Pictures from the Republican National Convention: Up close and personal

Mitt Romney, Former Governor of Massachusetts and former candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, signs autographs at the RNC.

Mr. and Mrs. Heath, Sarah Palin’s parents, take care of baby Trig Palin at the RNC.

Cindy McCain walks up the stairs to sit in the the section designated for John McCain’s family.

Meghan McCain, daughter of Sen. John McCain, follows mom Cindy McCain up the stairs.

Piper Palin talks with mom Sarah and father Todd Palin

Republican National Convention: Wednesday night breakdown

The talk of the night was Sarah Palin.  Everywhere, questions were asked.  Will she perform to expectation?  Will she prove credible?  Can she maintain composure in national limelight? 

Checkmark yes to all of the above - Gov. Sarah Palin undoubtedly rocked the house last night.  With a fiery speech that brought the Xcel Center to its feet numerous times, the response from the crowd solidified the mutually shared confidence that Palin is ready and able. The Governor from Alaska delivered charismatic, powerful, and straightforward remarks as she accepted the nomination of becoming the first female Republican vice presidential nominee.

Mississippi delegate Mark Cumbest from Mosspoint, MS, said, “Sarah Palin proved tonight that she is the perfect complement to the McCain ticket. Over the past several days we’ve learned a lot about her impressive background. The unknown at least until tonight was can she ‘connect’ with voters. I think she has the talent and charisma to strengthen the Republican ticket and to win over disenfranchised Hillary Clinton voters among others. It was a momentous night in the history of our country. The McCain-Palin team is a winner.”

Trent Lott cheers on the speakers Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention.

Signs that read “Palin Power” and “I love hockey moms” waved through the energized crowd.  Palin finally got to share her story with America.  She outlined her background as an average hockey mom, and layered her professional experiences as Mayor of Wasilla and Governor of Alaska to reveal a woman ready and qualified to serve our nation.

“Before I became Governor of the great state of Alaska, I was Mayor of my hometown,” Gov. Palin told the crowd.   “And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.”

Palin also took on the negative media she has received over the past few days as she said, “I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment.  And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion; I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country.”

Palin had several notable lines in her speech.  Click here to view a list of those one-liners on Y’all Politics.

We also can’t forget the influential speeches of Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, and Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York.  All three men delivered their remarks with passion and power as they took on Obama’s intended direction for our nation and articulated their avid support for both John McCain and Sarah Palin. One of the favorite lines of the night delivered from Rudy Giuliani referred to Obama’s campaign theme, “… ‘change’ is not a destination, just as ‘hope’ is not a strategy.”  Palin also mentioned the Obama mantra when she said, “Some use change to promote their career while John McCain uses his career to promote change.”

A surprise to the crowd, Senator McCain joined the Palin family on stage and asked the delegates, “Do you think we made the right choice?”  The uproar that followed provided the obvious answer.  The Convention then got down to the business at hand, which was the formal nomination of John McCain as the Republican nominee for President of the United States.  Several states graciously passed on casting their votes so that Arizona delegates would have the deciding number of votes necessary for McCain to officially clinch the nomination.

Mississippi casts its vote for John McCain as the Republican presidential nominee. Pictured in front: MS GOP Chairman Jim Herring and Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional district Republican candidate for Congress Gregg Harper. Pictured in back: Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann and Mississippi delegate Mark Cumbest.

The one blip on the evening was the fact that two women protestors somehow managed to sneak into the event (likely from passes cut from the neckstrands of actual delegates that day).  They came down the aisle closest to the stage in ridiculous pink dresses screaming something inaudible from my position.  Luckily, the event occurred while Governor Palin was in the middle of a well-timed remark and the brief altercation was masked by the crowd’s cheers.  The law enforcement effort here has been overwhelming and appreciated.  Overall, Wednesday was a great night filled with energy and enthusiasm among the GOP.  Tonight will bring the convention to a close as Sen. John McCain accepts his nomination.  

Stay tuned for more coverage from tonight’s Convention proceedings.  Also, check back for pictures from the event.

Sarah Palin took the stage with power and force tonight at the Republican National Convention.  A speech that showed Palin was humorous and charismatic, yet strong and tenacious as she spoke to a crowd of thousands of people in the Xcel center.  Palin entered the arena and brought the crowd to its feet for a standing ovation that seemed to last forever before settling down.  Her words brought cheers, laughs, chants, and even boos when Palin refered to Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

Below are pictures from the tonight’s convention and Palin’s speech.  Check back tomorrow for a more detailed report of tonight (Wednesday’s) session.  Also, check back for more pictures.

Monday, September 1st Update from Minneapolis/ St. Paul

The day started off with a Mississippi delegation breakfast in Minneapolis.  Mississippi GOP Chairman Jim Herring welcomed the crowd of Mississippi delegates, alternate delegates, and guests.  The topic of the breakfast was undoubtedly Hurricane Gustav. 

It seemed as if the complete focus of the Republican National Convention was temporarily turned to the storm.  Sen. John McCain’s Deputy Campaign Manager Christian Ferry visited the breakfast and spoke to the Mississippi crowd.  Several speakers were canceled on Monday and events were changed to fundraisers to benefit those affected by the storm.  Only necessary business was conducted which included the delegates accepting the Republican platform.  Ferry emphasized the fact that we are here to do a job of nominating Sen. McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin as our president and vice president; however, he said we should now focus on our efforts to support those in the Gulf States.

Ferry said, “Now is a time to take our Republican hat off and put our American hat on.”  He highlighted that this is a great time to focus the convention on “Country first,” McCain’s slogan for the presidential election.  He then informed the Mississippi delegation on McCain and Palin’s visit to Jackson, MS.  Both visited in order to receive a full briefing of the storm and to assess possible storm impacts in advance of the arrival of Gustav.

Tennessee Representative and Mississippi native Marsha Blackburn, was a featured speaker at the breakfast as well.  Blackburn noted that we as Americans should “focus on what we believe in and what makes our country great.”  She emphasized her excitement and support for Governor Sarah Palin as the vice presidential pick for the Republican ticket.  She said that Palin knows that in order to change the world, we must start at home.

Another interesting featured speaker at the breakfast was Colonel Bud Day, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was a Prisoner of War in the same camp as McCain.  He intrigued the crowd with a heart-felt story of his 5 years as a POW and his experience as McCain’s bed-side neighbor while in the camp.  He noted McCain’s courage and loyalty as he refused to take an early release in front of his fellow soldiers.  At 95 lbs, McCain was on the edge of death.  Colonel Day said that McCain “took death before dishonor.”

GOP Chairman Jim Herring closed the breakfast by announcing a prayer service that has been organized by the Texas, Louisiana, and the Mississippi delegation.  It is to be held today from 4 to 5 in St. Paul for those who want to gather to pray for those affected by Hurricane Gustav.

Later in the day, an afternoon business meeting was conducted on a smaller scale at the convention due to several canceled speakers.  Rules and platform were adopted.  Cindy McCain and Laura Bush spoke at the meeting and Haley Barbour, Bobby Jindal, Bob Riley and Rick Perry were brought in on satellite to give updates on Hurricane Gustav.

Check back for more coverage from the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/ St. Paul.

Dear Friends,

Due to the the conditions of Hurricane Gustav, Senator Cochran decided against attending the Republican National Convention in order to stay at home in Mississippi.  Cochran along with Sen. Roger Wicker, Gov. Haley Barbour, and some of the Mississippi Convention delegates thought it was best to be in their home state to aid Mississippians in the wake of the oncoming hurricane.  As the Cochran campaign, we send out our thoughts and prayers to those individuals and families on the Gulf Coast who are affected by the storm. 

However, the Convention is still in progress in Minneapolis/St. Paul, although it has been scaled back due to the turn of focus on Hurricane Gustav.  While Sen. Cochran and some delegates are back in Mississippi, Cochran staff members and alternate delegates are attending the Convention all week in order to take care of the business at hand, nominating Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin as our president and vice president on the Republican ticket.

Throughout the week, we will update you straight from Minneapolis/St. Paul, so check out our blog daily to see what is going on at the Republican National Convention.

Happy Labor Day, and keep all residents and families on the Coast and in our neighboring states in your thoughts and prayers.