stage.nrtoday.com/article/20080905/NEWS/809059900/1055 -
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Published on: 9/5/2008
Last Visited: 9/5/2008
Jeff Willis
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Jeff Willis
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Jeff WillisAssessing the excitement of an entire week at the Republican National Convention, Douglas County's own alternate delegate Jeff Willis blushingly admitted his favorite part came at the end of Sen.John McCain's speech, when Willis stood waist-deep in balloons.
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Willis, a former reporter for The News-Review, is a Roseburg resident and owns the Blue Baltic specialty store in the Roseburg Valley Mall.He served as an alternate delegate this week at the national convention in St. Paul, Minn.
McCain's speech Thursday night was the capstone event of the week and signals the close of two weeks of back-to-back conventions.
Willis said McCain's speech — although not as exciting as Alaska Gov.
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"It was definitely a well-crafted speech for the audience," Willis said."People were extremely pleased."
Willis cited education and the ability to choose where children attend school as a major issue that McCain discussed.
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Parents want the freedom to receive their taxes back and use the money to send their children to charter or private schools, Willis said.
"And I saw McCain promising to work to make those choices happen," he said.
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Willis even got his own moments of convention fame, appearing briefly on national television as cameras panned the crowd.He ended up in an Associated Press photo distributed nationwide that shows party members taking down the Oregon state standard on the convention floor as festivities ended.
With the party convention over, Willis said now the work begins.Those who attended the convention move into the final campaign push as November's election approaches, and he believes the convention prepared himself and others for that job.
Many people told Willis they felt they knew McCain much better now than at the beginning of the convention and will be able to campaign more effectively.
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He was virtually writing a contract with the Republican Party," Willis said.