Live-Blogging Republicans (Tues.)

Political party conventions are like a sporting event. Everyone gets to cheer their team and trash-talk the opponents. The funny part is that each team takes the field on their own to run up the score for a few days then the other team gets their chance. It's hard to keep score that way.

Just FYI, I'm sticking with Nate Silver's 538 for score keeping even if I've surpassed my ten free views for the month on the NY Times website. They let you get on the main page and only sometimes when you click to read more of a particular posting will the notice pop up to invite you to pay. It's as if the NY Times thinks they built the internet by themselves or something.

Anyway, keep on clicking. I'll have a few updates through the evening. Or I might just give up with all my grouchiness and annoyances.

It's easy to wax nostalgic about the good old days. But I swear I was much more entertained by both parties back then. I was aware of the trouble in 1968 - that wasn't much fun. Then I started watching political conventions in 1972 (when I was cheering Nixon - eew). I saw Jimmy Carter at his convention the night before I entered the LTM to learn Portuguese (I voted absentee for Ford). Then 1980 was really exciting with the Reagan surge, even though I favored HW Bush, and there was the fascinating fight between Carter and Kennedy on the Democratic side.

But back to the present, I caught a blip when Romney went over the top in the delegate votes. It was enough to pick up on the frustrated anger of the Ron Paul supporters that they weren't announcing his vote totals.

Rick Santorum's up. He is an effective speaker for the cause. There's still a disconnect with the idea that the government is something separate and apart from freedom, the people, and even America. I still have philosophical problems with the idea that the purpose of self-governance of, by, and for the people is the lack of government. And Santorum goes into the assault on marriage and the family. (I think he thinks the other side is assaulting, not him). Now Santorum lies about the President removing the work requirement from Welfare. Lie. What he did was allow states, at the request of many Republican governors, to impose other requirements equal to or stricter than the work requirement.

I'm switching between CNN with Anderson Cooper in the hurricane and Wolf & others in the convention hall and MSNBC with Rachel Maddow & Chris Matthews - and a few others on the panel. As long as Lawrence O'Donnell doesn't show up, I'm OK. Even the Rev. Al Sharpton was good on calling out Santorum on the anthropologically undiscovered "Blaa" People. Oh. And MSNBC has Steve Schmidt, McCain's campaign manager and the man who sort of admits his mistake in Governor Palin.

But then I like CNN with John King and especially David Gergen who has worked in the White House for presidents of both parties. And here's Artur Davis who left his Democratic Party and was chosen to speak at the Republican convention. It is interesting that many in the Republican Party are very opposed to "affirmative action" including the "affirmative action President," that they seem to go out of their way to spotlight the very few minorities they have in their party. And Davis lies about the welfare work requirement - and lies about bipartisanship failure. And CNN Contributor Roland Martin calls out Davis as a political fraud.

Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina is speaking. She got sued by the President (oh, yeah. Constitutional violations of Congress's plenary authority over immigration - surprising that opposition to the Constitution of the United States would come out of South Carolina!)

I keep getting commentator talk on both CNN and MSNBC. I don't want to miss the Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Mia Love, Utah County's new tea party fave running against Utah's only Democrat in Congress, Jim Matheson. Or maybe I already missed her?

Ann's up. I really hope she does well and doesn't embarrass herself, her husband, or her coreligionists. She's so excited! But taking a moment for hurricane, etc. -including first-responders (government types), and property along with people victims. Now she will talk about "love." I'm sure she probably loves him and he loves her and her kids, grandkids, etc. But is that something so special or unique? Moms and dads are sighing and Ann hears them -especially the moms. (maybe she went to Sunday School and heard the lesson on the mothers of the stripling warriors?) Moms are the hope of America. [My oldest daughter-in-law told me that she finds Ann really annoying.] Now she's explaining that Mitt made her laugh. She does invoke her Welsh coal-mining grandfather - can't be all bad. And she invokes George Romney. That's good too.

Ann & Mitt couldn't wait to get married. Lived in a basement. She was a young mother. Now on the family. Still in love. Storybook marriage with screaming boys. Now she invokes her MS & breast cancer - not a storybook a real marriage. Seen him spend countless hours in service to others - church calls late at night. (I have had similar experiences.) Mitt will work hard to make this country a better place to live.

Now she gets feisty on Mitt's history of success being attacked. Mitt very fortunate. But. She tells us he was not handed his success. He built it. She was there when they struggled with the new company. Mitt just worked harder to press on. (Invoking LDS hymns?) He doesn't talk about helping others because it's a privilege not a political talking point. But she's still feisty and angry bout helping others. Angry face "no greater joy." and quoting scripture.

And he saved Olympics and Massachusetts including having the best schools. This is the man America needs. He'll solve it and fix it. He will work hard so we can work a little less hard (?) This man will not fail. He won't let us down. He'll lift up America. 47 years from that first dance and she's still lucky and in love (but oddly angry about it).

It was a good speech. I'm not moved or changed, though. And there's a big hug from her husband himself. I had to get off MSNBC cuz Lawrence was coming on. And Chris Matthews was taking it a bit far about Mitt being a stiff, wooden conehead from outer space. And he complains about them making the President appear as "the other?"

Now Gov. Christie with the keynote address. Christie invokes Springsteen - can't be all bad. OK. I'm having some fun. But Christie then goes into how we are trying too hard to be loved these days. Oh, I see. Leaders not taking on the hard issues. And he's choosing respect over love (odd juxtaposition with Anne's speech.) He's balancing budgets and lowering taxes. He took on unions and public sector and fixed it. He reformed teachers too.

I think I'm switching to the Daily Show in a few minutes.

Gov. Christie believes that the Dems believe America needs to be coddled. And they scare old people. Whistling a happy tune while driving off the fiscal cliff. (The crowd didn't get that one.) Teachers teach because they love children (apparently, that's pay enough.) He believes that Dems believe different things. (Come on Comedy Central!) Why is there this thing like smoky fog behind Gov. Christie?

Christie cheers Romney-Ryan and the good Governor (formerly of Mass.) looks like he's getting weepy. There is an old tradition that the potential nominee stays away from the convention until the nomination and the big appearance for the acceptance speech. Gov. Romney looks like he's kind of uncomfortable to be there. And Gov. Christie goes to the Greatest Generation. He wants a Second American Century repeated several times - and American Exceptionalism. Now he's getting everybody to stand up with him (must be exercise time.) I'm glad I don't have to stand up to change the channel (those were the real old days.)