By Jesse Wood
Aug. 23, 2012. The 2012 Republican National Convention takes place next week in Tampa, Fla., from Monday to Thursday, Aug. 27 to 30.
With Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan locked as the GOP presidential ticket, the excitement of a dark horse – which was the “talk of the town” just several months ago – galloping into Tampa and sweeping the Republican Party off its feet probably won’t happen; likely, Vice Presidential-candidate Paul Ryan will captivate the crowd all by himself.
How ever the convention plays out, Rick Woods, an officer with the Watauga County Republican Party and precinct chairman of Brushy Fork, is excited to be attending the event for the first time in his life.
At a district convention in Wilkesboro in June, he was chosen as a local delegate to attend the Republican National Convention.
“It sounds like a pretty fun thing. It’s all new to me,” Woods said. “I am hoping to meet a lot of people, and there’s a lot of interesting speakers. It will be interesting in seeing how the system works.”
Woods, 62, as always voted in elections, he said, but has been active in the Republican Party for eight years after “becoming increasingly frustrated that there was little difference between the legislation of both parties, even though there was a drastic difference in party platforms.”
“I wanted the Republican’s to actually cut government spending, reduce spending and balance the budget. Something they were not doing,” he continued in an email.
An independent contractor providing anesthesia to hospitals throughout the state, Woods has lived in Boone since 1984.
“Locally I strongly support the re-election of both Jonathan Jordan and Dan Soucek because they have assured me that one of the highest priorities for the next legislative session is real tax reform for our state,” he said. “Presently we are the highest taxed state in the southeast and that needs to be changed.”
Woods is one of 2,286 delegates and 2,125 alternates expected to attend the 40th annual Republican presidential nominating convention which is four-days long.
A slue of high-profile Republicans will attend, and Woods said that Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachman and Tim Pawlenty – all three of whom were presidential candidates earlier this year – will be speaking.
He said he was especially excited to get a chance to talk and/or listen to Paul Ryan and Ron Paul.
“I am in support of elected officials who follow the law of the constitution and quit spending us into bankruptcy,” Woods said.
For more information about the 2012 Republican National Convention, click to http://www.gopconvention2012.com/.
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