A UM student’s thoughts from the Republican National Convention

Editor’s note: Allie Harrison is a former president of the UM College Republicans and a former ASUM senator. She is volunteering at the Republican National Covention in St. Paul, Minn., working as an aide for CNN. This week, she will offer daily behind-the-scenes glimpses of the convention.

A screen on the outside of the convention center depicts images of conventions past. Ronald Reagan flashes a grin at the camera and waves into a crowd of thousands. You can almost hear the deafening roar of applause watching that image.  But as you first step foot on the Xcel Center premises the magnitude of the 2008 Republican National Convention never really sets in. That is until you get on the convention floor. 

Editor’s note: Allie Harrison is a former president of the UM College Republicans and a former ASUM senator. She is volunteering at the Republican National Covention in St. Paul, Minn., working as an aide for CNN. This week, she will offer daily behind-the-scenes glimpses of the convention.

A screen on the outside of the convention center depicts images of conventions past. Ronald Reagan flashes a grin at the camera and waves into a crowd of thousands. You can almost hear the deafening roar of applause watching that image.  But as you first step foot on the Xcel Center premises the magnitude of the 2008 Republican National Convention never really sets in. That is until you get on the convention floor.
Thousands of red, white and blue balloons line the ceiling waiting in anticipation to be released to signify the event’s conclusion. Everywhere you turn there are people. Cheering masses of red, white and blue. Some with cowboy hats, some in business suits, jeans or dresses, and most of them Republicans. Even when former Democrat-turned-Independent Joe Lieberman took the stage Tuesday night, the crowd leapt up on its collective feet, waving signs that read “Service” and “Country First” in an uproarious frenzy, matched only by the most enthusiastic of Grizzly football fans.
As anticipation builds for McCain’s Thursday night acceptance speech, this Wednesday night is the final attempt to set the stage for who the folks here hope is the next President of the United States. And the fans are going all out to cheer on their man, and woman.
One year ago the rare person would’ve dared guess that John “the maverick” McCain would be the Republican’s nominee for President. But today, even after all of the past rumbles of discontent over the Republican nominee, the crowd is on fire. As a Republican who cast my vote on Super Tuesday and watched as the early primary frontrunners fell one by one, I’m shocked at the unity I’ve seen at this convention.
I don’t care how scripted the convention structure is, you can’t fake the electricity in the air of this convention center.
When the music blares between speeches, even the most uptight men in business suits are dancing their hearts out.  Something’s going on here.
With an all-star Wednesday night cast of Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin, I don’t even know how this place could get amped up another notch.
The bases are loaded with all-star Americans, and John McCain us geared up to hit a grand slam Thursday night.
It’s hard to believe we’ve gotten to a point of such unity within the GOP.
Six short months ago there were five contenders for the presidency and they kept falling off the map. John McCain wasn’t even spoken about.
If you supported him you were criticized as a leftist Republican or not even a Republican at all. But now, seemingly, every Republican supports his and her nominee.