The 2012 Republican National Convention will be remembered for its many missteps and missed opportunities rather than the unlikely candidacy of a Mormon as its Presidential candidate.
The convention got off to a rough start when two delegates harassed a black CNN employee by throwing peanuts and saying "this is how we feed animals." The party described their behaviour as "deplorable, inexcusable and unacceptable" yet they gave a glimpse of the Republican grassroots and how slow progress has come for the party of Abraham Lincoln.
One of the most inspiring speeches at the convention came from former U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, who spoke eloquently on issues like defense, education and foreign relations yet all of her brilliance was overshadowed by a mere makeup malfunction. As her California Governor candidacy draft is gaining steam, her speech cemented her as a future political candidate while highlighting how superficial the American public is toward with the rightful place of the modern day woman.
Senator Mario Rubio spoke of his parent's journey from communist Cuba, their struggles in securing the American dream for their children and of an America that is and should be inclusive for all. This was the speech of his life as he perhaps contemplates his own presidential run in the near future. At the end, he neglected the plight of the so called illegal immigrants, mostly of Mexican backgrounds, to appease the Tea Party vote that have been instrumental to his success so far.
Then there was Hollywood elder statesman, Clint Eastwood, who made a mockery of himself. Talking to an empty chair, the mystery guest of the last day of the convention, Eastwood rambled his way and had a dialogue with an empty chair that was supposed to be President Obama. He proudly announced that he "never thought it was a good idea for attourneys to be President, anyway," taking an obvious swipe at the President's legal studies at Harvard.
But he didn't mention that Mitt Romney was also a Harvard Law School graduate as well as the keynote speaker of the evening, Senator Mario Rubio. At the end, in the social media, "Eastwooding" became known as pointing and talking to an empty chair
In the sea of cheering faces, there was hardly the diversity representative of modern day America. Even the CNN camera woman who was called "an animal" -- Patricia Carroll, observed how there are not too many black woman at the national convention. She also remarked how she "does not want the incident to be used for anyone's political advantage -- because racism is a global issue and it could happen to me at the Democratic convention or standing on the street corner."
Mitt Romney asked America, "Hope and change had a powerful appeal... But tonight I'd ask a simple question: if you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn't you feel that way now that he's President Obama?"
Not really. For America's very first black President who has achieved free health care for Americans, brought relative peace in the world and gave diversity a new meaning in American public service, he cannot possibly have the same reception as an activist President as when he was a young and powerful candidate.
As a former active politician, one would assume Mitt Romney would know and understand that.
Unfortunately, it seems he chose not to!