Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Republican Romney to Make Pitch for Presidency by VOA News Mitt Romney takes the stage Thursday at the Republican National Convention to make his case for why he should be elected the next president of the United States. The Republican party nominee will address those at the convention in Tampa, Florida, and millions watching on television, following days of speeches by party heavyweights aimed at showing how he would govern differently than U.S. President Barack Obama. The speech will also give Romney -- a one-time venture capitalist and former governor of Massachusetts -- a chance to introduce himself to voters who may have paid little attention to the presidential election until now. The Republican challenger says he can boost the country's sluggish economy with lower taxes and less government regulation. But President Obama, the Democratic incumbent, says a Romney presidency would result in a return to policies that led to the country's worst economic downturn since the 1930s. Nationwide voter surveys show the two candidates in a virtual tie ten weeks ahead of the November 6 election. Some survey results indicate voters think Romney would be better suited to fix the nation's economy, but like Obama more. Romney's running mate, Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan, Wednesday night promised an end to "excuses and idle words" when it comes to the economy if Romney wins. Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan gave a strongly worded speech Wednesday night, promising an end to "excuses and idle words" when it comes to the economy if voters choose Romney in the November election. He told the convention that "fear and division" is all the Democratic party has left, chastising President Obama and his fellow Democrats for spending the past four years blaming others for problems instead of finding solutions. Ryan said he and Romney will "meet serious challenges in a serious way" but warned the country's economic problems are so big that there is not much time to fix them. The 42-year-old lawmaker from Wisconsin has energized conservative activists, even though he has come under fire for his proposals to impose deep cuts in social programs. Earlier Wednesday, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice echoed the party's stance on strict budgeting, saying "the world knows that when a nation loses control of its finances, it eventually loses control of its destiny." She also warned that the world is "chaotic and dangerous" when friends and foes do not know "clear and unambiguously" where America stands on issues of global importance. In Virginia Wednesday, President Obama called the Republican convention a "pretty entertaining show," but said voters will not hear Romney or other Republican party officials offer "a clear, serious path forward." The Democrats will hold their convention next week in Charlotte, North Carolina. '' Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. __________________________________________________________________ [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/mitt-romney-to-make-convention-speech /1498651.html References 1. http://www.voanews.com/content/mitt-romney-to-make-convention-speech/1498651.html