Colorado delegation cheers Romney’s effort to galvanize GOP

TAMPA, Fla. – Attempting to make undecided voters more comfortable with the idea of him as the country’s next president, Mitt Romney kept it simple in his speech here Thursday night as he closed out the Republican National Convention by accepting his party’s nomination for president.

Romney opened up more than he normally does, talking about his childhood and his Mormon faith; and when it came time to discussing policy, he steered clear of the issues –Medicare, mainly — that have dominated the campaign since he chose Paul Ryan as his running mate.

But, above all, Romney used his big moment on the national stage to refocus attention away from himself and to recast this contest as a referendum on President Barack Obama, who he argued has failed to realize the potential the country saw in him four years ago.

“Hope and Change had a powerful appeal,” Romney said. “But tonight I’d ask a simple question if you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn’t you feel that way now that he’s President Obama? You know there’s something wrong with the kind of job he’s done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him.”

Romney, who soaked in a long ovation following the speech with his family joining him on stage as confetti and balloons fell from the rafters, isn’t asking America to love him — just to trust that he has the background and temperament to be an effective president.

FOX31 Denver spoke with a few members of the Colorado RNC delegation on the convention floor immediately after Romney’s speech concluded.

Here are their reactions:

Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call: “I truly thought it was an exceptional, inspirational speech from a man who truly loves America and what it stands for. This is a decent, honorable man, and one that we would be fortunate to have as our president.”

Former GOP Congressman Bob Beauprez: “You’ve got to think about who he’s talking to. It isn’t just those of us in this arena, it’s the people outside of this arena who are still trying to figure out who to vote for. I thought he demonstrated that he’s a capable leader. He’s got the life experiences to do this, he knows what the challenges are in front of America and he knows how to do the job.”

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers: “I think he struck a chord with a lot of Americans. They felt the very bes about Barack Obama the day they voted for him. That’s passed us. We’ve now got the worst economic recovery in history, let’s get somebody who knows what he’s doing. And while he was decisive, I think he showed enough humanity, enough warmth. Ultimately. [voters] just have to trust him and think he’s sincere and the right man to do the job, and I think he went a long way tonight. It’s okay to accept the fact that [Obama] has failed, and we need to move on. I think that was kind of the theme of the speech.”

Colorado Delegate Frieda Wallison, Old Snowmass: “I think he was great. I think he touched all the bases that he needed to touch and he did it in a very eloquent way. He was warm, he was passionate, he rose up the notion of success and how all of us have an opportunity in America to reach our dreams because we live in this great country. I thought he was great.”

Congressman Cory Gardner, R-Yuma: “I think what you see is a nation very much deciding after the last four years that enough is enough. The promises delivered four years ago on a stage n Denver have not materialized. Things have gotten worse. So what you see is a very methodical, workman-like atmosphere around this candidate, who is one by one, state by state, spreading a message of opportunity.”