All eyes are on the Republican National Convention and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
The day after vice presidential contender Paul Ryan delivered his speech, Romney himself now commands the spotlight with his Thursday night address.
Below, a live blog of the latest developments to unfold at the convention.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Rep. Paul Ryan's speech, one of the most effective convention speeches I've ever witnessed, was meant to aggressively paint President Barack Obama as not just a guardian of old-think and the status quo.
It was designed to paint him as just plain old.
The president was born in the last year of the Baby Boom. Ryan is the first Gen-Xer on a national ticket.
Using words such as "old," "tired" and "yesterday" repeatedly, the 42-year-old Ryan attacked the Obama presidency as the bastion of a stagnant society and economy that was not in tune with the aspirations of young working families and the entrepreneurial spirit of the country.
Masterfully -- and minimally -- admitting that Obama had had a tough hand to play, and speaking more in sober but righteous sorrow rather than anger, Ryan leveled one of the most thorough-going and passionate attacks so far this season on the premises, promises and performance of the Obama presidency.
Ryan's history as a brave truth-teller on the budget is spotty, but it didn't stop him from offering a succinct and powerful summary of the economic woes of the country.
As with other top speakers, he spent very little time talking about Mitt Romney and a lot of time talking about himself, including his AC-DC-to-Led Zeppelin iPod playlist.
It worked.
-- Howard Fineman
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is the first Latina governor in the United States. She's also a former Democrat, and told the story of her party switch in a prime speaking spot Wednesday at the Republican National Convention.
It fit into a message Republicans are making to Latinos, most of whom at this point vote Democratic. Republicans are arguing this week Latino voters should reconsider which party better serves them, or, as Ann Romney said earlier in the day, "Wake up and say, 'You'd better really look at the issues this time.'"
Martinez effectively did just that. She grew up as a Democrat. But before her bid for district attorney, two Republicans extended a lunch invitation to her, she said. "I know a party switch was exactly what they wanted," she added, expecting to politely talk to them with her husband, Chuck, and then say goodbye.
"But we talked about issues," she went on. "They never used the words 'Republican' or 'Democrat,' 'conservative' or 'liberal.' We talked about many issues, like welfare. ... We talked about size of government."
"And when we left that lunch, we got in the car and I looked over at Chuck and said, 'I'll be damned. We're Republicans,'" she said to roars from the crowd.
Martinez never mentioned outreach to Hispanics specifically, but peppered her speech with a few Spanish lines and attacked President Barack Obama on immigration for failing to pass immigration reform -- far from the other speakers knocking him on immigration from the right.
She said Romney is best because he believes America should be kept prosperous for the next generation.
"El sueno Americano es el éxito," she said. "The American dream is success."
-- Elise Foley
HuffPost's Dave Jamieson reports:
In keeping with the small but spirited demonstrations from the left here this week, unionized workers led a march against GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney through downtown Tampa Wednesday afternoon, hoping to show onlookers what they said "Romney's America" would look like.Hosted by a local labor council and escorted by Tampa police, the march included a series of stops in which labor activists put on shows of street theater, acting out various injustices that they assured would come with a Romney administration, including voter suppression, rising student debt and a decline in working conditions.
Click here to read more.
HuffPost's Arthur Delaney reports:
In his prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday evening, vice presidential hopeful Paul Ryan illustrated economic failure under President Barack Obama with an anecdote about a factory that closed before Obama took office.Ryan said, "Right there at that plant, candidate Obama said, 'I believe that if our government is there to support you … this plant will be here for another hundred years.' That’s what he said in 2008."
"Well, as it turned out, that plant didn't last another year," Ryan continued. "It is locked up and empty to this day. And that’s how it is in so many towns today, where the recovery that was promised is nowhere in sight."
Click here to read more.
 | @ howardfineman : Ryan's is one of the best, most effective and effectively delivered convention speeches I've ever been in a hall for ,and I've seen lots. |
 | @ christinawilkie : Paul Ryan is bringing tears to the eyes of more than simply Scott Walker. Damn. |
 | @ sarahkliff : Important: Ryan and Obama budgets want to grow Medicare at the *exact* same rate (GDP + 0.5 percent). |
TAMPA, Fla. -- After protesting on floor at the Republican National Convention Tuesday, Ron Paul delegates on Wednesday accused convention security guards of confiscating their signs in support of the former Republican presidential candidate in order to bolster the image of official nominee Mitt Romney.
Mike Zentz, an alternate delegate for Paul from Honolulu, told The Huffington Post that private security guards hired by the convention first told Paul's legion of supporters that "all outside signs" were prohibited from being brought into the Tampa Bay Times Forum. But as soon as the guards crossed the entry point, scores of convention volunteers were handing out signs in support of Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan.
According to Zentz, one Nevada delegate managed to make it past the guards with a paper sign, no more than two feet in length, and held it proudly when a camera zoomed in on the state's delegation during the roll call vote on Tuesday to formally nominate Romney.
"As soon as the camera moved on, security came and confiscated the sign aggressively," said Zentz. "But that was a state that was won by Ron Paul, and they were simply showing their support for their state's nominee."
While this was taking place, Romney signs continued to be distributed inside the forum and on the floor.
Andres Mukk, the lead Paul delegate from Hawaii, said security didn't spare a small mouse pad. As soon as guards spotted a delegate waving the mouse pad at a camera, they swiftly took it.
The convention "has been a scripted, media event to coronet Mitt Romney," said Mukk. "I'm lucky our buttons haven't been confiscated yet."
Zentz said such censorship would only worsen the already contentious relationship between Paul's supporters and the Republican Party.
Republican officials have maintained that the party remains united, and the protests from Paul supporters will bear little consequence on Romney's chances in the general election.
"A few people squawking in the back does not cause division," said Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) at a luncheon on Wednesday. "I can't predict how people are going to vote, but I don't think it's a big deal."
Neither Zentz nor Mukk agreed with that assessment. Both contended that no Paul supporter is bound to casting a vote for Romney in November. And the RNC's repeated attempts to silence their voices on a stage intended to unify the party only creates more distance between them and the Republican presidential ticket.
"They're violating the integrity of their own process," Zentz said. "What's the point of the convention if they won't listen to the voice of their own people? We may as well just ask the RNC to pick the nominee from now on."
An RNC spokesman wasn't immediately available for comment.
-- Sabrina Siddiqui
 | @ nytjim : Huge ovation for Ryan when he says: "We've had no shortage of words from the White House. What is missing is leadership in the White House." |
 | @ lexinyt : Here she is. MT @zena_b heckler during #rnc Paul Ryan's speech http://t.co/TGjsI8Ue |
HuffPost's Howard Fineman reports:
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie talks about the need to face budgetary hard truths, and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan is supposed to be the new prince of truth-telling about spending. But the older delegates I talked with on the floor of the Republican convention Wednesday night are wary of changing Medicare and don't know much, if anything, about their vice presidential candidate's plan to turn it into a market-based voucher program.And even though Christie told the Republican convention that seniors aren't selfish, I didn't find a single delegate currently on Medicare who is willing to accept any changes to the program or in the taxes to pay for it.
They also said that government leaders should look elsewhere first to cut the budget -- especially defense spending.
Click here to read more.
| @ christinawilkie : Paging John Boehner: Scott Walker weeping a few minutes into Paul Ryan's speech. |
| @ howardfineman : Crowd loves the kids. Mom is introduced -- to protect Medicare! |
 | @ dbauder : Feeling young again: Of 22 million who watched the first week of the convention, nearly 15 million are age 55 and over. |
 | @ mpoindc : Martinez: "In many ways Mitt Romney and I are very different ... But we’ve each shared in the promise of America." #NBCPolitics |
HuffPost's Josh Hersh reports:
The Republican National Convention took an uncharacteristic turn toward foreign policy on Wednesday night, as two prominent speakers lashed out at President Barack Obama's leadership in world affairs."Unfortunately, for four years, we've drifted away from our proudest traditions of global leadership, traditions that are truly bipartisan," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in his address early in the night. "We've let the challenges we face, both at home and abroad, become harder to solve. We can't afford to stay on that course any longer."
Click here to read more.
As Republicans continued to criticize Obama at the RNC, David Axlerod sent an email to Obama's supporters about Obamacare:
Judging from the number of times they've said it this week, you would think repealing Obamacare on Day One is the most urgent goal of the Republican Party and number one reason to elect Mitt Romney.I'd like to know what's noble about making it harder for people to get health care.
President Obama refused to give up on this legislation because he knew it was about real people -- people like his own mother who, in her final days, battled cancer and mounting bills, or my daughter Lauren, whose intractable epilepsy, at just seven months old, nearly bankrupted our family and burdened her with a pre-existing condition that threatened her future coverage.
Today, there are millions of families like ours who won't have to suffer through needless heartache over situations beyond their control.
If the President loses, Republicans are guaranteeing those protections will be gone with him.
...
When the Supreme Court affirmed the Affordable Care Act, I was moved to tears. This week, the Republicans are moving a lot of people to act as well -- to make sure they can't take their destructive platform to the White House.
The next time you hear someone at the Republican convention attack Obamacare, remember what they're actually trying to take away.
 | @ Jordanfabian : Martinez big on personal narrative: "We grew up on the border and truly lived paycheck to paycheck." |
| @ howardfineman : Condi brings cheers with her rise from Alabama. She's tough and smart, for sure, but federal law had something to do with building that. |
 | @ mollyesque : "A little girl grows up in Jim Crow Birmingham...and she becomes the secretary of state." With that, Condi Rice brings the house down. |
 | @ BuzzFeedAndrew : Condi Rice says of underperforming schools:"This is the civil rights issue of our day." |
 | @ jbarooah : Condi: "We are a compassionate nation of immigrants" #GOP2012 |
 | @ ckanal : "It doesn't matter where you came from, it matters where you are going." -Condi Rice #GOP2012 |
 | @ FrankBruni : Condi Rice says "you cannot lead from behind," gets her biggest applause. #RNC |
 | @ husainhaqqani : Condi Rice first speaker to start off w/ reference to 9/11 at #GOP2012 |
TAMPA, Fla. -- This may be Mitt Romney's party, but everyone is excited to see Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
The vast majority of the convention-goers who spoke with The Huffington Post on Wednesday night said that of all the speakers lined up for the Republican National Convention, they were most excited to hear from Ryan.
"He's the most intelligent man I think I've ever heard," said Alaskan Pam Raygor, referring to Ryan. "I find it incredible that he's articulate yet civil and [down-to-earth]. I like having that combination of soundness and intellect coming together; you don't see that often. It's quite charming, actually."
HuffPost reports:
Former Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty called the Republican National Convention "Barack Obama's retirement party" in his prime time speech Wednesday night.The former GOP hopeful continued to hammer at Obama with a string of jokes, saying the president "isn't as bad as people say, he's actually worse."
Click here to read more.
HuffPost's Howard Fineman reports:
Republicans here claim to want to disperse political power: return it to the states, the marketplace and the people. But Team Mitt tried to collect even more power in the hands of itself and the Republican Party -- which is what caused a rules fight that seemed very obscure, but that in fact provided a glimpse into the ideological and temperamental split in the GOP.On the floor of the hall Wednesday night, RNC lawyer Ben Ginsberg downplayed the rules confrontation, resolved on Tuesday, at least for the time being.
Click here to read more.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Ron Paul's supporters aren't giving up.
Backers of the Texas congressman's presidential campaign on Tuesday protested a rules change by the Republican National Committee, as well as the RNC's refusal to seat 20 delegates from Maine who are Paul supporters. (They were replaced by Romney backers.)
A large contingent of Paul backers on Wednesday night continued to show their disapproval of the what the RNC did by walking out of the main arena and into the encircling hallway, loudly shouting, "As Maine goes, so goes the nation!"
Watch:
-- Amanda Terkel
Just after his prime time speech, John McCain sent an email to Romney supporters:
We need to change course.The Obama economy has left millions of Americans out of work, poverty at levels unseen in decades, and incomes in decline.
The American people demand and deserve better. And these tough times demand the strongest team we have for the tough job of turning things around.
I know from experience that Governor Romney is a tough competitor, and I also believe Paul Ryan has proven he is fully prepared to address our nation's economic challenges.
That's why I'm proud to support the Romney-Ryan ticket, and I hope you'll join me.
Let's stand together with them, and get our great country back on track.
 | @ jmsummers : "They say I was on Governor Romney's short list of vice presidential candidates," Rob Portman says. "Apparently, it wasn't short enough." |
HuffPost reports:
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi tag-teamed her Republican National Convention appearance with fellow state Attorney General Sam Olens of Georgia in a speech that focused on tearing down Obamacare."[Obamacare] claims that government is responsible for private sector success, but the only thing he is building is bigger government," Bondi said. "Obamacare is Exhibit A."
Bondi then honed in on the "tax or mandate" argument.
Click here to read more.
HuffPost reports:
America's last two Republican presidents -- father and son -- addressed the 2012 Republican Convention via prerecorded video Wednesday night.George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, fondly recalled moments from their respective presidencies, and pledged their support to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
Click here to read more and watch the tribute video.
TAMPA, Fla. -- The head of the Tampa police force said Wednesday night that she was shocked by the relatively low number of protestors who turned out for the Republican National Convention.
"We were very surprised at the low number of demonstrators," Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor told HuffPost after a permitted demonstration by labor unions downtown. "We have a lot of groups that were scheduled to come here, a lot of groups that we planned to come here then never materialized. In the very beginning, we blamed it on the weather, but that cleared up in a day, so I'm not sure what's kept them out."
According to Castor, the protests that have taken place have been relatively incident-free. The department has only logged two arrests related to the convention, she said. One involved a demonstrator who was carrying a machete, the other a demonstrator who refused to remove a mask in an area where police wouldn't allow faces to be covered.
Overall, handling the protests has been easier than expected, Castor said.
"We expected, from everything we’d heard through social media, the planned marches and planned events and demonstrations, we were expecting thousands ... 10 to 15 thousand protestors. I would say if there were a total of 2,000 or 3,000, that would be the max."
Police officers from various departments have been a visible presence throughout the week, with more than 3,000 of them stationed here for the convention, according to CBS News. Given the modest turnout by demonstrators, some convention goers and protestors have said the massive show of force was overkill.
Castor said a handful of protestors at the "Romneyville" encampment have "tried to bait the officers" into arresting them and "the officers have just not responded." She said Tampa police will keep up the patrol until the convention wraps up, though she added that she doesn't expect much trouble before it's all over.
"A lot of people we saw as potential troublemakers have left town," Castor said. "Or they tweeted that police are everywhere, and it's not worth it."
 | @ KateNocera : Ted Yoho, who won running against the Wash. establishment, sitting in House leadership box tonight for Ryan speech. http://t.co/0hW2j806 |
| @ BuzzFeedAndrew : John Thune uses basketball analogy:"President Obama would be easy to defend, because you always know, he's always going to go to his left." |
 | @ MittRomney : PHOTO: #WeCanChangeIt #gop2012 #tcot http://t.co/BR2PaA8m |
 | @ HuffingtonPost : Happy Birthday, @SenJohnMcCain! |
The senator turns 76 today.
 | @ AntDeRosa : Coming up: Condi Rice, Mike Huckabee, and Paul Ryan #RNC2012 |
TAMPA, Fla. -- Sen. Rand Paul's biggest applause during his Wednesday evening speech at the Republican National Convention came from a line about protecting civil liberties, suggesting a heavy presence of libertarian-leaning supporters, including those of his father, Ron Paul.
"To thrive we must believe in ourselves again, and we must never -- never -- trade our liberty for any fleeting promise of security," the Kentucky senator said to thunderous applause.
Much like his father, the Texas congressman and former presidential candidate, Rand Paul has been a vocal advocate against security measures that compromise civil rights and freedoms, reflecting the views of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Paul, one of the most conservative senators, voted against the National Defense Authorization Act and spoke out against a controversial provision to let the military detain suspected terrorists on American soil and hold them indefinitely without trial.
After the Senate voted to keep that provision intact in November, Paul said he was "very, very concerned" about sending U.S. citizens to Guantanamo Bay for indefinite detention.
"It's not enough just to be alleged to be a terrorist," Paul said at the time. "That's part of what due process is -- deciding, are you a terrorist? I think it's important that we not allow U.S. citizens to be taken."
--Sabrina Siddiqui
| @ howardfineman : One of many differences between #RNC2012 and Dems: Here, T-shirts with a blue 'Y' on them mean Brigham Young University. At Dems, it's Yale. |
TAMPA, Fla. -- There were few places more deserted than Occupy Tampa's encampment at 7 p.m. Wednesday. I counted five people there, not including the young woman lying down in a short bus parked along West Main Street. A few sat in scuffed chairs talking quietly to themselves. A shirtless middle-aged man wearing headphones stared blankly at a computer screen in the media tent.
Gerry Londergan, 62, was the only one with any energy left. He had come down to protest at the convention, but hadn't counted on staying with Occupy. The hurricane threat and a nearby park's closure forced him to move in with the activists.
Londergan had parked his giant blue and gray tent a few feet from the media tent and pitched in, helping with media work, clean-up, and food prep with Food Not Bombs. "They brought granola here … and it was like the best granola I've ever had in my life," he said.
The activists first thought he was a cop. His thick Boston accent, well-groomed mustache and clean-cut appearance may have given that impression. He actually is a retiree who lives mostly in Somerville, Mass., and spends his winters in the Virgin Islands. He had just come from St. John. It has been a rough transition from the island tranquility to Tampa. "I was traumatized by the strip malls," he said. And all the car dealerships. And how almost no one walks.
The interestate highway roared from a nearby overpass. That noise was hard to get used to. Especially at night. He said he understands why Occupy Tampa is so small. Who could live with that noise day in and day out? Fatigue has to set in.
All that's left may be the diehards. The true believers. The other night, one of the activists screamed at a cop driving by the encampment. Londergan said he counseled the kid from his days in non-violence training and No-Nukes work 30 years ago. "They're very angry," he said. "That's the common denominator."
-- Jason Cherkis
| @ AntDeRosa : Big applause for @SenJohnMcCain over line about government leaks #RNC2012 |
HuffPost's Ryan Grim reports:
Sen. Rand Paul said in his prime time convention speech Wednesday night that despite the criticism he took for saying so, he still thinks President Barack Obama's health care reform is unconstitutional."Just because a couple people on the Supreme Court declare something to be ‘constitutional’ does not make it so," the Kentucky politician said after the court's June ruling. "The whole thing remains unconstitutional." He quickly took fire for undermining the legitimacy of the court.
Click here to read more.
 | @ TheFix : "I had hopes once of addressing you under different circumstances." -- John McCain. #gop2012 |
HuffPost's Mike McAuliff reports:
The most important Republican in the U.S. Senate described President Barack Obama as something less than American in his speech opening the Wednesday session of the Republican National Convention."Over the past four years Americans have been led to believe we're just like everybody else, that America isn't unique," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said, hitting on an argument some Republicans began using in the last election.
"We are different," McConnell said. "The president scoffs at this idea. To him, this kind of thinking is the problem, not the solution."
Click here to read more.
John McCain: "Our fellow Americans had another plan four years ago, and I accept their decision."
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Supreme Court found the health care reform law constitutional in June, which counts as more than mere opinion. By definition, it means that Obamacare fits in the Constitution.
Yet Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) repeated his assertion Wednesday night that it does not.
When the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, the first words out of my mouth were: I still think it is unconstitutional!The leftwing blogs were merciless. Even my wife said -- can't you pleeeease count to 10 before you speak?
So, I've had time now to count to 10 and, you know what? I still think it's unconstitutional!
Do you think Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas have changed their minds?
I think if James Madison himself -- the father of the Constitution -- were here today he would agree with me: The whole damn thing is still unconstitutional!
Of course, it was Madison who helped make it a fact that laws upheld by the Supreme Court are indeed constitutional.
-- Michael McAuliff
 | @ aterkel : Boo. Heard some claps when Laura Bush talks about Barney biting a reporter. #GOP2012 |
| @ AntDeRosa : A video tribute to George H. W. Bush now playing #RNC2012 |
