August 29, 2012 by David K. Sutton
RNC – Live Blogging: Mike Huckabee, Condoleezza Rice, Paul Ryan
Live blogging speeches by Mike Huckabee, Condoleezza Rice and Paul Ryan at the Republican National Convention – Wednesday, August 29, 2012:
While live blogging, I added a few italicized comments but otherwise stuck to blogging the speech content, regardless of whether what was said was factually accurate.
(quotes paraphrased)
11:04pm – Paul Ryan and family exit the stage.
11:03pm – Paul Ryan’s family joins him on stage – his wife, 3 children and his mother.
11:03pm – [Ryan] The right that makes all the difference now is the right to choice our leaders. We will not duck the tough issues, we will lead. We will not try to replace our founding principles, we will re-apply our founding principles. We can do this. Together we can do this. We can get this country working again. This economy growing again. Whatever your political party, come together for the sake of our country. Join Mitt Romney and me. Let’s get this done.
11:01pm – [Ryan] Even presidents need reminding that our rights come from nature and God and not government.
11:01pm – [Ryan] The greatest of all responsibilities is that of the strong to protect the weak.
11:00pm – [Ryan] Our faiths come together in the same moral creed. Goodness. Every person there is hope. There is purpose.
10:59pm – [Ryan] Mitt succeeded where others could not. He turned around the Olympics. Balanced the budget in Massachusetts without raising taxes.
10:58pm – [Ryan] He helped start businesses and turnaround failed ones.
10:57pm – [Ryan] Romney and I grew up in the heartland.
10:56pm – [Ryan] A challenger must stand on his on merits.
10:54pm – [Ryan] I hope you understand if you are feeling left out or passed by, you have not failed, your leaders have failed you.
10:53pm – [Ryan] President Obama is the kind of politician who puts promises on a record and calls that the record. But we are 4 years into this presidency. The issue is not the economy that Barack Obama inherited, but this economy in which we are living.
10:52pm – [Ryan] In our dealings with other nations, a Romney administration will lead with confidence and clarity. Whenever men and women rise up for their freedom, they will know the American president will be on their side.
10:51pm – [Ryan] We choose to limit government.
10:51pm – [Ryan] We have a plan to create 12 million new jobs. Spending will be kept to 20% of GDP or less because that is enough.
10:50pm – [Ryan] Behind every small business is a story worth knowing. These didn’t come out of nowhere. A lot of heart goes into each one. After all that work and a bad economy, it doesn’t hurt when a president tells them government deserves the credit. The truth is yes, you did build that.
10:49pm – [Ryan] My mom is my role model.
10:48pm – [Ryan] We will put government back on the side of men and women who create jobs and need jobs.
10:47pm – [Ryan] My dad used to say “Son, you can part of the problem or you can be part of the solution.” President has made his choices. Romney and I have made ours. We are going to solve this nations economic problems.
10:46pm – [Ryan] Responsibility of government is to steer our nation clear of a debt crisis while there is still time. Obama has created $5 trillion in debt. Republican stepped up with good faith reforms. President responded by doing nothing. $16 trillion in debt and he does nothing. We need to stop spending money we don’t have. It’s that simple. It’s not that hard.
10:44pm – [Ryan] And the story that Barack Obama does tell is directing blame to the last administration. It’s old. It’s been almost 4 years. Assume responsibility.
10:43pm – [Ryan] Obama said his job is to tell a story to the American people, as if that’s the whole problem. He needs to talk more and we need to be better listeners? What is missing is leadership in the White House.
10:43pm – [Ryan] All that’s left is a presidency adrift, surviving on slogans that already seem tired. Grasping a moment that as already passed.
10:42pm – [Ryan] Obamacare as much as anything else explains why a presidency which began which such anticipation comes to such a disappointing close.
10:41pm – [Ryan] Our opponents can consider themselves on notice. The usual posturing on the left won’t work. We will win this debate.
10:41pm – [Ryan] Medicare is a promise and we will honor it. (No, your plan is to end Medicare as we know it…and you KNOW IT)
10:39pm – [Ryan] The greatest threat to Medicare is Obamacare. And we are going to stop it.
10:39pm – [Ryan] They needed more money. So they took it away from Medicare. $716 billion funneled away from Medicare. (this is a debunked lie)
10:38pm – [Ryan] Obama says the debate on health care is over. That will come as news to the people who elect Mitt Romney so we can repeal Obamacare.
10:36pm – [Ryan] The greatest waste of all was time. Job creation should have been the first order of business. This president instead focused on Obamacare, a government takeover of health care. It has no place in a free country.
10:35pm – [Ryan] What did tax payers get out of the Obama stimulus? More debt. Borrowed, spent and wasted.
10:34pm – [Ryan] 1 in 6 Americans are in poverty. Millions have graduate from college during Obama presidency, half can’t find work in what they studied for or any work at all. Without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different?
10:33pm – [Ryan] President Barack Obama came to office during an economic crisis which he has reminded us a time or two. Those were tough days. An account of his record has to take that into account. My home state voted for him.
10:31pm – [Ryan] My dad, a small-town lawyer, was also named Paul. Lost him when I was 16. A gentle presence in my life. I like to think he’d be proud of me and my sisters and brothers. I’m sure proud of him and where I come from, Janesville, Wisconsin.
10:30pm – [Ryan] I have never seen opponents so silent about their record and so desperate to keep their power. They are out of ideas. Fears and division is all they’ve got left. With the attack ads, the President is throwing away money, and he’s pretty experienced with that.
10:29pm – [Ryan] Mitt Romney will meet serious challenges in serious ways. After 4 years of the run-around, American needs a turn-around.
10:28pm – [Ryan] I accept the duty to help lead our nation out of a job crisis.
10:27pm – Paul Ryan takes the stage.
—
10:14pm – Condoleezza Rice exits the stage.
10:14pm – [Rice] An election of consequence.
10:13pm – [Rice] On a personal note, a little girl grows up in Jim Crow Birmingham. A segregated south. Her parents allowed her to believe she can be a President of the United States if she wanted to be and she became Secretary of State.
10:12pm – [Rice] All the times America made the impossible seem inevitable in retrospect.
10:11pm – [Rice] Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will rebuild us at home. Help us lead abroad.
10:10pm – [Rice] My mom was a teacher. I respect the professional. We need great teachers. High standards. Self-esteem comes from achievement. Give parents greater choice, particularly poor parents. This is the civil rights issue of our day.
10:09pm – [Rice] You can control your response to your circumstances.
10:09pm – [Rice] We need immigration laws that protect borders, meet economic needs and show we are compassionate.
10:07pm – [Rice] A belief in opportunity. The American ideal is in danger today. No country can do more harm than we can do to ourselves.
10:07pm – [Rice] My fellow Americans, ours has never been a narrative of grievance and entitlement. We have never be jealous of one another and each other’s successes.1
10:06pm – [Rice] The essence of America is an idea. What an idea it is. You can come from humble circumstances and do great things. It doesn’t matter where you came from but where you are going.
10:05pm – [Rice] A nation that loses country of it’s finances loses control of it’s destiny.
10:04pm – [Rice] Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will rebuild the foundation of our strength, the American economy. Private sector growth and small business entrepreneurship.
10:02pm – [Rice] Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan understand this reality. They know what to do. Our foes can have no doubt about our resolve because peace comes from strength.
10:01pm – [Rice] If we don’t lead, there will be chaos or someone will fill the vacuum who does not share our values. You cannot lead from behind.
9:59pm – [Rice] Our armed forces are the shield of liberty.
9:58pm – [Rice] Everyone asks “Where does America stand?” That is the question of the hour. When friends and foes don’t know the answer, the world is more likely to be a dangerous and chaotic place.
9:57pm – [Rice] Transitions to 2008 financial crisis and Arab spring.
9:57pm – [Rice] Begins speech with recalling events of 9/11.
9:56pm – [Rice] We gather here at a time of significance and challenge.
9:56pm – Condoleezza Rice takes the stage.
—
9:54pm – Mike Huckabee exits the stage.
9:54pm – [Huckabee] Not because we are Republicans, but because we are Americans we stand with Mitt Romney. — We will do better
9:53pm – [Huckabee] President Obama is out of gas and Americans our out of patience and our great Republic is almost out of time.
9:52pm – [Huckabee] Democrats says we ought to give Obama a chance for trying – That sounds like the nonsense of giving every child a trophy for showing up.
9:50pm – [Huckabee] Biden wants you to give the government more so Democrats can feel better about themselves.
9:49pm – [Huckabee] The attack on my Catholic brothers and sisters is an attack on me.
9:48pm – [Huckabee] With Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan we will do better.
9:45pm – [Huckabee] ‘The press” thought Obama was perfect. (More liberal media bias bullshit)
9:44pm – [Huckabee] Make him [Obama] a proposition he can’t refuse. Let’s vote him out.
9:43pm – [Huckabee] Obama has spent 4 years blaming Republicans and his predecessor, George W. Bush. (I say if the shoe fits)
9:41pm – [Huckabee] America was an experiment in God-given abilities.
9:39pm – Mike Huckabee takes the stage.
