In Tampa on Thursday night, Mitt Romney delivered what was probably the best, most effective and most revealing speech of his life. But the bar for that achievement was low. And while Romney was smooth, warm and at times …
Conventions
In the Line of Fire: The Clint Eastwood Train Wreck
I will never forget the night I sat in a convention hall in Tampa and watched Mitt Romney accept the Republican nomination for president, because that was the night I saw Clint Eastwood say the immortal words: “Do you just—you know—I know—people were wondering—you don’t—handle that OK.”
Rand Paul Speaks: Will the Ron Paul Fans Follow?
Tampa
Senator Rand Paul walked onto the convention stage on Wednesday night knowing he was a rickety bridge between his father’s supporters and the Republican establishment. A contingent of delegates loyal to Ron Paul had …
Watch: Delegate of the Day
A Different Paul Ryan Takes the Stage in Tampa
Paul Ryan took the national stage earlier this summer as Washington’s most famous wonk. The Wisconsin Congressman was known as a master of budget policy with grand ideas for restructuring entitlement programs and slashing …
What You Missed While Not Watching the Second Night of the Republican Convention
7 p.m. Beneath clusters of celebratory balloons, the second night of the Republican National Convention begins with a color guard of military amputees who are wearing shorts to show off their mechanical legs. It’s a …
Shame on You, John McCain
Listening to John McCain on Wednesday night, you had to wonder if Sheldon Adelson had been giving him some kind of break at the craps tables. His speech was a noxious compendium of the usual neocon blather. He rehearsed the …
We Read the Republican Platform So You Don’t Have To
Tampa
“Have you ever met anybody who has read the party platform?” John Boehner scoffed Monday. “I’ve not ever met anybody.” Boehner has a point. The 2012 Republican platform is neither widely read nor binding. But it is an …
The Art of Political Stagecraft
Watch: The Latest from Tampa
TIME’s video team brings you two Wednesday features: First, A short highlight of last night’s speeches and preview of what the politicos will be slavering over this evening:
Beads, Bling and Boots: Crazy Accessories at the RNC
TIME’s photo editors look at the most notable fashion trends of the Republican National Convention in Tampa.
More photo galleries from the Republican National Convention:
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The RNC’s Diversity Pageant
Tampa
Mia Love is not a household name. But ask any savvy Republican here, and they’ll tell you the mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, is one of the party’s political phenoms. Love, 37, is a congressional candidate for Utah’s 4th district. More importantly, she’s a black Mormon with sterling Tea Party credentials. This is the sort of …
What You Missed While Not Watching the First Night of the Republican Convention
7:14 p.m. The hurricane couldn’t stop it. The weak economy didn’t underfund it. The orange-bottomed girls at the Hooters down the street won’t distract from it. Day One of the 2012 Republican National Convention has …