Women share their reasons for being at the Republican National Convention

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval was one of the featured speakers at the Republican National Convention’s first night. (Photo/Getty Images )

RNC: Latinos take center stage, and leave immigration issues behind

by Sandra Lilley, @sandralilley

7:16 am on 08/29/2012

Tampa, Florida – It was the first night to make an impression at the convention.  Republican leaders, including a number of Latinos, used their national platform to make their case for a Romney presidency with less government and regulation, while at the same time reassuring Hispanics they are indeed welcome in the party.

“President Obama’s campaign is going -to tell Hispanics that we’re not welcome here…” said Texas Tea Party Republican candidate Ted Cruz,who is running for U.S. Senate.  Instead, said Cruz, what is “tragic” is Hispanics’ high unemployment and regulations on their small businesses. Using religious imagery about a Great Awakening brought by the Tea Party and America as a “city on a hill,” the Cuban-American candidate argued the need to make a “stark choice” and advocate for the government to get out-of-the-way.

“Fifty five years ago, when my dad was a penniless immigrant, thank God some well-meaning bureaucrat didn’t put his arm around him and say let me take care of you,” said Cruz. “Let me give you a government check and make you dependent on government. And by the way, don’t bother learning English.  That would have been the most destructive thing anyone could have done,” said Cruz.

Brian Sandoval, governor of Nevada, described himself as a “child of working class Hispanics.” In his state of Nevada, he said government had not been an answer, but a problem.  Sandoval also talked about immigration – but only in a very specific way.

“One of the greatest duties I performed was to administer the oath of citizenship to new Americans – immigrants who embody our dream of opportunity and prosperity.”  Sandoval, like other Latinos in the first night’s speeches, did not touch on issues of immigration reform or undocumented immigrants.

The issue might not have been part of tonight’s speeches, but it is a part of the newly-approved Republican party platform.  The GOP platform does not support amnesty of any kind, including the Dream Act.  The party also adopted making English the official language of the U.S., and outlaws abortion in all cases. These harsher positions contrast with the less harsh tone taken by many of the speakers in the convention’s first night.

“The aesthetic presented by the party tonight contradicts the rhetoric and language in the platform,” says political scientist and NBC Latino contributor Stephen Nuno.

Luce Vela Fortuño, wife of Republican Puerto Rican Governor Luis Fortuño, had quite the moment in the spotlight  as she warmly introduced Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann Romney.  Vela Fortuño introduced  herself as a mother, practicing attorney, proud Latina and “die-hard Republican.”  Mrs. Romney, making a very marked appeal to women, did not touch on the abortion issue, which has been a source of controversy in the campaign for the last few weeks. Instead, she said women were the “best of America” and later said, “You can trust Mitt-give him that chance.”

On the convention floor, Michael Saragosa, a delegate from Placerville, Calif. who owns his own business, was hoping the convention would bring more momentum to the campaign aimed at Hispanics.

“The reality is we can always do better with Latinos, and we have to, but we are doing a lot more than we have,” says Saragosa.  ”There are sophisticated programs targeting Latino voters in all of the swing states that we have to win.” Saragosa says the goal is to get 40 percent of the Latino vote.

At the convention, Hispanic Republicans are pulling no punches against President Obama. “His administration is putting us out of business, it is our turn to put them out of office,” said Phil Archuleta, a small business owner who was introduced by Nevada governor Brian Sandoval.

In the meantime, Democrats have come out swinging on the convention’s first day.  ”You can’t just trot out a brown face or a Spanish surname and expect people are going to vote for your party or your candidate,” said Democratic National Chair Antonio Villaraigosa, who had called the newly- voted on platform “draconian.”

Other prominent Latino Republicans will speak tonight and tomorrow night in support of Romney.

“It’s going to be tough, and it’s going to be close – but we think we’ll get the message through,” says California delegate Michael Saragosa.

Speaking to Brian Williams at the convention last night, Senator Marco Rubio said the voters have a choice of two distinct parties, “and this is the kickoff.

First Thoughts: Mixed messages

Mixed messages: Both Ann Romney and Chris Christie gave fine speeches, but they created a disjointed message… Christie raises the bar for Romney… Last night showcased the GOP’s governors and its diverse candidates/officials… Isaac slams into Louisiana… Previewing Ryan’s speech… Is it really Mitt Romney’s party?... On the trail: Romney delivers speech to American Legion conference  in Indianapolis, while Obama stumps in Charlottesville… And did the Sea of Galilee story claim its first victim?

By Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Brooke Brower

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Individually, Tuesday's two big primetime speeches accomplished what they set out to do, but in making the soft and the hard sell on the same night, did the Romney campaign try to do too much? The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd reports.

TAMPA, FL -- Ann Romney humanizing her husband and delivering a well-received speech, check. Chris Christie hitting the Democrats and President Obama, as well as making the case that leadership requires tough choices, check. Individually, last night’s two primetime speeches here at the Republican convention accomplished what they set out to do. But taken together, they represented a clash in tone -- with Ann Romney telling the audience she wanted to talk about the power of love, and with Christie declaring, “Tonight, we’re going to choose respect over love.” Christie later added, “Our ideas are right for America, and their ideas have failed America.” Either speech could have concluded the night, but the two addresses didn’t mix well; it was like a meal of blueberry pancakes and ribeye steak, or a dessert of pickles and ice cream. There wasn’t a unifying message, so the parts seemed greater than the whole. Make no mistake: The Romney campaign can take pride in both speeches. And the time constraints and Monday’s cancellation didn’t give them a better alternative. But two polar-opposite addresses created a disjointed message.

*** Showcasing the GOP’s governors and its diverse candidates: But if the convention planners achieved one goal from last night, it was showcasing the party’s young governors and its diverse candidates and officials. Look at the governors who spoke last night: John Kasich, Mary Fallin, Bob McDonnell, Scott Walker, Brian Sandoval, and Nikki Haley. (In fact, Walker probably brought the crowd to its feet more than any other speaker last night.) And then there was the diversity: Mia Love, Kelly Ayotte, Ted Cruz, and Artur Davis. (Outside of Ann Romney, Christie, and Walker, Love’s short speech might have been the most impressive of the night.) Other things that struck us: Rick Santorum’s speech didn’t deliver the way the Romney campaign had seemed to promise (the welfare attack on Obama fell flat with the audience), and Cruz (with his walking around the stage) appeared to try too hard.*** Christie raises the bar for Romney: So if there’s criticism of Christie’s speech, it wasn’t in the substance -- but rather in the fact that it wasn’t the lasting moment after Ann Romney’s address. In a way, it was classic New Jersey: an interruption. One thing that Christie’s keynote speech did was raise the bar for Romney on Thursday. “You see, Mr. President -- real leaders don’t follow polls,” he said last night. “Real leaders change polls.” But is that a message more suited for Romney or Christie himself? After all, Romney is a politician who has often taken the easier path in politics (running as a supporter of abortion rights in Massachusetts, opposing them when he started eyeing the presidency, downplaying his health-care law, not answering if he would overturn President Obama’s new deportation policy for young undocumented immigrants).

*** Isaac slams into Louisiana: We’ll say a final word about last night: It came as Hurricane Isaac slammed into Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. “Hurricane Isaac spun into the southern Louisiana coast late Tuesday, sending floodwaters surging and unleashing fierce winds as residents hunkered down behind boarded-up windows,” the AP writes. “New Orleans calmly waited out another storm on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's seventh anniversary, hoping the city's strengthened levees would hold.” Ann Romney asked the audience to “hope and pray” that everyone on Gulf Coast was safe. But outside of that, the references to Isaac were sparse. 

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NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro recap the first night of Republican speeches from Ann Romney and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and preview vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan's speech to the crowd in Tampa.

*** Previewing Ryan’s speech: We now turn to tonight’s schedule of activities at the GOP convention, which will be highlighted by Paul Ryan’s speech accepting the party’s vice-presidential nomination. Already a full-fledged star in the Republican Party, Ryan has the potential to rock the crowd here in Tampa. After all, he can do it with biography (his family, the loss of his father, his love of hunting) as well as policy (the Ryan budget). And it will be the biggest speech of his political career so far. But let's also not get too carried away about the VP nominee speech; Palin's was the exception. (Beyond her, name another impactful VP nominee speech. The memorable convo speeches are almost all keynotes, spouses and top of tickets, not the VP.) The Romney camp says that, in Wisconsin, it will hold 20 watch parties of Ryan’s speech, and that there will be a special event in his hometown of Janesville. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign has produced this web video before Ryan’s speech tonight. Other stories we’ll be watching tonight: Will Mike Huckabee say anything about Todd Akin? And how will Condi Rice be received? We can’t think of her ever making a true public political speech before… 

*** Wednesday’s schedule (the theme is “We change it”):

7:00 pm ET hour: Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul
8:00 pm hour: John McCain, John Thune, Rob Portman,
9:00 pm hour: Luis Fortuno, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee
10:00 pm hour: Condi Rice, Susana Martinez, Paul Ryan

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012.

*** On the trail: The day before his big acceptance speech, Romney addresses the American Legion’s national conference in Indianapolis, IN… And President Obama finishes his two-day swing to college towns, speaking in Charlottesville, VA  30 minutes later at 3:30 pm ET.*** Is this really Romney’s party? Don’t miss this analysis from the Tampa Bay Times’ Adam Smith: “Mitt Romney on Tuesday officially became the leader of the Republican Party. What's unclear is how much it's really his Republican Party. Talk to delegates in and around the Tampa Bay Times Forum, and they're more likely to gush about Chris Christie or Marco Rubio than their nominee. Ask them to explain Romney's agenda and ideology and they point enthusiastically to running mate Paul Ryan's. ‘The party's not defined by the top of the ticket anymore. The party is defined by the broader community of people who choose to associate and participate,'' said Matt Kibbe, chairman of FreedomWorks, the grass roots organizing group aligned with tea party conservatives. ’It's not so much about Mitt.’”

*** Did that dip in the Sea of Galilee claim its first victim? Arizona held its primaries last night, and David Schweikert (R) defeated Ben Quayle (R) in the state’s member-vs.-member contest.Taegan Goddard's Political Wire spots this in the Arizona Republic's write-up  of the race. “As ballots rolled in, Quayle campaign volunteer Paul Gorman attributed the loss to fallout from a recent story about Congress members partying in Israel, including one who stripped naked to swim. Quayle was on the trip but said he only took a brief, reverent dip in the Sea of Galilee.” The race was always going to be tough for Quayle, but the timing of the Sea of Galilee story sure didn’t help. In other news out of Arizona, we have our Senate match up -- Jeff Flake (R) vs. Richard Carmona (D).

Countdown to Dem convention: 5 days
Countdown to 1^st presidential debate: 35 days
Countdown to VP debate: 43 days
Countdown to 2^nd presidential debate: 48 days
Countdown to 3^rd presidential debate: 54 days
Countdown to Election Day: 69 days

Citizens United seeks to turn 'The Hope and The Change' on President Obama

By NBC News Michael Isikoff and Jamie Novogrod

You may have never heard his name, but David Bossie has already done plenty to influence the 2012 election and he’s not finished yet.

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NBC's Michael Isikoff speaks with Citizens United President David Bossie on Aug. 26, 2012 about the Obama-critical film "The Hope and the Change," set to premiere this week in Tampa.

Now, the veteran conservative activist, whose political “oppo” movie-making triggered the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court that unleashed unlimited spending on campaign ads, is planning to make another big splash at this week’s GOP convention.  This week, Bossie will be unveiling a  new $5 million attack film depicting Barack Obama as an out of touch elitist whose presidency has been a complete failure.

The movie , “The Hope and The Change,” is the latest and most ambitious production yet of Citizens United—the conservative advocacy group that Bossie heads. It’s an ideological companion to “2016: Obama’s America,” another anti-Obama movie by conservative writer Dinesh D’Souza that made a surprisingly strong showing in the box office last weekend.

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There's a little bit of mixing business and pleasure at the Republican National Convention. The delegates will be wooed at lavish bashes, many times hosted by big lobbyists. NBC's Michael Isikoff reports.

In Bossie’s movie, an advance copy of which he  shared with NBC News, a parade of 40 voters—all of whom say they voted for Obama in 2008 and many with hard luck stories – vent about bailouts, subsidies for the wealthy, health care and their utter disillusionment with the president. 

“There are some really unbelievably powerful moments in this film where you get choked up over,” says Bossie, as he discussed his high hopes for the movie in an interview Sunday.  “ Because these people, they’re your average Americans.  These are average Americans.”

The voters seen in the film weren’t selected by accident. They were culled from thousands of participants in focus groups in key battleground states conducted for Citizens United by  Patrick Cadell, the one- time Jimmy Carter pollster (and now a regular commentator on Fox News.) Cadell  teamed up with Bossie and director Steve Bannon—former executive chairman of Breitbart.com, the website of the late conservative activist Andrew Breitbart--  to make “The Hope and The Change.” 

“It’s really a story of these 40 Democrats and Independents and their lives over the last four years,” says Bossie. “They bought into the hope and change.  They bought into the rhetoric of, ‘I’m a uniter, not a divider.’ ... If conservatives can learn  to talk these people – this group of people – they’re going to be able to win a lot of elections.

Related: First Thoughts: Two storms in two weeks

Not all of the commentary made by the voters in the film would withstand the scrutiny of fact checkers. Several complain about big bail-outs to big  banks (“Nobody came to help me and bail me out,” one says) with no mention that it was actually President Bush, not Obama, who approved the TARP bail-out to banks in late 2008.

But even more arresting moments than the stories of these voters may be  shots in “The Hope and The Change” of adoring, near hysterical crowds watching Obama speeches in 2008 -- images that one critic has already compared to scenes from the movies of Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl.  (Bossie, for his part, rejects the comparison, saying he’s never even seen any of Riefenstahl’s  movies.)

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

As the movie progresses, these are followed by repeated clips of a seemingly carefree  president shooting hoops, playing golf, yucking it up with Hollywood celebrities and taking vacations in Hawaii and Martha’s Vinyard—all while Bossie’s “average Americans” are suffering.

Bossie, who earned his spurs as a congressional investigator on the Whitewater investigation and other Clinton era probes, has invited hundreds to the  world premier of “The Hope and The Change,” Tuesday  afternoon at Liberty Plaza—a sprawling white tent a few blocks from the Tampa Convention Center where Citizens United, the super PAC American Action Network, and a host of other companies and lobbying organizations have set up entertainment centers and rest areas for the delegates and GOP lawmakers.

But Bossie says the big impact from his film will become later this week when he announces what he is touting as a “major TV deal” to air his movie on its entirety on cable. (Portions were aired last Friday night on a special Sean Hannity show.) Following that, Bossie says, the movie will be spliced up and turned into Citizens United attack ads that will run right up to election day. 

In producing “The Hope and The Change,”  Bossie says he takes his inspiration from Michael Moore, the famed leftwing filmmaker whose “Fahrenheit 911” skewered then-President George W. Bush before the 2004 election.

Indeed, Bossie says it was Moore who prompted him and Citizens United to do an earlier attack movie on Hillary Clinton that led to the now famous Supreme Court decision rejecting restrictions on big money attack ads in political campaigns.

“Michael Moore made a film attacking George Bush, and he didn’t let the facts get in the way of a good storyline,” says Bossie. “ What we did was want to be able to do the same thing. That’s what the Citizens United case emanated from. .. And that’s why in 2008 I went to the United States Supreme Court to fight for my right, and it took me many years.  And in 2010 we finally won our victory.” 

Now, Bossie says, the legal gloves are off: He can make whatever film he wants, spend as much as he can raise to influence the election (and not tell anybody where the money comes from) and not worry about the Federal Election Commission coming after him.

“This is the first election cycle that we are now legally able to make a political documentary and show it and its ads on television,” he says. “And we’re really excited about that.”

Santorum: We never let go of Bella

CNN|Added on August 28, 2012Former Pres. candidate Rick Santorum talks about daughter Bella who has a genetic disorder - and the right to life.

Video: Tuesday night's RNC speeches

The NBC Politics team has curated some of the notable speeches from the first night of the Republican National Convention in Tampa.  

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Ann Romney talks about her marriage to Mitt Romney, her children and their lives together as she characterizes the GOP nominee as a trustworthy, compasionate leader.

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie uses his keynote address at the Republican National Convention to talk about New Jersey's successes and how he believes that as a country "we are beginning to do what is right ... to make our country great again."

House Speaker John Boehner tells the rank-and-file at the Republican National Convention that "we can do better" as he pans President Barack Obama's performance.

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Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell emphasizes the importance of small business owners in America as he criticizes President Barack Obama's fiscal policies at the Republican National Convention

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker criticizes President Barack Obama's fiscal policies while promoting the experience of GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney at the Republican National Convention.

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Addressing the Republican National Convention, Former Senator Rick Santorum broke from the recurring theme of criticising President Barrack Obama's fiscal policies to emphasize social issues.

 

South Carolina Gov. Nikky Haley denounces President Obama's fiscal policies while depict GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney as a results driven leader.

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Convention seeks to repair GOP erosion with women and Latinos

TAMPA, Fla. –  After a one-day delay, the Republican National Convention has kicked off, and the party’s overtures to women and Latinos – two groups with whom the GOP has lagged in this election cycle – will make up the centerpiece of Tuesday’s programming.

Some Republican Latinos regarded as rising stars in the party will be thrust into the national spotlight over the next few days, part of a comprehensive effort by the GOP to court Hispanic voters, an increasingly important voting bloc in several swing states.

Among the Latino speakers appearing at Tuesday's Republican National Convention session are Rep. Francisco Canseco, R-Texas, Sher Valenzuela, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Delaware, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, and Texas GOP Senate nominee Ted Cruz.

And Luce Vela Fortuno, the first lady of Puerto Rico, will introduce Ann Romney before her highly anticipated address.

All conventions are choreographed to send a very specific message to voters, and are intended to win additional support that the presidential candidate or party might not have been able to count on.

NBC Latino: Republican Latinos unite behind Romney and focus on the economy

But the stakes are particularly high for the GOP this cycle given Mitt Romney’s deficit with Latino voters, along with a similar disadvantage with women – groups whom the Obama campaign has assiduously courted as it charts a path toward re-election.

“The party has shot itself many times in the foot with the community; it hasn’t done all it could,” said Al Cardenas, the American Conservative Union chairman who’s long pushed for greater efforts to court Latinos. “The good news for Romney is that the party kind of hit bottom, so the arrow has nowhere to point but north.”

Johnny Hanson / AP

Ted Cruz, left, and his general consultant Jason Johnson look at early returns in his war room at the JW Marriott in the Galleria during his runoff election on July 31, 2012, in Houston.

Republicans feel they’re putting forward more powerful voices than ever, though, in their bid to win over Hispanics. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s speech introducing Romney on Thursday is one of the convention’s most highly anticipated, as are the speeches by Cruz and Sandoval.

“I think the GOP putting our five highest-level elected Latinos as speakers at the convention is really a very good thing,” said Ana Navarro, a Florida-based Republican strategist.

Read: Villaraigosa: Republicans 'can't just trot out a brown face'

President George W. Bush won 44 percent of the Latino vote in his 2004 re-election bid, and Arizona Sen. John McCain won 31 percent of the Latino vote in 2008. Both were proponents of comprehensive immigration reform.

In the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Telemundo poll, Romney won the support of just 23 percent of registered Latino voters – an ominous sign, especially since Hispanic voters are wielding growing influence in several swing states.

“If the polls are accurate, and Romney is under 30 percent – in the high 20s with Latinos – it really is very concerning,” said Navarro.

“If the needle doesn't move, put a fork in Romney because he's done.”

Democrats have been dismissive of Republican efforts to court Latinos as mere lip service for Hispanic voters and their concerns.

      Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyA political panel joins      Andrea Mitchell Reports to discuss the start of the RNC and preview Mitt Romney's speech on Thursday.

"You can't just trot out a brown face or a Spanish surname and expect people are going to vote for your party or your candidate," said Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at a press conference Tuesday morning.

But arguably just as pressing for Republicans this week is their need to eat into Obama's and Democrats’ advantage among women.

Obama led Romney 51 percent to 41 percent among women in the August NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, and the GOP brand lags significantly behind the Democratic brand among women voters. Forty-five percent of women in the August poll had a favorable impression of the Democratic Party, while 36 percent had an unfavorable view; women voters had a 36 percent positive view of the GOP, and a 47 percent negative view.

Related: “We need the Hispanic vote and we want to win it,” says Craig Romney

Republicans are hopeful that Tuesday evening’s speeches by Ann Romney and Washington Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers will help soften women’s views of the party, especially on the heels of Missouri Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin’s recent comments about rape.

Other prominent GOP women taking the stage tonight are Gov. Nikki Haley, R-S.C., Gov. Mary Fallin, R-Okla., and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte (a rumored member of Mitt Romney's vice presidential short list).

“We’re not in territory where we can’t win … you can lose women by 7 to 8 points and win the election,” said Sara Taylor Fagen, a former communications director in the Bush administration. “We’re in territory with Hispanics where, if over the long term we don’t improve, we can’t win.”

Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, answers questions from the media on board their campaign plane on Aug. 28, 2012 en route to Tampa, Florida, for the Republican National Convention.

The Obama campaign has seized on instances where Republicans seemed to target access to contraception this past year in order to strengthen its advantage among women; it's backed up that message with millions in television advertising.

California Rep. Mary Bono Mack, a Republican who supports abortion rights, said earlier today on MSNBC that she wished the GOP would use “softer” language in its platform when it comes to reproductive rights.

“I think that we would be better served if we loosened that up a bit,” she said.

But Republicans might be better served to stay the course with their emphasis on the economy and health care rather than contraceptive issues.

“Women in this campaign who are going to vote on the basis of social issues have already probably decided for Barack Obama,” she said. 

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