The Republicans rebound

The purpose of the Republican convention in Tampa, beyond the technical role of officially naming Mitt Romney as the presidential candidate, is to introduce the American people to the candidate himself.

Romney is not a political novice, but until now, no one has really given the public an in-depth picture of the man, which should present him as being attentive, altruistic and, most importantly, human, with a sense of humor and an understanding of the American heart. A man who understands the problems of the average citizen. At the very least, similar to President Barack Obama, who excels over Romney in his ability to endear himself to voters, even if the president is far from the "messiah" that he was four years ago.

Leading up to Romney's speech on Wednesday night, we were privileged to hear speeches by dozens of delegates, Congressmen and governors. Some commentators here claimed that most of the speakers thought first about themselves and about Romney later. But we must not forget that the Republican convention is also an opportunity for each politician to sell him or herself (Obama knows this very well). We need to wait a few more days to see how this conference affects the polls, but one thing is clear: The Republican Party as a whole benefited.

Of course, the Democratic camp sought to emphasize that the Republicans thus far have not said anything new. During New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's speech, we had to wait 20 minutes for even a mention of Romney. Even when he did mention Romney in his Tuesday speech, Christie only mentioned the nominee seven times. This is in contrast to Obama, who in his speech at the 2004 Democratic convention speech mentioned the candidate John Kerry 14 times.

But America discovered that the Republican Party has succeeded in rebuilding itself: Nine out of 10 Republicans declare that they will vote for Romney. Until a few months ago, everyone wondered if all the different streams within the party would manage to unite behind the Mormon candidate.

The U.S. also suddenly discovered a battery of Republican stars backing Romney — and they are not all white. Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina, comes from a Sikh background; Ted Cruz, a Hispanic Senate candidate from Texas; and, especially, Mia Love, a daughter of immigrant parents from Haiti, who is running for Congress from Utah. The Republican convention is extremely colorful, like all conventions, whether Democratic or Republican. Fifty states, 50 accents and 50 proud delegations.

It's true that Romney is a former governor of Massachusetts, but if he is the hero of the convention, the star is Wisconsin. One only had to see how Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Congressman and vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan were received by the crowd to feel that. Wisconsin is suddenly known for something other than its wonderful cheeses.

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