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Health & Fitness

Woodbridge Coed in Tampa Deconstructs the Republican Convention

A convention bumpersticker: "I'm bipartisan. I'll hug your elephant if you kiss my ass." You know you're in Florida now.

of Woodbridge is among 14 Quinnipiac University students who are in Florida at the Republican National Convention. She'll be updating this blog to give Patch readers a firsthand account about what's going on in Tampa (including the hurricane...)

The eye of the storm has set its sites on Tampa, Florida. I’m not necessarily talking about the impending hurricane, but the culmination of rigorous campaigning and the second most widely viewed event on television will be taking place on Monday, August 27. The Republican National Convention is coming to town, led by New Jersey’s own who will be delivering the opening speech.

The convention is a time for Mitt Romney to really “introduce” himself to the American people. With the newly minted Ryan/Romney ticket, the convention will be the biggest event to showcase the self-proclaimed “Comeback Team.”

Find out what's happening in Woodbridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In order to make Romney look his best while accepting the nomination, The Tampa Bay Times Forum, the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team, has undergone a 40 million dollar, privately funded transformation. When I toured the Convention center, I was able to see the “mind-blowing” stage that will be plastered on media outlets for the next week. The stage holds a podium surrounded by roughly eight of the highest quality LED screens available, arranged to construct an American flag backdrop.

The American people have been given an opportunity to infiltrate the Convention from their very own back yard. The most innovative addition to the convention screens is the live twitter feed circulating the arena. Now, there is probably a large amount of screening being done to the tweets that will be coming in, but it still provides the general public watching at home to be involved in the convention. Viewers should include #GOP2012 to any of their tweets, and they might be showcased at the convention- it is free speech in the digital age! 

Find out what's happening in Woodbridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As my work over the next week with the Voice of America will hopefully prepare me to become a better representation of America’s Voice, my favorite slogan so far came from a bumper sticker that reads, “I’m bipartisan. I’ll hug your elephant if you kiss my ass.”

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