The Connecticut delegation spent the morning with a tour of the St. Paul area, highlighting the history of the area, specifically as a haven for organized crime during Prohibition. It was interesting to hear of this period and what went on, particularly as we are about to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of Prohibition, which happened in October 1933.Security for our delegation as it went to and from the Xcel Center today was considerably heightened with police officers and private security guards, arranged through the intervention of Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, as well as Connecticut Republican National Committee member Pat Longo.
The convention turned from Monday's more somber and abbreviated program to more traditional fare tonight, consumed with speeches from U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., of "Law and Order" fame, and Connecticut's own U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.
Fred Thompson's speech this evening was considerably better than the one he gave to Connecticut Republicans back in June 2007, when he was first beginning his own presidential campaign. Given at the Prescott Bush annual dinner, the 2007 speech was very flat and uninspiring for someone who was, by trade, an actor. I knew back at that time that his presidential campaign would go nowhere if he could not give a more inspiring stump speech. And indeed his campaign fizzled soon after that. But tonight he related the life story with the kind of drama we saw him capable of during his "Law and Order" years.
Many in the Meriden-Wallingford area have followed Joe Lieberman's political career as he rose from a New Haven-area state senator to U.S. congressman, onto Connecticut Attorney General, then U.S. senator and Democratic candidate for vice president. His speech tonight was perhaps more notable for its location - a Republican National Convention - rather than its substance - choosing country over party, a theme we have heard in some variations from Joe over the past few years.
So, for tonight, that's all the news I have that's fit to print and will sign off until tommorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment