Politics

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

OK. So the president is focused on young voters. At the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney and his supporters were focused on women. Their effort is driven by the big deficit that Romney has had among women in poll matchups with the president. And that's why the GOP convention featured one high-profile female speaker after another. Here's NPR's Don Gonyea.

Although discussion of foreign policy was in scant evidence at the Republican National Convention, one country did loom large in the lineup: Israel.

Republican delegates in Tampa, Fla., were treated this week to images of Mitt Romney's recent visit to Israel. With stirring music and pictures of Jerusalem's iconic sites, the message of the Romney campaign is that the Republican candidate is a better friend to Israel than President Obama is.

It's been the political world's obsession for weeks leading into the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Would nominee Mitt Romney manage what would be miraculous for any candidate, and in a handful of days and one big speech wash away the problems of a modern candidacy?

Turns out Romney's moment Thursday night was a fine one, if not a great one.

His speech continued the campaign's concerted effort to reach out to skeptical female voters, reminding the audience that his strong mother ran for Senate.

On Thursday, NPR's Frank James hosted a live chat during the GOP convention. He was joined by Neal Carruth, NPR's elections editor; Richard Foglesong, Florida political scientist; Marilyn Geewax, NPR.org national economic correspondent; Terri Bimes, presidential scholar; and S.V. Dáte, NPR's congressional editor.

Read below to see how it unfolded.

If you missed some of Thursday's action at the Republican National Convention, when Mitt Romney accepted his party's presidential nomination, we were live blogging here and you can always read through it to see how the day and evening went.

But if you'd like to save some time, here are five things that struck us (skip to the end if you only want to read about Clint Eastwood):

If Republicans really do have a problem with the issue of immigration — as even former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush intimated on Thursday — you wouldn't know it from the litany of GOP convention speakers who have made a point of stressing their country of origin.

Mitt Romney accepted the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nomination tonight and told the nation that if he's elected he will end the four years of "disappointment and division" brought upon America by President Obama.

"I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed," Romney said. "But his promises gave way to disappointment and division. This isn't something we have to accept. Now is the moment when we can do something. With your help we will do something."

Mitt Romney will tell Americans tonight that he understands why they voted for "hope and change" four years ago, but that President Obama has not delivered and that "my country deserves better."

"I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed," he will say after accepting the Republican Party's presidential nomination, according to excerpts of his address released by the candidate's campaign.

"Tell President Obama ... "

Remember that command from TV ads through the spring and summer? "Tell President Obama" to stop spending, cut the debt, increase oil production, or whatever.