three-day Republican Convention in Tampa, Florida.
“I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America,” said Romney. “I do so with humility, deeply moved by the trust you have placed in me. It is a great honor. It is an even greater responsibility.”
During his speech, Romney highlighted his plan to get jobs for the 23 million Americans without them, criticized President Barack Obama for not getting farther in his four years with the economy and focused on the future.
“This is when our nation was supposed to start paying down the national debt and rolling back those massive deficits,” said Romney. “This was the hope and change America voted for. It’s not just what we wanted. It’s not just what we expected. It’s what Americans deserved.”
But instead of just talking about how he would bring those 23 million Americans jobs, Romney revealed a plan for dealing with unemployment.
“… Unlike the President, I have a plan to create 12 million new jobs. It has five steps. First, by 2020, North America will be energy independent by taking full advantage of our oil and coal and gas and nuclear and renewables,” said Romney. “Second, we will give our fellow citizens the skills they need for the jobs of today and the careers of tomorrow. Third, we will make trade work for America by forging new trade agreements. Fourth, to assure every entrepreneur and every job creator that their investments in America will not vanish as have those in Greece, we will cut the deficit and put America on track to a balanced budget. And fifth, we will champion small businesses, America’s engine of job growth.”
In addition to aiding the unemployed, Romney highlighted his stance on women in politics by beginning with his mother, Lenore Romney, her run for Senate in 1970, and pointing out how many women he has chosen to work with in his past.
“When my mom ran for the Senate, my dad was there for her every step of the way. I can still hear her saying in her beautiful voice, ‘Why should women have any less say than men, about the great decisions facing our nation?’” said Romney. “I wish she could have been here at the convention and heard leaders like Gov. Mary Fallin, Gov. Nikki Haley, Gov. Susana Martinez, Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. As governor of Massachusetts, I chose a woman lieutenant governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies.”
However, in the media aftermath of the Republican convention, the one event competing with Romney’s speech was Clint Eastwood’s surprise appearance- and discussion with an empty chair.
The chair was used as a prop, meant to represent President Obama, whom Eastwood was pretending to have a dialogue with. Eastwood used the chair to make fun of Obama from everything to his foreign policy, use of Air Force One and even Vice President Joe Biden.
The stint, which already has its own meme and twitter account, was seen by many, like Piers Morgan of CNN, as a faux pas in the otherwise perfectly choreographed Republican National Convention. However, Romney advisers maintained that while Eastwood may have gotten off track, it was part of a larger joke that was meant to bring the audience’s attention to the severity of unemployment in the United States.