Although the full roster of speakers for the next month’s Republican National Convention won’t be announced for several weeks, NBC News has reported that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will deliver the keynote address.
While Christie is basking in the media spotlight, however, several other notable Republicans will be left out in the cold. The convention is designed to be a four day coronation of Mitt Romney, any deviation from that message is frowned upon. That is why these five prominent Republicans are likely to be snubbed at the August convention:
Rick Scott
Florida Governor Rick Scott will have some role at the convention, given that it is happening in his home state, but don’t expect a high profile speaking slot for one of America’s least popular governors.
When asked by the Tampa Bay Times if Scott would be allowed to speak, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus non-answered
“I’m sure he’s got, I’m sure he’s got plenty, uh, you know, I’m sure there’s a welcome, you know, there’s a lot of protocol there too, so I don’t want to get into the details because I don’t know what the answer to that is yet.”
Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin, who was a thorn in Romney’s side throughout the Republican primaries, has not yet received an invitation to speak at the convention. Although Palin fires up the party’s right wing, the Romeny campaign may fear her tendency to “go rogue.”
“What can I say?” Palin wrote in an email to Newsweek. “I’m sure I’m not the only one accepting consequences for calling out both sides of the aisle for spending too much money, putting us on the road to bankruptcy, and engaging in crony capitalism.”
Donald Trump
Donald Trump has been a loyal Romney surrogate, but the Romney campaign would probably like to avoid a speech devoted to birther conspiracy theories.
Politico’s Jonathan Martin reports that “Officials note that Trump has already gotten his share of attention from Romney and believe he’ll be a team player when it comes to the convention.”
Good luck with that.
Ron Paul
Ron Paul failed to win enough delegate votes to secure a speaking slot at the convention, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have a major impact. Paul’s fanatical supporters are planning a “Rally for the Liberty Delegates” across town from the convention, which could create a major headache for the Republican nominee.
George W. Bush
Although it is customary for former presidents to address their party’s convention, Bush’s involvement is up in the air due to his lasting unpopularity. Jonathan Martin reports:
One way to show respect for the former president and vice president could be to again have them record a video message to show the delegates, something that’s tightly controlled and could be done between speeches by preferred messengers.
“Video is very important in today’s social media world,” deadpanned one GOP operative involved in the planning.
But past presidents have traditionally addressed conventions — both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton gave speeches after they left the White House that were as memorable as those by their party’s nominee — and it may seem odd if the GOP’s most recent two-term president isn’t in Tampa.
