Republican National Convention Coverage: Day 1

Hello all, and welcome to the the equivalent of a Varsity football pep rally known as the Republican National Convention! This time, the GOP takes it's pomp and circumstance to Tampa Florida where for three days (originally, it was slated to be a four-day event, but due to the threat of Hurricane Issac hitting the gulf coast, the official first day was nixed), we'll get delegates in funny hats, bad dance moves, and top figures in the Party getting the base hyped and ready to vote on election day, ending with Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan  accepting the nomination to run against Barack Obama in the General. In other words, i'll be guiding you through all the bullshit because the count can't do it, and RalphyFan is currently on hiatus. Unlike last time when RF and I acted as a fly-on-the-wall through CNN and MSNBC News, I'll be going through the highlights of what was said, what I thought, and some of the bizarre things that will ultimately find it's way out of, and surrounding, the Convention floor.

Update by Jonathan (3:22 pm, PT): I'll be at my Math class from 5-6, so my watching power will be limited, but I can find some great stuff about the Convention, like this following story: Miners in Ohio had to give up their paycheck to attend a mandatory Mitt Romney rally, allegedly.

Earlier this month, Mitt Romney was welcomed for a campaign event at the Century Mine in Beallsville, Ohio, by hundreds of coal workers and their families. Now many of the mine's workers are saying they were forced to give up a day-worth of pay to attend the event, and they feared they might be fired if they didn’t, according to local news radio WWVA.
The claims have been mostly denied by Rob Moore, Chief Financial Officer of Murray Energy Company, which owns the mine. He acknowledges that workers weren’t paid that day but says no one was made to attend the event. Well, kind of.
"Our managers communicated to our workforce that the attendance at the Romney event was mandatory, but no one was forced to attend," he told local news radio WWVA, which has received several emails from workers claiming that the company records names of workers that don't attend those types of events.

Update by Jonathan (4:45 pm, PT): Here's the Republican platform going forward.

TAXES: "We reject the use of taxation to redistribute income, fund unnecessary or ineffective programs or foster the crony capitalism that corrupts both politicians and corporations."
It says a Republican administration would extend the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, pending reform of the tax code. It says the party would strive to eliminate taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains altogether for lower- and middle-income taxpayers. It also would work to repeal the estate tax and the alternative minimum tax.
The party backs constitutional amendments to balance the federal budget and require a super majority for any tax increases.
MARRIAGE: The platform affirms the rights of states and the federal government not to recognize same-sex marriage. It backs a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
GUN CONTROL: The party says it opposes legislation intended to restrict Second Amendment rights by limiting the capacity of clips or magazines or otherwise restoring the assault weapons ban passed during the Clinton presidency.
ABORTION: The party states that "the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed." It opposes using public revenues to promote or perform abortion or to fund organizations that perform or advocate abortions. It says the party will not fund or subsidize health care that includes abortion coverage.
MEDICARE and MEDICAID: The platform pledges to move both Medicare and Medicaid away from "the current unsustainable defined-benefit entitlement model to a fiscally sound defined-contribution model." It supports a Medicare transition to a premium-support model with an income-adjusted contribution toward a health plan of the enrollee's choice. Age eligibility in Medicare must be made more realistic in light of longer life spans.
Medicaid services for low income people would be transformed into a block grant program in which the states would be given the flexibility to determine the best programs for their residents.

Edit by Jonathan (7:46 pm, PT): I'm back from my evening class and now i'm watching the Keynote address by Chris Christie of New Jersey.

Edit  by Jonathan (8:11 pm, PT): What litte I caught from Christie's speech, I came away with two things in mind: One - that the vast majority of people in that arena would rather have him be the Nominee than Romney. Two - his speech wasn't so much for advocating Romney in this election cycle than it was making himself a household name within the Republican Party in 2016. I'll have more on his speech tomrrow afternoon.