A Week at the GOP Convention

A Week at the GOP Convention

This past week, the Republican Party held its quadrennial national nominating convention at Madison Square Garden in New York. It was the third, and in my opinion the best, Republican National Convention I have participated in. It was very exciting, and successful for reminding voters of George W. Bush's accomplishments during the past three-and-a-half years and sharing his vision of where he will lead the country during the next four years.

The New York Police Department are to be commended and thanked for the exceptional job they did keeping visitors to their city safe. There were protestors there exercising their first amendment rights. However, New York's finest ensured that the protestors' rights never infringed on the rights of the conventioneers to participate in the political process nor from enjoying the Big Apple, as some clearly intended.

One of the most interesting activities I was involved in was a bus tour of Harlem. We saw the historic neighborhood through the eyes of community development corporations and neighborhood leaders spearheading Harlem's current renaissance. The recent economic and community development is outstanding. We saw small parks and apartment units that you would not believe are in Harlem. The tour was given by some of the banking companies who have invested in the redevelopment of the neighborhood including J.P. Morgan Chase & Company. Another partner on the tour was LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), one of the Saving America's Cities working group third party partners. I was impressed with their work and have invited LISC to Dayton later this fall.

The Republican National Convention is a gathering of people from all parts of the GOP and all over the nation. Each of us has events like the one I've just described but of course the reason we converged on New York this year was to nominate President Bush and Vice President Cheney for a second-term and hear the President's vision for the next four years. When the convention ended Thursday night, we headed for home united behind the President who has already proven his steadfast leadership in these challenging times.

The convention began Monday night with keynote speakers Senator John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Senator McCain reached out across Party lines, as he is known to do, but he laid out a no nonsense, no apologies rationale for U.S. military action in Iraq. Senator McCain eloquently explained that there was no status quo in Iraq and that our choices were to fight terror on the terrorists' home turf or ours. Mayor Giuliani reminded us of exactly what happened on September 11, 2001 and told some personal reminisces of the President's visit there just a few days later, some that perhaps had never been told publicly before.

Tuesday night California Governor Arnold Schwarzenenegger recalled coming to the United States, literally penniless but filled with hope. He recounted the 1968 election and the values that made him, and keep him a Republican today. Then the First Lady told us about George W. Bush as she knows him; the kind, compassionate, husband, father and man.

Wednesday night Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) was a keynote speaker. To have a sitting U.S. Senator give a keynote speech at the other Party's convention speaks volumes about the leadership of George W. Bush. Perhaps if Senator Miller were alone one could look deeper for motive but he is not. No less a Democrat than former New York mayor, Ed Koch also is very publicly supporting President Bush as are current Youngstown, Ohio Mayor George McKelvey and St. Paul, MN mayor Randy Kelly-both also Democrats.

Vice President Cheney had one of the funniest lines of the convention in his speech Wednesday night. Comparing himself to Senator Kerry's running-mate, Senator Edwards, the vice president suggested that like his opponent, he got his job because of his good looks and nice hair.

By the time President Bush spoke on Thursday Madison Square Garden was jam-packed. President Bush delivered his speech "in the round," another first. The president started the speech by saying he wanted us to know "where I stand, what I believe and where I will lead this country in the next four years." Then the president laid out a clear and positive plan to "build a safer world and a more hopeful America." The president's speech culminated a great convention filled with exciting, passionate speeches.