Washington Post regurgitator of conventional thought Chris Cillizza summed up the winners and losers from Talent Night at the Republican National Convention...
LOSERS
* Brian Sandoval: In the run-up to tonight’s slate of speakers, a number of Republican strategists flagged the Nevada governor’s address for us as one to pay attention to. Sandoval, after all, is a Hispanic Republican with a terrific resume (former state Attorney general, former federal judge). But his speech felt thin and he was clearly quite nervous. It was a decidedly forgettable for someone who is seen as a future face of the party.
A doubly super-sad review of your governor's national debut, considering it was easily the best speech he ever made. Make no mistake: He didn't write that.
The obvious cognitive dissonance coursing through Sandoval's speech was exposed well before it was written. There is much more to mock, but one incongruous nugget in particular stands out: While proclaiming that Democrats are icky, Sandoval said, "They tell us not to dream, but to settle." This from a governor whose vision for his state consists of presiding over the further deterioration of its educational, social and physical infrastructure, muttering "now is not the time to raise taxes," and otherwise keeping a low profile while waiting for the construction industry to come back.
Sure, Sandoval's foray into the national political milieu may have been greeted with an audible thud. But perhaps something can be salvaged from his speech. "They tell us not to dream, but to settle" is a line that applies to nothing if not Sandoval's administration and the corporate lobbyists for which it stands. The phrase would serve very appropriately as a new state motto.
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