Day two of the GOP convention - day one was the hurricane - was reserved for ideology.  The first two "spear carriers" were Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and the second place finisher in the GOP primary, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.   They drove home the traditional Republican talking points - hard work, family values, smaller government - and did their best to demonize President Obama.  They set the stage for the principle speaker of the evening, Ann Romney.

     Mrs. Romney, a breast cancer survivor who now suffers from MS, though that was entirely unnoticeable, is not an experienced public speaker, and certainly never gave a speech to a national audience from a sports stadium.   She hit the ball out of the park.  In her simple, straight forward style, she talked about her family, her sons, and her early romance with Mitt, painting a lovely picture of an ordinary couple who had been happily married, through thick and thin, for 43 years.  She talked, with pride, of how hard Mitt had worked to achieve success, ignoring the tendency among people born on third base to assume they hit the triple that got them there.  It was bullshit, of course, but she did a good job, giving conventioneers the story they wanted to hear.  Then she made a special appeal to women, explaining that they were the real heart and soul of America, the backbone of our freedom and financial success, and the best part of the Republican Party.  She did not mention reproductive rights, trans-vaginal images, or the no abortions/no exceptions plank in the Republican platform.  If you are willing to ignore these omissions, she was a very effective speaker.

    The Keynote address was delivered by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.  Essentially, Christie is a big, fat bully.  Unlike Mrs. Romney, however, Christie is an experienced public speaker, and this intense fish bowl was the perfect forum for him.  He ranted and raved, bragging about his accomplishments in NJ, how he had given the evil unions "what for" and what a really bipartisan guy he is.  Toward the end of he speech, he grudgingly mentioned Romney, promising that he was the guy to get the job done for America.  Blah, blah, blah.  Nothing special.

    Tomorrow night the VP candidate, Paul Ryan, will speak and is expected to do his wonky best to set the stage for the closing speech by the GOP candidate, the Mittster.  We shall see what we shall see.