From Aug. 27 to 30, politicians, protestors and reporters will be gathering in Tampa for the Republican National Convention. WhichWayNC wants to keep track of what they’re saying as they promote the Republican agenda, support presidential hopeful Mitt Romney or exercise their First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
We’re anticipating some inspirational insights, some heated arguments and “wtf?” moments. If you’re on your phone, use your finger to slide through our gallery for your daily dose of political banter.
“I just thought, ‘this is great’. Everybody was crying. Oprah was crying. I was even crying. I haven’t cried that hard since I found out there’s 23 million unemployed people in this country. Now that is something to cry for because that is a disgrace, a national disgrace. “
- Clint Eastwood referring to the moment when Obama was elected in 2008 during his surprise speech at the RNC.
Politico, Aug. 30
“No small differences among us in our party approximate the vast differences between the liberty-limiting, radical left-wing, anti-business, reckless-spending, tax-hiking party of Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi, versus an energized America who knows we can do better.”
- Mike Huckabee at the RNC on why he now stands behind once-rival Mitt Romney
Politico, Aug. 29
“In his acceptance speech, GOP Vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan appeared to suggest that President Obama was responsible for the closing of a GM plant in Ryan’s hometown of Janesville, Wisc. That’s not true. The plant was closed in December, 2008, before Obama was sworn in.”
- Glenn Kessler, journalist for The Washington Post and writer of their “Fact Checker” column, on Ryan’s acceptance speech
Washington Post, Aug. 29
“College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life.”
- Paul Ryan, republican vice presidential candidate and representative from Wisconsin, in his remarks at the RNC
Washington Post, Aug. 29
“So here we are, $16 trillion in debt and still he does nothing. In Europe, massive debts have put entire governments at risk of collapse, and still he does nothing.”
- Paul Ryan, republican vice presidential candidate and representative from Wisconsin, in his remarks at the RNC
Washington Post, Aug. 29
“My wonderful grandma, Janet, had Alzheimer’s and moved in with Mom and me. Though she felt lost at times, we did all the little things that made her feel loved.We had help from Medicare, and it was there, just like it’s there for my mom today. Medicare is a promise, and we will honor it.”
- Paul Ryan, republican vice presidential candidate and representative from Wisconsin, in his remarks at the RNC
Washington Post, Aug. 29
“I have never seen opponents so silent about their record, and so desperate to keep their power. They’ve run out of ideas. Their moment came and went. Fear and division are all they’ve got left.”
- Paul Ryan, republican vice presidential candidate and representative from Wisconsin, in his remarks at the RNC
Washington Post, Aug. 29
“We can’t afford to cause our friends and allies – from Latin America to Asia, Europe to the Middle East, and especially in Israel, a nation under existential threat – to doubt America’s leadership.”
- Sen. John McCain of Arizona, speaking at the RNC on America’s need to be world leaders
Politico, Aug. 29
“The revolution is not going to ever die. We’re everywhere.”
- Sung Song, a delegate from Texas and supporter of Ron Paul, on new rules governing primaries that will make it harder for future candidates to gather national delegates
New York Times, Aug. 28
“Graduate from high school, work hard, and get married before you have children and the chance you will ever be in poverty is just two percent. Yet if you don’t do these three things you’re 38 times more likely to end up in poverty!”
- Rick Santorum speaking against Obama’s social and economic policies in a speech at the RNC
Politico, Aug. 28
“The legendary Republican media operation, for years feared by Democrats everywhere, had put on an excellent show. It was schmaltzy, it was cynical, and some of it (perhaps most of it) was tendentious. But it was effective.”
- John Cassidy of The New Yorker, author of the politics and economics blog “Rational and Irrationality,” on Ann Romney and Chris Christie’s speeches at the RNC
The New Yorker, Aug. 28
“For make no mistake, the problems are too big to let the American people lose – the slowest economic recovery in decades, a spiraling out of control deficit, an education system that’s failing to compete in the world. It doesn’t matter how we got here. There is enough blame to go around.”
- Republican Gov. of New Jersey Chris Christie speaking about the current state of America during his keynote speech at the RNC
National Journal, Aug. 28
“It’s time to end this era of absentee leadership in the Oval Office and send real leaders to the White House.”
- Republican Gov. of New Jersey Chris Christie during his keynote speech at the RNC on a need for leadership
National Journal, Aug. 28
“There’s only one thing missing now. Leadership. It takes leadership that you don’t get from reading a poll. You see, Mr. President – real leaders don’t follow polls. Real leaders change polls. That’s what we need to do now.”
- Republican Gov. of New Jersey Chris Christie during his keynote speech at the RNC on what America needs
National Journal, Aug. 28
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my children and grandchildren to have to read in a history book what it was like to live in an American Century. I don’t want their only inheritance to be an enormous government that has overtaxed, overspent and over-borrowed a great people into second-class citizenship. I want them to live in a second American Century.”
- Republican Gov. of New Jersey Chris Christie during his keynote speech at the RNC on the continuation of America
National Journal, Aug. 28
“We got married and moved into a basement apartment. We walked to class together, shared the housekeeping and ate a lot of pasta and tuna fish.”
- Ann Romney in an RNC speech intended to help her husband connect to voters
CNN, Aug. 28
“GOP attendee ejected for throwing nuts at African American CNN camera woman + saying “This is how we feed animals.”
- CNN anchor David Shuster tweeting about an incident at the GOP convention in Miami
Tweet from CNN anchor, Aug. 28
“If we’re going to lean towards the comedy, I’m afraid we’re going to go with Tampons.”
- Aasif Mandvi of The Daily Show on what to call people from Tampa
WFLA, Aug. 28
“At this critical hour in our nation’s history, we can’t afford to re-elect Barack Obama – a man who believes that America is the problem. We can’t afford to re-elect a man who doesn’t understand that it was the hard work and achievement of the American people that made this country great. We can’t afford to re-elect someone who believes that our dismal economy is doing just fine.”
- David Rouzer, a state senator and congressional candidate from North Carolina, at the RNC
“We have a nation too precious to give up on. We have a history too glorious to be forgotten. We have a Constitution too noble to be rewritten.”
- Mark Meadows, a congressional candidate from North Carolina, at the RNC
“I’m pleased that Tampa Bay will no longer be the best kept secret in the world.”
- Al Austin, chairman of the Tampa Bay Host Committee, to the RNC
Aug. 28
“This year alone, 2000 Kentucky miners lost their jobs due to over regulation and Obama’s war on coal. For every mining job lost, three additional jobs are threatened, including those at Toyota. But President Obama doesn’t care.”
- US Congressional Candidate Andy Barr in an address to the RNC
Aug. 28
“The funniest thing of all is that [Romney strategist] Stuart Stevens, who wears his shirts inside-out, is advising me on what dress I should wear tonight.”
- Ann Romney on preparing for her Tuesday speech at the RNC
CNN, Aug. 28
“He is a very shy guy. He is a humble guy. He doesn’t like to talk about himself. That’s who he is.”
- John Boehner, house speaker, on Mitt Romney
CNN, Aug. 28
“The second-guessers out there need to dry themselves off, take a chill pill and enjoy the hospitality of our hosts as we nominate the next President of the United States- Mitt Romney. “
- Michael Steele, former RNC chairman, discussing weather complications at the RNC
The Huffington Post, Aug. 27
“He’s got my dad’s hair. … He’s got the good hair.”
- Josh Romney in response to Diane Sawyer’s question about whether Paul Ryan could be the sixth Romney son
ABC News, Aug. 27
“We are not going to try and transform this country into something it was never meant to be. We are not going to try to replace our founding principles. We’ll reapply our founding principles.”
- Paul Ryan, republican VP candidate, speaking at his old high school in Janesville, Wisconsin
Associated Press, Aug. 27
“It is worse to imagine a world with Obama getting a second term than it is to imagine a world without pizza, because with Obama in a second term, there will be no pizza. For anyone.”
- Herman Cain, rallying Republicans in Tampa against the Obama administration
The Guardian, Aug. 27
“They’re not too crazy about the rain.”
- A.J. Matthews, a delegate from South Tampa, on visitors’ impressions of the RNC
Tampa Bay Online, Aug. 27
“It’s absolutely stunning. I’ve never seen anything like this, honestly, and I have been watching politics like many of us for decades. Since Watergate I have never seen anything at this level of shameless.”
- Charles Lewis, founder of The Center for Public Integrity, on wealthy donors receiving special access to events at the RNC
ABC News, Aug. 26
“This is an injustice that we are not going to let stand. And either in the courts or on Election Day, we are going to end it once and for all.”
-Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, at a rally in Tampa against the Affordable Care Act’s coverage of birth control and the Obama administration’s support of gay marriage
Politico, Aug. 26
“At this moment in time we’re quite literally looking at a hurricane here in Florida. We’re looking at a political hurricane in this country. We are looking at a spiritual hurricane in our land. And it is time for each one of us to show up and suit up and stand up and realize that in this time and in this day we pour it out for Him.”
- Michele Bachmann at a conservative rally organized by the Florida Family Policy Council
CNN, Aug. 26
“We’re obviously monitoring what is going on with the weather.”
- Russ Schriefer, Romney campaign strategist, on the delay of the RNC because of Tropical storm Isaac
Washington Post, Aug. 26
“No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate — they know that this was the place we were born and raised.”
- Mitt Romney, campaigning in Michigan
USA Today, Aug. 24
“If the hurricane does make landfall and disrupt the convention, cue professional crankypants and amateur psychic Pat Robertson blaming Fort Lauderdale.”
- Blogger Meg Lanker-Simons on public reactions to hurricane Isaac’s interference with the RNC
Tumbling the Conventions, Aug. 23
“The good thing about tropical systems is that they don’t jump out from behind a tree. We see them coming.”
- Holly Wade, Hillsborough County Emergency Management spokeswoman, on hurricane Issac’s impact on RNC planning
Tampa Bay Online, Aug. 22
Wanna know what they are saying at the Democratic National Convention? Good thing we are listening.
