One of the main themes I heard leading up to this week was how scripted the conventions were and that there was no spontaneity. Then, tonight along came Clint Eastwood. What was that all about?? In my opinion, it was exactly the opposite of what Republicans need to do this year. The Presidents policies have been abject failures. He is in way over his head and so are his advisors. They have no clue how to get us out of the jam we are in. He has also not taken responsibility for his policies and he has engaged in bitterly divisive campaign that vilifies success and pits the haves against the have-nots. 

But that does not give anyone the right to disrespect the President of the United States, especially on national TV . My Father always told me "you need not respect the man or his policies but you darn sure respect the office." Unfortunately for Mitt Romney, Clint Eastwood's ad libbed remarks were a mistake and a distraction on the biggest night of his life. But it did not seem to take him off stride one bit. 

Coming into this speech Mitt Romney had to convince independent voters and moderate democrats who voted for Obama four years ago that Obama has failed them and it was time to give him (Romney) a try. I think he succeeded in doing that on a number of levels. First and foremost he made the case that the presidents policies have failed and he refuses to acknowledge that or take responsibility for them. Second, he pointed out that the refusal to take responsibility and the constant blame game results in the self perpetuating negative mindset  Because he can't fix it -- he is basically telling us that the problem has become too big to fix. All we hear are negative things like "America is on the decline" or the "American century has come to a close", or our children will not be better off than we are. Romney clearly disagreed with that position. 

He laid out in a concise fashion that in order to have a successful economy you need to have successful small businesses and in order to have success small businesses, you to have experience with them. Romney has significant successful experience and the President has NONE and the pickle we are in is the proof to that point.

He also took on this so called "Republican War on Women " head on. His former secretary of jobs, a female African American and self proclaimed liberal Democrat, praised his governing skills and his promotion of women to senior management levels in Massachusetts government. I think we heard loud and clear tonight that the Romney/Ryan ticket is not going to take those ridiculous allegations sitting down. 

Lastly, Mitt Romney made the case for why he should be given the chance to lead our country. He promised to help families--- ALL families. young and old, rich and poor, black, white yellow or brown. The Democrat myth that Romney is just some tottering robot who wakes up like Boris Badenoff with an evil plan to destroy the poor has been DEBUNKED. All week long friends, family, former co-workers, neighbors and even strangers have testified to the deep caring and kindness in his heart. I am convinced that what ever economic policy he puts in place will done so with the best interest of all people in mind. That doesn't mean everything happens magically at once -- but the goal is to effect positive change for everyone. 

It has been an exciting convention and one thing I can tell you is the Delaware County delegation is returning home with new found desire and drive for a Romney-Ryan victory in November. For all those who are voting that way, we love your vote but we need your help. This race is not won on TV or on your iPhone or on Facebook. It is won in the Meehan/Romney/Ryan Victory Center on Baltimore Pike in Springfield above the old Borders. It is won making tedious phone calls. It is won going door to door on Super Saturday and it is won by you going out of your way to talk to every neighbor on your street. Make no mistake, this  race will not win it self. The office is open 7 days a week from early until late and we need your help. If you don't like what is going on in this country then...... Step up and do something about it. Help Mitt Romney help you..

My thanks to the Daily Times for allowing me to carry the Republican flag into battle. It was my intention to do so in a respectful fashion and I hope I have accomplished that. see you at the victory center and then at the polls and then.....at the celebration.

Thank you again!

Michael Puppio

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A fun filled afternoon in Ybor city- a historic section of Tampa founded by Cuban and Italian immigrants in the late 1860's. Lt. Governor and Bucks County native Jim Cawley hosted a pre convention gathering this afternoon. The delegation is pumped up for the big speech tonight . Much of the conversation focused on who the surprise guest speaker is going to be this evening. Speculation is focusing on Clint Eastwood. If it is him, I'm sure he will" make Mitt Romney's day"!!!! We will see.
Below is a great picture of Delgate Pattie Booker and Gov Corbett and Lt. gov Cawley
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Tonight is the last night of the convention and everybody is amped up for Mitt Romney's speech. This will be his opportunity to make his case to those voters who are undecided. The day is crowded up until the convention doors open tonight at 6. 

As mentioned the other day Sheriff Joe McGinn spent the day with Some local Tampa Sheriffs. I asked Joe to let me know how it went and here is his report------

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to travel with Hillsborough County (Fla.) Sheriff, David Gee for a behind the scenes look at the security operations surrounding the Republican National Convention (RNC). Over 5,000 uniformed officers from all over the state of Florida are working this event in addition to U.S. Secret Service and the National Guard. I spent the day with a group consisting mostly of Sheriff's from Broward (Fla.) and Hillsborough counties. The large security gathered in Tampa is prepared for all contingencies and working very well together under the Incident Command System (ICS),  a tool used in emergency response situations to help coordinate efforts among large groups through a unified chain of command.

 

With the convention being held at the bottom of a peninsular section of downtown Tampa and the presidential nominee staying nearby, the southern portion of the city is completely restricted with no one allowed in unless they are attending the convention as a delegate or member of the media. I worked on a team responsible for providing security in sectors "C' and "D", which included the YBor City section of Tampa just north of the restricted zones. In addition to the security presence on the streets in Tampa, there are hundreds of emergency responders staged in numerous locations to be called on if needed.

 

The day turned out to be relatively calm and I concluded my day at the Incident Command Center with Sheriff Gee listening to the latest operations briefs from the different sectors. Overall, I came away impressed with the security operations in Tampa and gained some excellent insights into how large incidents can be handled effectively.

 Thanks Joe! Much appreciated.  

I will keep you posted on events throughout the day and into tonight

 

The convention hall was much busier tonight than it was last night. There was a buzz all night about Paul Ryan's upcoming address to the delegation. The Delco delegation was back in full force. Andy Reilly wanted to make sure that we were able to get all of our alternate delegates on the floor so we spent the evening trading credentials like they were baseball cards with other delegations. I believe we were successful and everyone got a chance to participate. 

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a moving and brilliant address – one of the best of the convention so far -- about American greatness. She talked about America's unique role in the world and the importance of American leadership in the realm of foreign affairs. Rice's speech really should be watched in full. Here's a link to the video.

Expectations in the hall tonight were sky-high for Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan. This was Ryan's first real introduction to millions of Americans watching his speech live. The anticipation in the room was palpable – and boy, did Ryan rise to the occasion. Click here to watch his speech. He hit it out of the park.

Ryan drew a stark contrast between the failed leadership of the last four years and what we can expect from a Romney/Ryan administration. He articulated a passionate vision for an American turnaround under Mitt Romney's leadership.

He also addressed head on the Democrats' dishonest and debunked attacks on his efforts to save Medicare. If we do nothing to save Medicare, it will go bankrupt within a decade. It is as simple as that. Ryan has put forward a serious, mature plan to strengthen and preserve Medicare – and President Obama raided $716 billion out of Medicare to pay for Obamacare's massive expansion of the federal government. The contrast between the two parties on this issue could not be clearer.

Ryan's national debut blew the roof off the arena. He made a clear, convincing case to independents and swing voters that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have what it takes to get our country back on track.

Ryan ended his remarks with a solemn pledge to American voters:

"We will not duck the tough issues, we will lead. 

We will not spend four years blaming others, we will take responsibility. 

We will not try to replace our founding principles, we will reapply our founding principles.

The work ahead will be hard.  These times demand the best of us – all of us, but we can do this.  Together, we can do this."

Tomorrow will be a very important day for this election cycle. Mitt Romney will get the chance to define himself and convince voters that he is the man who has the experience necessary to lead our country on the path to prosperity. Lots of pressure--- but that's when he had always come though in the past. 

Paul Ryan is knocking out of the park in his national debut.

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A fun day for the Pa. Delegation before a big night. Senator Pat Toomey sponsored a luncheon event at csx rail and then a tour of the Yuengling Brewery. Paul Ryan speaks to the convention tonight. Should be exciting.

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An outstanding delegate breakfast today. Our speakers were Congressman Joe Pitts who pointed out that comparing Mitt Romney to Barack Obama is like comparing Staples-a company that Mitt Romney helped start-to Solyndra a company that Obama invested our money in. Then Chris Christie spoke to us. He gave us the real story of how and why he decided to support Mitt Romney and that it was the task of those in the room to go out and get a Romney victory. Senator Pat Toomey concluded the breakfast with a preview of Paul Ryan's speech for this evening. It will be a big night for Paul Ryan and it should be another whirlwind day for the Delco delegation.

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A very long day for the Delaware County delegation. Pennsylvania has great seats on the convention floor. We are center stage, directly behind Ohio. The seating of states is reflective of their importance in the upcoming election and is very telling as to the Romney/Ryan campaign strategy in Pennsylvania. The entire delegation -- Andy Reilly, US Rep. Pat Meehan, PA Sen. Dominic Pileggi, Tom Judge Sr., Bob Willert, Pattie Booker, Andy Lewis, Tom Danzi, Marion Taxin and Libby Salvucci -- was present in the hall when Mitt Romney was nominated for President late yesterday afternoon. The convention then adjourned for around an hour and began again in earnest at 7:30pm. We had a couple of surprise guests as Delaware County Councilman and Aldan GOP leader John McBlain and Springfield native and lawyer extraordinaire Jim Byrne joined us on the floor for the evening session.

As I mentioned yesterday, the Republican Party began to showcase the reasons why they are the better choice this year. Many of the speakers pointed out how the President was running a campaign focused on envy and division. The theme for the evening -- given to us courtesy of an Obama flub -- was "We built this". Most every speaker made reference to how hard work, sweat equity, and initiative were what built businesses and correspondingly produced jobs. I think this touches a nerve for every small business owner who has had to make a mortgage, pay down a line of credit, or pay the rent. They were and are the ones who wake up at two in the morning worrying about whether they can make payroll that week and they are quite frankly p....d off when they are vilified if that hard work results in success. Then after they are vilified for their success they are told they really didn't have anything to do with their success --- the government made them a success. Haha what whoot! Seriously, I don't believe that type of class warfare will be successful for the Democrats. 

The night started out with a terrific speech from Mia Love, a rising star who seems destined to become the first female African-American Republican in Congress. Her own life story is an amazing, only-in-America saga, starting when her parents fled Haiti almost forty years ago. Mia's tale of hard work, individual initiative and personal responsibility electrified the crowd, and set the stage for the rest of the night.

We later heard from New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. Sen. Ayotte's story has a local angle – she's a Penn State grad with a law degree from Villanova. Sen. Ayotte brought with her a small business owner named Jack Gilchrist from New Hampshire. Gilchrist is a third-generation small business owner who talked about the challenges facing our job creators.

Jack channeled famed businessman Lee Iacocca by quoting his famous line, "Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way." As Jack said, "Everyone who runs a business understands this, everyone but our federal government. They won't lead, their rules and regulations are too hard to follow and they won't get out of our way."

Ann Romney made giving a live speech to millions of viewers for the first time look easy. She recalled how "the man she met at a high school dance" stood with her through the challenges of raising a family and battling cancer. Mrs. Romney talked about Mitt's personal side, and his values. She also frankly acknowledged that she and her husband were fortunate to be successful in business but she also pointed out that she wasn't going to apologize for the hard work and long nights that went into making them successful. 

Here is a link to a video of Ann's speech.

Tonight's keynote address was given by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Christie, a longtime friend of our own Congressman Pat Meehan, delivered some tough love to the country but in a more laid back manner than usual. He delivered a message of, as his mother put it, "respect over love." As Christie said, "our leaders today have decided it is more important to be popular, to do what is easy and say 'yes,' rather than to say 'no' when 'no' is what's required."

Christie has led by example in New Jersey, and he's proven that voters will respect and reward politicians who lead, not pander. We need leaders like Chris Christie who aren't afraid to tell difficult truths and be honest with people about the challenges we face.

Christie reserved some of his harshest words for President Obama: "Real leaders, Mr. President, don't follow polls. Real leaders change polls."

He closed with a passionate call to action this November, about the importance of the choice we face. Christie talked about his own children, and his fear that if we continue down our current path, their only knowledge of American greatness will come from history books. As he said, "We have never been victims of destiny. We have always been masters of our own. I won't be part of the generation that fails that test and neither will you."

If you missed Christie's speech, click here to watch it in its entirety.

Overall, this was a terrific opening night for the GOP Convention. The speakers not only laid out the failures of the Obama Administration – they also made a compelling case for the success of Republican leadership. Ann Romney's speech, in particular, gave us a unique glimpse inside Mitt's private life and helped us understand the kind of President and leader he would be. The atmosphere in the arena was incredible. The Pennsylvania delegation is enthusiastic, motivated and ready to win.

Tomorrow, the most anticipated speaker is Vice-Presidential nominee Paul Ryan. Gov. Romney's selection of Ryan as his running mate several weeks ago shocked pundits and changed the entire dynamic of the campaign. Tomorrow's speech will be his first change to introduce himself and his family to millions of Americans. Tomorrow's theme is "We Can Change It" and we will hear more details about the Republican plan to create jobs, balance our budget and get our economy back on track.

Our delegation breakfast was moved up to 7:30am tomorrow to accommodate our new guest speaker: Chris Christie. I have a feeling he will be more blunt than he was this evening.  I will keep you posted. 

Click here to view Gov. Chris Christie's speech -- titled "Truth Telling


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Today is already shaping up to be a very busy day for the Delaware County Delegation. At our Breakfast, we heard from pollster Frank Luntz, Speaker of the House John Boehner and Romney. After that, we had our internal organization meeting where a minority of Ron Paul delegates were opposed to some internal convention rules (that really don't mean a thing but hey -- that's what they were focused on)

We are getting ready to head over to the convention hall for a double session that should end sometime around 11 pm. I will post sometime after that.

Additionally, I hope to have a first-hand report of how the local law enforcement is working to ensure that the folks exercising their first amendment rights do so within the bounds of the law. Our Sherrif, Joe McGinn is spending some time with the Hillborough County Sherrif's Department. Joe has graciously agreed to provide me with some details which I will forward later.

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As most of you are aware, today's convention sessions were cancelled with the exception of a ceremonial opening. The day's events for the delegates started with our delegate meeting at the hotel and then a reception at the Florida Aquarium. 

Andy Lewis, Bob Willert and I decided to walk to the aquarium instead of taking the shuttle bus and it turned into a Griswald (as in Clark Griswald) type of adventure. After a two mile walk in driving rain, we finally arrived at the aquarium, where Governor Corbett spoke about the importance of a Romney victory for job creation in Pennsylvania. 

The remainder of the day was open for Delegates to tour the convention area and get to know our way around town. The RNC has announced that the schedule is back on track tomorrow with a double session starting at 2pm. 

There are some very interesting speakers tomorrow, including Mia Love who is running for Congress from Utah. If she wins, she will be the first African American to represent Utah in Congress. The main speaker tomorrow evening is Governor Chris Christie. He is a dynamic speaker with a blunt delivery which, in my opinion, is just what the doctor ordered for a Romney candidacy.

With the convention officially underway, it's a good time to remind voters just how high the stakes really are in this election. When he took office in January of 2009, President Obama inherited an economy in recession. We were still reeling from the aftershocks of the 2008 financial crisis, unemployment was 7.8%, and our national debt exceeded $10 trillion. There is no doubt President Obama was dealt a challenging hand. 

However, he was also provided withs large mandate and control of BOTH houses of Congress which, in plain English, meant he had the run of the roost and could pass whatever legislation he felt was necessary to remedy the situation. Those decisions, and their consequences, are where undecided voters should focus their attention.  

Unlike many Republicans, I acknowledge that a stimulus package was necessary to head off a full depression. But was it a successful stimulus? Did it produce meaningful, lasting jobs? Is there anything remaining from the $800 billion stimulus? Where did the money go? Where are the roads, bridges and dams? Instead, the money went to countless frivolous adventures like Solyndra. 

The President then used the remainder of his political clout to enact the largest tax increase in history under the guise of health care reform. During that long and acrimonious debate, all we heard about was how "broken" our healthcare system was and how badly it served the people of the United States. 

Republlicans like Pat Meehan and Pat Toomey acknowledge the need for health care reform. In addition, Republicans believe that those who are less fortunate should have access to healthcare. However, we start out at a completely different place than the President. The United States of America has the best healthcare system in the world. People from all over the world come here to the United States for treatment. Our health care system was based on a free-market, consumer-driven system -- not a single payer system like France, England and Canada. The system needed to be reformed -- not set on the path towards a European entitlement model.

Regardless of whether people agree with the above opinion, the facts are the facts. Four years later our debt is now approaching $16 trillion – more than the size of the entire American economy. Unemployment is stagnant at 8.2%, and hasn't been below 8% since the day the President took office. 23 million Americans are out of work – the worst stretch of unemployment our nation has seen since the Great Depression.

Those aren't the only sobering statistics of the Obama Administration. The underemployment rate – which includes people who are forced to work only part-time jobs and people who want to work but have given up looking – is hovering around 15%. The unemployment rate for recent college graduates is more than 50%. Most alarmingly, the percentage of Americans active in the workforce at all is the lowest in 30 years.

Since 2009, household income has dropped almost 5%, and among people between the ages of 25 and 34, it has dropped almost 9%. When Obama took office, a gallon of gasoline cost $1.84. Today, a gallon of gas in Springfield costs $3.71 – a more than 100% increase. More than 46 million Americans are on food stamps – a 50% increase from 2008. Despite promises to make health care more affordable for families, Obamacare has caused the cost of health insurance to rise even faster – up more than 10% since the law was passed.

Those facts lead to the conclusion that President Obama and his team of advisers did not then and do not now have the experience to provide solutions to our economic woes. Put in plain poker terms, he had all the chips (a huge election victory, both houses of Congress, a broad mandate for change) and he went all in (a failed stimulus, massive health care tax) and lost. a skilled poker player doesn't make that move. A president with the right experience in private enterprise doesn't make that move, either. We can do better and tomorrow, the Republicans will begin to lay out their plan. 

I arrived safely in Tampa earlier today. The weather is cloudy and windy with occasional rain. It appears as though Tropical Storm Issac has taken a more westerly direction and Tampa will not suffer a direct hit from this storm. However, the local officials are still concerned about flooding. Even though the storm is out in the Gulf, the counterclockwise winds from the storm are expected to push a fair amount of water up into Tampa Bay. This poses a problem for the convention area because it is only a few feet above sea level and floods fairly quickly. Just like a storm at the Jersey shore, the meteorologists are talking about the timing of the storm and the high tide, etc…

The Deleware County delegation is slowly but surely arriving. So far I have run into GOP chair Andy Reilly, Delegates/Alternate Delegates Tom and Debbie Danzi, Pattie Booker, Andy Lewis, Senator Pileggi, Sherrif Joe McGinn and Joe McGinn Jr. Chairman emeritus Tom Judge Sr. and retired Springfield leader Charlie Sexton are back in the saddle again telling war stories about their experiences at past conventions. I'm sure that once the convention gets underway we will make our presence felt here in Tampa.

Tonight's main event was the welcoming ceremony at Tropicana Field (best known as the field where the Phils beat the Rays in game 1 of the 2008 World Series). Monday's convention sessions have been postponed but one of the prominent speakers was scheduled to be former Rep. Artur Davis. Davis was elected to Congress from Alabama as a Democrat in 2002. A member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Davis was soon identified as a rising star within the Democratic Party. He "seconded" the nomination of Barack Obama as the Democrats' 2008 nominee, and even served as Obama's campaign National Co-Chairman. Like many Americans, Davis has become increasingly disillusioned with President Obama -- so disillusioned that he recently announced he had become a member of the Republican Party. Davis cited President Obama's agenda of punishing job creators with new taxes as a prime reason for his split with his party. 

Davis is not alone. In 2008, millions of Americans took President Obama at his word when he said he would repair our economy, balance our budget and unite our nation. Since then, we've seen our economy stagnate and our debt skyrocket. Davis is just one of the many moderate Democrats and independents to see that President Obama's agenda isn't working, and that we can do better. Those are exactly the voters that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan need to win in order to be successful.

As soon as I know about the remaining schedule I will let you know.

I am off to Tampa for the Republican National Convention, where Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will make their case for a smaller, more efficient government that will again produce jobs for the American people.  After all of the dust settles, this election (like most elections involving an incumbent) will be a referendum on President Obama’s job performance.  When you take away all the Super-PACs, the acrimony, name calling, scare tactics, and class warfare, the American voters are faced with the same basic question they had during the last presidential election – but this time with the benefit of more information.  Four years ago, the only real, non-political, substantive question was whether Barack Obama had enough experience to handle the massive burdens of the Presidency. With the economy  mired in slow- or no-growth mode, unemployment at or above 8%, and a deficit that has exploded to unprecedented proportions, I think that question has been answered in the negative. I am not one of those Republicans who believe the President is a bad man. He is just in way over his head and his decisions, especially as they related to the economy reflects that point.  The Republican Party, however, still needs to offer a viable, electable alternative and the purpose of this week’s convention is to showcase the Republican alternatives to continued big government policies.

I am scheduled to arrive later today and am extremely hopeful that the weather does not wreak havoc on my travel plans.  I look forward to providing daily firsthand accounts of the goings on at the convention, both official and unofficial. The Delegates’ schedule is packed with events before and after the convention sessions. Each day starts with a Delegate breakfast which usually includes very interesting guest speakers. Each day of the convention has a specific theme and the various speakers and presentations are all representative of that theme. Monday’s theme, “We Can Do Better”, will give us a chance to hear from some of the rising stars in our party, including South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Republican Senate Candidate Ted Cruz, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers, the highest ranking Republican woman in the House. We’ll also hear Arthur Davis, former National Co-Chairman of President Obama’s 2008 campaign, tell us why he’s supporting Mitt Romney this year. And of course, the main attraction of the evening will be Governor Romney’s wife Ann, who will tell us her own personal story of why she believes her husband is the right man to lead our nation.

The GOP is the big tent party with plenty of diverse opinions and viewpoints.  I look forward meeting other delegates from around the country and will keep you posted on the activities during the week.

Michael V. Puppio