It wouldn’t be a political convention if the Republican delegates flooding into Tampa didn’t get their share of swag. Each delegate received a bag that included sunglasses, a rain poncho, a stuffed animal from Tampa’s Busch Gardens, and a copy...
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Photograph by Charles Dharapak/AP Photo
Mary White of Rathdrum, Idaho, shows her support for Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, at a rally at the University of South Florida Sun Dome on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention in Tampa on Aug. 26, 2012.
Ron Paul Delegates Not Happy With Their Candidates’ Treatment
Updated at 5:34 p.m. Some Ron Paul supporters attending the Republican National Convention this week aren’t happy with the way their candidate is being treated by Mitt Romney ’s campaign. And they want to be heard. At a rally of his supporters at...
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Photograph by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Image
A worker removes the plastic from a mirror on the floor ahead of the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 26, 2012.
Money in Politics: Plumbing’s not the Problem, It’s the Quality of the Water
“Here’s the problem with money in politics,” says Mike Murphy, a seasoned and semi-retired Republican TV ad strategist: It’s the content. “I’m less worried about the plumbing than I am the quality of the water,” Murphy said today in Tampa,...
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Workers attach a Romney Ryan 2012 sign at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 26, 2012 in Florida.
Romney Preps for His Convention Speech, Still at ‘Early Stage’
As Republicans poured into Tampa, Romney was spending the day at his lakeside vacation home in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, preparing his convention speech and getting updates on the storm. Romney, who spent the morning in church, offered a peek into...
Read more »Facebook, Comedy Central: Gain on Traditional, More-Trusted Sources
While most people still turn to traditional sources of media for news, the laptop, tablet and smart phone are catching up. ”There has been a significant movement toward new media,” said David Lauter, chief of Tribune Co.’s Washington bureau, detailing the...
Read more »Romney’s Medicare Slap at Obama: ‘Mr. President, It Ain’t Right’
Heading into the one-day-delayed Republican National Convention in Tampa — in the state with the greatest share of Medicare recipients — presidential candidate Mitt Romney is targeting President Barack Obama with a familiar refrain. In 2008, candidate Barack Obama attacked...
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Florida independent senate candidate Charlie Crist greets his supporters during the Election Night Gathering in St Petersburg in this file photo.
Charlie Crist: One-Man Party
Charlie Crist, elected to the Florida Legislature as a Republican, elected to the state Cabinet twice as a Republican, elected governor as a Republican, ran for U.S. Senate as an independent. Now Crist, a lawyer from St. Petersburg who lost...
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A downed tree in a marina parking lot as Tropicasl Storm Isaac begins to move ashore on August 26, 2012 in Marathon, Florida.
Stormy Monday: A Silver Lining?
Updated Aug. 26 at 7:45 am EDT Like Gustav before him, Isaac has truncated a presidential nominating convention. The Republican National Committee’s postponement of events slated to start Monday in Tampa — until a time to be announced on Tuesday...
Read more »Strong Rhetoric, Stiff Drinks Next-Door to RNC, Tampa
Republican delegates in Tampa who find the criticism of President Barack Obama and his policies underwhelming on the convention floor need only walk two blocks for something a little stronger. Or a lot stronger. The second floor of Channelside Bay Plaza, a...
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Photograph by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
A pug named Sake sits in his owner's backpack during a small protest by a group called Dogs Against Romney outside of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on February 14, 2012 in New York City.
With Saga of Seamus in Mind, Dog Day Afternoon Planned in Tampa
It just so happens that National Dog Day, Aug. 26, falls on the eve of the opening of the National Republican Convention. And for some of the folks who aren’t about to let the saga of Seamus fade away, that...
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