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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Mitt's wife focuses on human side

Also calls women 'best of America'

By: Lee-Anne Goodman

Posted: 08/29/2012 3:17 AM | Comments: 0

Ann Romney praised her hubby. (OLIVIER DOULIERY / MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Mitt Romney was crowned the Republican presidential nominee on Tuesday at the party's national convention, but his rare moment in the sun following a bruising primary battle was clouded by a fierce hurricane battering the Gulf Coast.

Delegates from every U.S. state and territory officially affirmed Romney as the party's nominee, finally celebrating him as the man they hope will deny U.S. President Barack Obama a second term on Nov. 6 with a conservative platform of lower taxes, fiscal responsibility and small government.

His wife, Ann Romney, opened her hotly anticipated speech on the convention's opening night to ask delegates to remember those in the path of hurricane Isaac before taking dead aim at criticisms the Republican party is anti-woman.

"I love you women, and I hear your voices," she said. "You are the best of America. You are the hope of America. There would not be an America without you. Tonight, we salute you and sing your praises."

The convention started a day late because of Isaac, a slow-moving but powerful hurricane packing 120-kilometre-an-hour winds and following the same ominous trajectory as Katrina.

Convention organizers were fretting about how the Republican party, already perceived as unfeeling by some Americans, would be regarded if seen jubilantly feting Romney while hurricane-weary Gulf Coast residents dealt with yet another pounding from Mother Nature.

A political tempest, meantime, erupted on the convention floor during the customary roll call that resulted in Romney officially become the party's presidential nominee.

Libertarian congressman Ron Paul's name wasn't mentioned by announcers from the podium throughout the roll call, despite the fact that he beat Romney in some states during his own run for the party's nomination.

To add insult to injury, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett mistakenly referred to him as Paul Ryan, Romney's running mate, as he read out his state's delegate count.

Some of Paul's supporters stormed out of the glittering waterfront convention centre ahead of Tuesday's prime-time, marquee appearances aimed at uniting the party by Ann Romney, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and one-time presidential hopeful Rick Santorum.

Mitt Romney had not originally planned to fly to Tampa until Thursday to accept the nomination. But his campaign said he changed his mind in order to be on hand for his wife's remarks.

Ann Romney told of her "deep and abiding love" for her husband, saying she was still in love with him more than four decades after meeting him at a high-school dance. Her goal was to humanize a politician often perceived as socially awkward and emotionally remote.

"Mitt doesn't like to talk about how he's helped others, because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking point," she said to cheers.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 29, 2012 A8

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