I do remember the 1992 campaign; and the big problem with Bush was that people voted for him in 1988 expecting Ronald Reagan Term Three. We didn't get that. When Bush raised taxes, he broken his spoken pledge of "no new taxes." More importantly, he broke the unspoken pledge to continue what Reagan had started.

I agree with Peter. This convention made a strong conservative argument, the strongest I've seen in at least four cycles, but without the traditional rhetoric. Instead of "shoring up the base" or pandering to particular demographic groups, Romney led a convention designed to introduce voters to the basic principles of the conservatism and to make them feel comfortable with the sorts of people who espouse that philosophy.
The Mark Levins of the world tell us to fight. Good. But independent voters want to be told what we are fighting for. This convention did that in a tone that was smart and mature. There were lots of young people at this year's RNC. But they were grownups, all.

Energy independence does more than give that Purdue engineering major a job. It means that the waitress will pay less to drive to work and heat her home. Not because someone else is subsidizing her but because someone else is prospering.

And why is the warehouse worker's wage stagnate? Because in a slow economy with high unemployment, companies have no incentive to raise his salary. Where else can he go? In a Romney economy, perhaps he'll find a better wage at the company that the Arizona business major just opened.

As for the factory worker with obsolete skills, what can be said? Anyone who has been in business for more than a few years knows that the skills we learn today will be obsolete by tomorrow. I would hope that a Romney reform in education would help more of us become perpetual learners but not professional students--gaining knowledge on the job or on our own instead of  applying for a government grant every time we needed a new skill.

I know several college students who campaigned for Romney in the south during the primaries. They didn't like the speech either: "It was unstructured," "He rambled," "He was off-message," "I didn't understand the chair," "I don't get what demographic this plays to."

But people I know who are over sixty loved it because Eastwood didn't seem too polished or political or partisan. He made fun of Obama in the way that most of us might mock a humorless and incompetent boss. Eastwood--like Romney, Ryan, and most of the prime-time speakers--has the two crucial elements that Obama lacks: a sense of humor and a record of success in his field.

The Eastwood speech was mess as a piece of political rhetoric. As a piece of entertainment, it worked. Isn't that the point of asking a Hollywood guy to speak instead of another politician?

She did pronounce some words strangely (ingénue-ity?), sentences got away from her, and she had that tremble in the voice that has always affected her in speeches. Sentence-by-sentence, it was a flawed.

As a whole presentation, though, it was perfect: a passionate moral argument for America's place in the world, spoken with depth and conviction. This was the real keynote address.

My dad always heard, "Four Letter Woman, Four Letter Woman to me."

Long John Goldpod.

On the pitch: It's hard for me to complain about it. I finally joined because of Rob's pitch...after having listened to the podcast for months. He wore me down.

On the advertising:  Again, I can't complain. Since hearing about the products, I've bought books from Audible and downloaded broadsides for my Kindle. And last week, I was in meeting for a small non-profit group hoping to start a website. "Have you considered Square Space?" I asked.

Just as people used to read Playboy for the articles, I listen to the Ricochet Podcast for the ads.

Rob kept arguing that Romney should dedicate himself to debate prep instead of checklist candidate stuff such as the "world tour." I get that. But for Romney, the world tour is a form of debate prep. Here's what I mean:

Last January when Romney started in the debates, he spoke in a broad, platitudinous way ("I believe in America," etc.). It just didn't work. On the campaign trail, though, things changed. He started telling stories, giving examples of specific success stories, weird government regulations, and communities in need. He's not good at thematic motivational speeches, but he's one of the best politicians I've seen with "Let me tell you how ObamaCare will affect the sawmill in this town" sorts of speeches. They never seemed canned or insincere in the Al Gore tradition ("I met a woman who picked up scrap aluminum to sell, just so she could buy cat food to eat."). If the Romney trip yields a few "Let me tell you what I noticed in Israel" moments in the debate, they're worth it.

The university presidents I've known have been at the helm of smaller liberal arts colleges. They've set the vision for the school, planned infrastructure improvements, and raised money...lots of money. In fact, fundraising seems to be the most important part of the job. It can be tough work, particularly since the business mentality of a good president is often at odds with the worldview of the faculty who serve under him. But I think that Daniels, a businessman academic, will thrive at Purdue. No news there. The real story is that Purdue had the good sense to pursue him in the first place. That's heartening.

If Obama loses Wisconsin in the fall, Democrats will long recall Walker.

Green friendly racing? It can mean only one thing: Ben Hur fans, rejoice! The chariot races will return.

I can't disagree there, but it least it doesn't sound like he's reading his lines off a teleprompter like the rest of the cast...or like certain constipated politicians I could mention.

A few members have noted the sorry southern accents on display. As a native of South Carolina, I've become desensitized to Hollywood's version of Dixie-speak. I accept it in the way that I accept that although John Grisham movies are set in the present day South, no on has an air conditioner.  My only question: aren't Gatsby, Daisy, and Nick from the Midwest? Why the switch? Because Zelda was from Alabama? Or because all fly-over states are the same?

This version may capture some of the life of the novel in a way that the slow-moving Robert Redford version did not; after all The Great Gatsby is of a period but is not a period piece. What bothers me about the trailer, though, isn't the hip hop or the visual excess, it's the line readings: everyone, with the exception of DiCaprio, sounds like he or she is reciting instead of speaking. The Great Gatsby can survive without jazz on the soundtrack, but there must be jazz in the words.

Matt, I agree with you. Both men are heroes, and it took both of them to deal with Valance. I like to think that Stoddard's knowledge of his own limitations made him a sadder but wiser man, and prevented him from ever becoming a corrupt politician.

Several have mentioned The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, my personal favorite and a great movie for conservatives: Wayne as the rugged individualist with a sense of personal moral justice; Stewart as the defender of American legal principles. It's the most thoughtful of the classic Westerns.

And I second the vote for Lonesome Dove, a great miniseries that gives you time to really get to know and love the characters. The prequels and sequels aren't worth much time, though.

Finally, I have a soft sport for the Mel Gibson Maverick movies, which plays like a movie-length Boys Own western...or a really good episode of the old TV series.