Rick Santorum started speaking about 9:20. He got a tepid reaction, one from which it is hard to infer that the party sees him as a plausible future national candidate. He spoke movingly of his immigrant grandfather. He is speaking in lyrical tones and graceful words on the traditional family and has denounced many Obama policies. He finally gets some good applause when he denounces Obama for subverting welfare reform (a Romney campaign theme). But then this is a convention full of Romney delegates.
"I shook the hand of the American dream," he says, very movingly. He speaks with great fervor and careful pacing. It strikes me that this is an excerpt of the acceptance speech he hoped to make, that he has had these passages in mind for a long time. Good, respectful applause when he recounts the story of his disabled daughter.
UPDATE: Strong applause when he calls for lifting up almost all children.
Until the end, little mention of Romney and Ryan. Then an endorsement with the words "don't let the dream die," an echo of Edward Kennedy's non-embrace of Jimmy Carter at the 1980 Democratic convention.
Until the end, little mention of Romney and Ryan. Then an endorsement with the words "don't let the dream die," an echo of Edward Kennedy's non-embrace of Jimmy Carter at the 1980 Democratic convention.
