Tampa — Forced to share the spotlight with Tropical Storm Isaac and amid some grumbling that Tuesday’s speeches were somewhat less than the doctor ordered, the Republican convention desperately needed a jolt of energy last night. Paul Ryan delivered it in the nick of time.
The young VP candidate started slowly, seeming a bit tight and maybe overprepared, but soon got into a rhythm and put the finishing touches on a night of red meat for a crowd hungry for it. He ripped President Obama on rising debt, joblessness and ObamaCare. Alternately passionate and deliberate and showing flashes of humor, Ryan looks ready to assume the traditional role of the running mate-attack dog.
Whether he actually relishes it is another matter, for the brainy young congressman would rather talk policy than politics. But if there is to be any energy in the Romney campaign, a serious question still, Ryan will have to supply it.
Mixed with his direct attacks on Obama, which were surprisingly and strictly rationed by Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Tuesday, Ryan repeatedly demonstrated the campaign’s determination to have a battle over how to reform Medicare.
“We want that debate, and we will win that debate,” he said to thunderous applause.
It’s a bold gamble, but there is no doubt that the Romney-Ryan ticket intends to make it. Starting with the selection of Ryan two weeks ago, Romney passed up the last opportunity to choose caution. There can be no doubt after Ryan’s closing lines that “We can make the safety net safe again” and “We can do this — let’s get this done.” That he had to shout over the delegates’ roar of approval illustrated the depth of the commitment to the fight.
It will not be easy, which makes the general tenor of the convention something of a mystery. Before Ryan took the stage, the day and night felt a little flat.
A host of speakers, including important party voices, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, droned on to an audience that seemed more distracted than usual, especially given the passion surrounding the election. Even John McCain, the GOP nominee four years ago, gave an excellent and tough foreign-policy speech that was well received by those few who were listening.
The one exception in the warm-up gaggle was Condoleezza Rice, whose prime-time address brought the crowd to its feet numerous times. My favorite line in a big, complex speech about the necessity of American leadership at home and abroad was this: “Ours has never been a narrative of grievance and entitlement. We have not believed that I am doing poorly because you are doing well,” said the former secretary of state, the only black woman to hold the job.
Later, she returned to the dangers of a culture dominated by “entitlement and grievance.” Her “personal note” finish, about the path of her own life from a segregated South to the pinnacles of power, brought a rousing, standing ovation. She seems ready to play an important role in the campaign, no small issue given the charges of racism some Obama supporters are already making against the GOP.
Rice woke up the crowd, and Ryan turned up the noise, making for a powerful combination and finish.
But, of course, victory is not just a matter of a good speech or two from people other than the nominee. The heart of the problem is the fact that Romney himself doesn’t inspire great passion, with even some delegates looking as if they’d prefer root canal.
He’ll get his chance tonight to win them over, and he better make the most of it. The race is tight and a prime-time address before his party is one of the last, best chances he’ll have to sell himself. A failure to get a bump out of the convention would be a serious lost opportunity.
Besides, no matter how much help he gets from the likes of Ryan and Rice, politics is ultimately a singles game. If Romney is to become president, he’ll have to earn it, starting with putting on the performance of his life tonight.