Return To the RNC

"Greetings from Tampa- where flip-flops are considered to be evening wear!"  - The Daily Show

A week ago I wrote about what it was going to be like living in Tampa during the Republican National Convention (The RNC Comes To Tampa). It turned out to be one of my most-read posts ever.  I wrote of horrible traffic, tropical storms and strange politics- and a great deal of what I predicted turned out to be accurate!  With the convention having ended Thursday night, I thought I would take a moment today and reflect on a few stories and personal thoughts from the past week. Again, politics are not really my thing, although I do enjoy making fun of politicians.  If either candidate would declare they were planning to start a Department of Common Sense, they would have my support. But anyway...a few thoughts...

*  First and foremost, congratulations to the RNC and the city of Tampa for a very successful event. Traffic snafus were well managed, protests were orderly and peaceful, and the giant pep rally seemed to work.  At the beginning of the event it seemed that delegates were resigned to Mitt Romney instead of excited about him.  Now I think many are really behind him.  And since that was the whole point, way to go RNC!  Personally, I still miss the smoke filled rooms and political wheeling and dealing of conventions before 1960, but maybe that's just me.

*  But not everything was perfect. Remember all of the money that was supposed to be flowing into the merchants in downtown Tampa?  As it turned out, not so much.  With all of the sidewalk barricades, national guardsmen and no street parking, small businesses in the convention area mostly just had to shut down.  One local Quiznos, only blocks from the Convention Center, was expecting to do huge business.  Instead, by 1:30 PM on Tuesday they decided to close for the rest of the week.  With no parking and no sidewalks, they had NO business.  It is estimated some 25 downtown stores and eateries will go belly-up as a result of the convention.  $150 million may have come into the local economy, but as usual, it is the fat cats who are getting fatter.
*  You may find me guilty of sterotyping (because I am!) but my wife and I are pretty sure we had at least one delegate at church last Sunday morning.  We think that because a man in a $1000 black suit, white shirt and black tie came into the service a bit late.  Not only was he almost certainly the only man in the sanctuary in a suit, he may have been the only man wearing tie. We are a Florida congregation; half the men wear shorts and even the pastor doesn't wear a tie.  He also had a very conservative (but expensive looking) haircut.  When I was growing up in NC we used to joke about "Baptist haircuts."  This was a Republican haircut if I have ever seen one...  :)

*  Regardless of your view on the very hot-topic subject of abortion (and my own opinions send both sides in search of ways to shut me up!), The Daily Show piece that aired Wednesday featuring Samantha Bee interviewing actual delegates was a brilliant piece of fake journalism.  By asking if it made any difference to them that the "absolutely no abortions ever" plank in the most conservative platform ever (upon review, this platform makes Ronald Reagan posthumously a liberal) differs from Gov. Romney's personal views on the subject, she got a group of hardcore pro-life Republicans to ramble on and on about how the freedom to choose is one of the great American traditions. Irony alert!  They all stepped right in the poop, and they didn't even notice the smell.  It was totally manipulative and completely hysterical!
*  Speaking of The Daily Show, one of my other favorite bits of the week came when correspondent John Oliver was complaining about the heat and humidity in Tampa, saying that since Issac had passed we were back to normal atmospheric conditions- "somewhere between a Friar's Club steam room and a subway platform in Haiti." Jon Stewart responded that yes, it was a bit muggy.  Oliver then cracked, "A bit muggy? Jon, the Amazon is a bit muggy! This is the land that time forgot!"  Ah...it's not the heat, it's the humidity!
*  There were a number of trucks and vans cruising downtown Tampa with signs on them for all to read.  The ones I saw focused mostly on anti-abortion slogans, not believing the liberal media, and putting a stop to anything that could possibly be related to homosexuality.  Having these signs in town during the RNC is a little like preaching to the choir, isn't it? This is a gathering of people who for the most part ALREADY AGREE with you. You are wasting money and energy.  If you want to convert the masses, then you need to take your signs to Charlotte next week.  I'm just sayin...
*  Overheard on local talk radio the other morning from a local waitress...  "If Republicans really believe that the economy can be rebuilt by giving tax breaks to the rich guys and letting that money trickle down to the rest of us, then they need to leave better than a 10% tip.  I am going broke this week while they fix the economy."  Wow.

*  Does anyone remember George W. Bush?  He used to be President.  He was not invited to the RNC, and was barely mentioned at all until Thursday night when his brother Jeb very subtly threw him under a bus (He said my grandfather and my father were great American leaders who helped shape this nation. "And my brother...well, I love my brother.").  In fact, except for the always elegant Condi Rice,  the Bush administration was MIA from this convention. 
*  It continues to amaze me that in this day of Google and instant, constant information that politicians and political campaigns (seemingly all of them, both parties!) continue to distort the truth and think we won't notice.  An easy example: Paul Ryan told a story about candidate Obama (in 2008) visiting an auto plant in Ryan's hometown and promising that with government assistance it could be open for a very long time.  Ryan pointed out that in less than a year it closed, and pointed to this as failed policy. Only one problem- the closing was announced while Bush was President. No Obama policies were in place. But we weren't supposed to notice that...
*  Marco Rubio is THE rising political star in the Republican party, and he was awesome Thursday night.  And they really should have let him have Clint Eastwood's time.  I love you Clint, but no. No.
*  Governor Romney is now officially his party's nominee for President.  I wish him well on the campaign trail, and invite both he and President Obama to actually talk about the issues that "we the people" care about.  In 1992 Bill Clinton was elected because his advisers kept him on task by reminding him that the issues were economic. They still are.  In the words of that Clinton campaign, "It the economy, stupid!"  Whoever does the best job of remembering that and actually addressing those issues will most likely be our next President.

One last thought.  To all those out there who insist on using social media to attempt to change the hearts and minds of those who have different political views...STOP IT!  STOP IT NOW!  As popular wisdom says, "You changed my mind with your brilliant tweet about the other candidate"...said NO ONE EVER!"  Let's keep it real, my friends!

I hope you are all having a great holiday weekend!  Stay safe and be blessed!

Because of Jesus,