TAMPA, FL - Some 50,000 Republicans have descended upon Tampa for the Republican National Convention, the activities of which were delayed until Tuesday due to the effects of Tropical Storm Isaac. Going into the four-day meeting, presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney is virtually tired with Barrack Obama in most national polls.
Many conservative commentators believe it is critical that the former Massachusetts governor come off as a strong, but personable leader. A barrage of negative ads have would-be voters longing to meet the man who would share in a conversation in their living room opposed to the business shark image used to define Mitt Romney.
Scott Wheeler, executive director of The National Republican Trust PAC, spoke with OneNewsNow. "It really gives the Republican candidate a chance to showcase his plans and his personality, for that matter, because so much of the elections today are directly related to people's personalities," he explains.
Wheeler predicts Republicans will come together in Tampa in a hunger to unseat President Obama from the White House. "Now is the time for unification of the Republican Party," says Wheeler. "Obama has so effectively polarized the nation that Republicans are, as a necessity, going to unite with one another.
Those close to Romney contend his wife, Ann, will talk about her husband's commitment to family and his support during her battle with multiple sclerosis. Ann Romney is scheduled to speak in prime-time Tuesday evening.
Celebration of faith, freedom
In spite of Tropical Storm Isaac knocking on Tampa's door Sunday, a pre-convention rally proceeded as planned. Ralph Reed's Faith & Freedom Coalition featured a "who's who" of conservative rock stars who spoke at a celebration to kick-off of the 2012 Republican National Convention week at a packed Tampa Theatre.
National and statewide conservative leaders energized a crowd hopeful for a change in the White House in November -- including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz of Texas, conservative matriarch Phyllis Schlafly, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Jacquelyn Skaf, a delegate from Hawaii and member the RNC Rules Committee, said faith is at the heart of the Republican Party. "The principles that we rally together to celebrate today, to defend today, [are] the very center of who we are as Republicans," she told OneNewsNow.
Skaf shared that she is thankful for the strong faith and principled convictions found in many of the Party's leaders. "I'm just so happy to see all these warriors and leaders and my heroes of the conservative movement," she offered.
Undercover protesters
As anticipated, liberal demonstrators representing various causes gathered downtown as delegates arrived in Tampa Sunday for the National Republican Convention. Organizers say they anticipate some 5,000 to 10,000 protestors throughout the convention, but concede storm conditions from Isaac could hinder their numbers.
About a 1,000 Occupy Wall Street style-protestors waved signs ranging from "Mitt Romney doesn't support families" to "We are the 99 percent." The demonstrators marched in downtown Tampa in a designated parade route.
At another event, what was primarily a friendly conservative crowd, seven liberal protestors interrupted Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's speech during a rally sponsored by the Faith & Freedom Coalition Sunday. Secretly staged throughout the Tampa Theatre, they jumped up to protest Walker, who soundly won a recall vote in Wisconsin this summer. Sheriff's deputies quickly apprehended the group.
"You know, people should be able to say whatever they want. I think it was probably in bad taste; I don't know what it was. But we'll survive that," stated Tampa resident and Republican delegate Steve Cooper.
Hawaii delegate Jacquelyn Skaf had a better view than Cooper. She said she was shocked with the outburst.
"They were [seated] in front of us, and they clapped along and smiled at all the right places. I thought they were part of the group," she explained. "And then Scott Walker gets up and suddenly they're throwing their banners over the railing with zip ties and flipping him off and shouting at him. I just thought it was very inappropriate. They can have their voices heard -- I do believe in free speech -- but not in a destructive manner."
It is thought that liberal billionaire George Soros has worked behind the scenes, funding efforts through the ACLU to restrict law enforcement in its attempt to keep law and order during the Republican National Convention.
Tampa police will hand out a guide with tips for protesters during the Republican National Convention. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the guide lists banned items, gives advice on avoiding heat-related illnesses, and provides phone numbers for the RNC call center, the Hillsborough County jail, and the America Civil Liberty Union's hotline.