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.