Fulfilling a lifelong dream

TAMPA, Fla. — Candidate Romney will soon fulfill a lifelong dream. Tonight he will become the Republican nominee for the presidency of the United States. The convention is off to a promising start, which makes many conservatives feel bad for the media: What will they have to report on? I’m sure that they’ll find a way to manufacture a few gaffes by the time we’re finished here.

Everyone is talking about Paul Ryan and Condoleezza Rice’s speeches, both of which were intelligent, articulate defenses of conservative principles, but I want to come back to Tuesday night’s speeches for a moment.

Ann Romney did a great job in humanizing Gov. Romney and reaching out to female voters without overreaching or pandering (as is so often done in our politics nowadays). I actually wanted to hear more from her about the governor. She told a great story of early struggles leading to later successes, one that appeals to all of us.

It was great to hear from Artur Davis, too, as someone, like many, who supported Obama in 2008, but has had enough. This election is going to come down to people like discontented Obama supporters who gave Obama a chance, but have buyer’s remorse. They will decide this election, so it’s particularly wise to have Davis in a prominent position in the campaign.

But I can tell you that the mood here was most electric for Scott Walker. He was rightly given a hero’s welcome, the welcome of a conqueror returning home from battle. The reaction was only surpassed by that to Paul Ryan.

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