Romney, Christie offer sharp contrasts at GOP convention

Ann Romney delivers a speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa (AP photo)

Tuesday night at the Republican Convention offered sharp contrasts in approach and two shining stars as Ann Romney and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie delivered powerful speeches.

“Boy, you couldn’t get more polish on that stage than those two,” said KIRO radio co-host Tom Tangney.

Romney’s speech was a love letter to her husband, women and the nation.

“I want to talk to you tonight about that one great thing that unites us, that one great thing that brings us our greatest joy when times are good, and the deepest solace in our darkest hours. Tonight, I want to talk to you about love,” she said.

In contrast to what Tangney called a soft jab, Christie delivered what Tangney called a punch to the face.

“My mother taught me you have to choose between being loved and being respected. She said to always pick being respected. She told me that love without respect was always fleeting, but that respect could grow into real and lasting love,” Christie said. “I believe we have become paralyzed by our desire to be loved.”

Tangney called Christie’s approach a “curious critique,” comparing President Obama’s likeability to a high school popularity contest.

“I’m not sure that the country has a sense of Obama doing things only to be popular, but it does open up a new line of attack, I suppose.
Obama’s clearly more likable than Mitt Romney and maybe the GOP is trying to turn a strength into a weakness,” Tangney said.

>>Photo Gallery: Republican National Convention hits full roar

Tagney thought Christie’s stronger argument was the GOP would be better than the Democrats at making the tough choices.

Tangney credited Romney with both the best and worst lines of the evening, criticizing her for “playing the gender card hard,” as she proclaimed “I love you women!”

“I realize that is a political issue the GOP has to wrestle with but I don’t think it really worked. To me it was a little too Oprah-esque.”

While Romney’s speech was a strong appeal to women, KIRO co-host Linda Thomas questions whether she went to far.

“Some of the lines from her speech are kind of annoying me. It really was a let’s elevate women and put down men subtly, talk about how difficult it has been for women,” Thomas said. “Get over it, I want women and men to be equal…she’s reaching out with a message that would have been really effective in 1950, maybe 1960.”

But Tangney credited Romney for setting the tone for the campaign going forward with what he called the best line of the night.

“We’re too smart to know there aren’t easy answers, but we’re not dumb enough to accept that there aren’t better answers,” Romney said.

What do you think? Watch Ann Romney’s speech below:

By JOSH KERNS, MyNorthwest.com Reporter