Republican recap, day 3

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan wave from the stage on August 30, 2012 on the final day of the Republican National Convention (RNC). The RNC culminates today with the formal nomination of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan as the GOP presidential and vice-presidential candidates in the US presidential election. (STAN HONDASTAN/AFP PHOTO)

Mitt Romney accepted the Republican presidential nomination, calling for "a better future. A future where everyone who wants a job can find a job." Key sentence: "President Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. I promise to help you and your family." Read exerpts here.

The RNC succeeded in making Romney appear more compassionate, thanks in large part to an elderly couple who talked about how Romney helped them when they lost their son. 

Clint Eastwood attracted a lot of attention for his rambling speech to an "Invisible Obama" — who, by the way, has a Twitter account.

 

Marco Rubio, Republican Senator from Florida, delivered an exhilarating address that, Eastwood aside, made for the best television of the evening. And Newt and Callista Gingrich delivered a joint speech that praised Ronald Reagan.

The analysis pours in. Paul Ryan's speech was well received, still his ratings were not as high as Sarah Palin's were in 2008. Robert Costa, writing for the National Review, said "at its core, Ryan’s rousing speech was a conservative rallying cry, very much in the tradition of Kemp, Ronald Reagan, and Barry Goldwater." And, of course, he's been hammered by critics who say many of his facts are false.

If you missed any of the speeches you can watch them all here.

Looking toward next week, The Economist says Obama needs to make a more convincing case to stay in the White House.

"Were he facing a more charismatic candidate than Mitt Romney or a less extremist bunch than the Republicans, Mr Obama would already be staring at defeat. The fact that the president has had to “go negative” so early and so relentlessly shows how badly he needs the election to be about Mr Romney’s weaknesses rather than his own achievements."