MR. KOJO NNAMDIFrom WMNF in Tampa, Fla., welcome to the -- from WAMU 88.5 at American University in Washington and from WMNF in Tampa, Fla., welcome to "The Kojo Nnamdi Show," connecting your neighborhood with the world. We're coming to you live from Tampa. The Republican convention will get underway a day late thanks to the uninvited guest Tropical Storm Isaac.

MR. KOJO NNAMDILater in the broadcast, the outsiders, we talk with a Ron Paul supporter and the vice presidential candidate of the Green Party, but, first, tens of thousands of journalists, delegates and big political names are expected to brave heavy rain and winds to attend. And, meanwhile, other storm systems are brewing inside and outside of the convention center. Ron Paul held a rally yesterday, warning Republicans that they ignore him and his supporters at their peril.

MR. KOJO NNAMDIAnd the former governor of Florida, once a Republican, came out with a carefully timed endorsement, and it was not for Mitt Romney. The first order of business at the convention, the party's official platform is not likely to be smooth sailing, given that it will likely take a hard line on everything from fiscal policy to hot-button social issues of the day, including gay marriage, abortion and even a return to the gold standard.

MR. KOJO NNAMDIJoining us in Tampa to discuss the Republican National Convention being held here is Kevin Igoe. He is a delegate for the Maryland Republican Party. He's also the former executive director of the aforementioned Maryland Republican Party. Kevin Igoe, good to see you.

MR. KEVIN IGOEKojo, thanks very much. Good to be here.

NNAMDIAlways a pleasure. Also in studio with us is Jill Homan, Republican national committeewoman-elect for the District. She's also an alternate delegate for the D.C. Republican Party. Jill Homan, thank you for joining us.

MS. JILL HOMANThank you for having me.

NNAMDIAnd if you'd like to join this conversation down here in Tampa with us, you can call us at 800-433-8850. You can send email to kojo@wamu.org, send us a tweet, @kojoshow, or simply go to our website, kojoshow.org, and join the conversation there. What questions do you have for delegates at the GOP convention? It's 800-433-8850. Florida's former Gov. Charlie Crist has just endorsed President Barack Obama.

NNAMDICrist is a former Republican, now unaffiliated. With Florida being such an important battleground state, Kevin, what kind of blow is that, if any, to the Romney campaign?

IGOEI think if any is the key phrase, Kojo.

NNAMDII threw that in, yes.

IGOEYou know, I'm sure Charlie thinks that is important. I'm not sure who else does. Charlie, I think, showed his true last campaign when, after losing the primary, he insisted on running on for personal gain as an independent candidate. So, you know, he endorses Obama, and he gets to speak next week at the Democratic convention in Charlotte. Big deal.

NNAMDIYou think he's going to speak at the Democratic convention?

IGOEHe is going to speak, yeah.

NNAMDIIt's already been decided?

IGOEI've heard that.

NNAMDIWe had speculated that it was likely. How about -- what do you say, Jill?

HOMANWell, I think, you know, the Republican Party, we're fighting for every vote. Every vote is important. So I think the impact is that we're going to lose one vote in Florida, and that will be Charlie Crist. You know, I'm really looking forward to hearing U.S. Sen. Mark...

UNIDENTIFIED WOMANHi. You've been listening to Kojo. That's a rebroadcast of Kojo interviewing "Secret Hero" author Paul Martinez -- Paul Martin. We're going back now to coverage of the convention from the Republican National Convention, Kojo broadcasting live from Tampa. We apologize for the technical difficulties.

NNAMDI...Maryland Republican Party. He's also the former executive director of the Maryland Republican Party. If you've got questions or comments for Kevin or Jill, you can call us at 800-433-8850. Have you seen any drafts of the GOP platform? What do you think? You can also send us a tweet, @kojoshow. There are similar divisions, of course, with Tea Partiers, some of whom are beating out more mainstream GOP picks like Senate candidate Ted Cruz in Texas. Is the Republican Party, in your view, at a crossroads here?

IGOEI'm not sure it's at a crossroads, Kojo. I mean, I think the Tea Party is largely a state of mind. It started in 2009 when I was at the RNC. It made a significant contribution to our victories in New Jersey and Virginia that year and the following year to the pickup of 63 House seats during the fire Pelosi campaign. And I think the party overall has -- and Chairman Priebus especially now has done a good job of bringing the Tea Party folks in and working with them and making everybody feel welcome, that they're part of the process.

HOMANAnd one of the -- if I could just add...

NNAMDIPlease do.

HOMAN...living in downtown D.C., you know, I couldn't help but -- you know, you walk outside when there was a Tea Party rally, and there were just hundreds upon thousands of people who came to the Mall. And the one thing that I've found that was very interesting about the party, that many people don't know, is that it's a very diverse group of people who believe that the, you know, the government has really strayed too far from its roots, and, really, the government should be accountable to the people and not vice versa.

HOMANAnd, you know, what you found were young and old people, people of all different, you know, races, and also people with kids. So I actually ask if, you know, many would stay and, you know, live in D.C. and, you know, things would be different in the city, and...

NNAMDI(unintelligible)...

NNAMDIFeel a little lonely if you happen to be a Republican living in downtown D.C.

HOMANWell, we do have 30,000 Republicans, but, you know, I'd love for it to be 300,000. But I couldn't quite convince them to stay. But, in any event, I think they are a part of the Republican Party, and I think Kevin pointed out some of the races that they were instrumental in helping win.

NNAMDIWell, let's talk a little bit about what you guys are doing. A lot goes into this week's events. What work do the delegates do in the run-up to the primetime media spotlight?

IGOEWell, in Maryland, you know, we have 37 delegates. Twenty-four are elected in the presidential primary back in April, I believe it was. And then we choose another 10 delegates at the state convention. Those delegates are at-large and run statewide before the Maryland Republican State Central Committee. And then as in each state, the state chairman, the national committeeman and the national committeewoman are automatic delegates.

IGOESo we get 37 delegates and 34 alternates. And, you know, I think people prepare here by serving on the various committees. Each state has two members that serve on the platform committee, on the credentials committee.

NNAMDIYou serve on the credentials committee.

IGOEI served on credentials this year, yes. And there were two on rules committee as well. So I think that's how you prepare for the convention, and then, obviously, you know, beyond that, it's a lot of excitement. It's a team building exercise, and it's an effort, a joint effort to help get the message out.

NNAMDIGive us an inside look. What does the credentials committee do, and how does it do it?

IGOEWell, it was interesting. Credentials committee, the best way to think of it is that it's an appeals court because everything that's brought to the credentials committee has previously gone through another committee, called the committee on contest, which is made up of nine members of the Republican National Committee. So if you go to the committee on contest and you don't like their decision, you can then take it to the full credentials committee, which is made up of 112 delegates.

IGOEAnd this year, we heard cases from Maine, Oklahoma and Oregon, and generally, they centered around a dispute as to the process that was used to elect delegates or who the actual delegates were who should have been counted as the winners.

NNAMDI800-433-8850 is the number to call if you'd like to join this conversation on this first day of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. The official proceedings really begin on Tuesday afternoon, but the delegates are here in town. And so we're taking advantage of that fact to talk to a couple of those delegates right now. Jill, can you give us a sense of how delegates are chosen and what you see your role as a delegate or alternate delegate as being?

HOMANSure. So in D.C., we're just a little bit different. We have 16 delegates and 16 alternates with the committeeman, committeewoman and chairman, just as in Maryland are the three automatic delegates. So we have 19 delegates and 16 alternates. So in D.C., actually, when we elect our presidential nominee in the primary, which was April 3, our delegates come with that presidential nominee.

HOMANSo in this case, Mitt Romney won, and his delegates were already selected and then our convention delegates because Mitt Romney won in the primary. In other states, people actually vote for the delegates. They're on the ballots. But in D.C., they're actually -- it's the presidential election that is -- who is on the ballot.

NNAMDI800-433-8850. Our guests are Jill Homan. She's the Republican national committeewoman-elect for the District. She's also an alternate delegate for the D.C. Republican Party. And Kevin Igoe, he's a delegate for the Maryland Republican Party. He's also the former executive director of the Maryland Republican Party. We'll go to Francis in Fairfax, Va. Francis, you are in the air. Go ahead, please.

FRANCISYeah. Thanks for (unintelligible).

NNAMDIFrancis, are you there?

FRANCISYes. I'm here. Can you hear me?

NNAMDIEither Francis can't hear me, or I can't hear Francis right now.

FRANCISHello. I can hear you.

NNAMDISo, Francis, I'm going to put you on hold, and we will get back to you. You mentioned earlier, Kevin, that the credentials committee handles disputes over delegates. You mentioned Maine and Massachusetts whose delegates were split over Ron Paul supporters. How was that resolved?

IGOEActually, it was Maine and Oklahoma and Oregon...

NNAMDIOklahoma and Oregon.

IGOE...were the ones we heard. The committee on contest, which heard the case prior to the credentials committee, had come up with a slate of delegates from Maine. They proposed that slate, and that slate was a combination. There were some people who were on both the Ron Paul slate and the other slate that was proposed. So the Ron Paul people came in. They made a case. If you go back, look at the press reports, Kojo, the Maine Republican convention back in May was totally chaotic.

IGOEI mean, it was they never were able to file a credentials report, so they never exactly knew how many people were voting. So it was a difficult situation, and committee on credentials upheld the decision of the committee on contest on the slate of delegates.

NNAMDILet's try Francis in Fairfax, Va. Again, Francis, you're on the air. Can you hear me now?

FRANCISYes, I can hear you. Can you hear me?

NNAMDIGo right ahead, please, Francis.

FRANCISAll right. Well, my question is actually -- the Republican leadership actually calls for -- their representative actually made a comment about abortion. Rep. Akin...

NNAMDIAkin.

FRANCIS...he should get out of the race. My question is, what happens, especially when you're going to have a bunch of Republicans that are going to be giving the speeches? And these are usually actually -- talked about was actually a very strong view in the Republican Party. What happens if more candidates actually continue to make the same errors or the same mistakes or probably misspeak? And what happens -- are they going to keep calling them to get out of the race? That's my question.

NNAMDIWell, I -- you raise a number of issues there. But, I guess, the bottom line, Kevin and Jill, is whether or not there are likely to be speakers on stage at this Republican National Convention who echo the views of Congressman Akin.

IGOEYeah. I would be surprised if anybody actually expressed that view. Every Republican makes their own decision. This is a very personal issue, so people make their own decision on it. The platform will speak to the issue somewhat. But, you know, Gov. Romney's position is very clear. He is opposed to abortion, except in cases of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is in danger. And that's a, I think, pretty much a mainline position of the Republican Party.

NNAMDIGot to take a short break. When we come back, we will continue this conversation from Tampa, Fla. where we are for the Republican National Convention. But we can still take your calls even during the break. So give us a call, 800-433-8850. What do you think should or should not be part of the GOP platform? You can send us a tweet, @kojoshow, or email to kojo@wamu.org. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.

NNAMDIWelcome back. We are coming to you from the studios of WMNF in Tampa, Fla., talking with Jill Homan, Republican National committeewoman-elect for the District. She's also an alternate delegate for the D.C. Republican Party, and Kevin Igoe who is a delegate of the Maryland Republican Party and former executive director of the Maryland Republican Party. Later in the broadcast, we'll be talking with a Ron Paul supporter and the vice presidential candidate of the Green Party, both of whom we encountered during our travels yesterday.

NNAMDIBut if you'd like to join the conversation we're having right now, call us at 800-433-8850. What questions do you have for delegates at the GOP convention? Kevin, Mitt Romney is likely to be nominated early, given that the start of the convention has been pushed back a day that may mean tomorrow. What's the idea behind the early nomination?

IGOEI think, Kojo, it's simply to get sort of a processed-type thing out of the way so that, as the media get more focused on the convention itself, it'll be more about the message that is being delivered. And going forward, I think, you know, what Gov. Romney wants to do here is he wants to give Americans an insight into his life beyond simply the -- his business background. And then, secondly, I think he and Paul Ryan want to lay out a vision going forward, sort of an agenda for -- to bring him -- for a comeback for America.

HOMANIf I could just add, one of -- just -- I think the disappointments has been -- that there's been a less live coverage of the convention. When you look over the last 20 years, we really appreciate you taking the time traveling down here, fighting the hurricane as well. And so I think, you know, what you find is that when you only have an hour to broadcast live, you really, you know, need to pack everything in there and have speeches be during that hour of your primetime speaker. So...

NNAMDIYou don't want that lengthy nomination state by state process...

HOMANYeah.

NNAMDI...taking up the entire hour of coverage.

IGOEThat's correct.

NNAMDIYou want to cut to the chase, so to speak. Jill, as we said, the big events that -- sorry, the big event that starts the convention is the release of the party's official 2012 platform. As veterans of the convention process, how is that platform built?

HOMANWell, Kevin can speak to some of that as well. But the platform -- every state, we in D.C., we went through a lengthy platform process. You can go to our website at dcgop.com. And -- so went through a lengthy platform process, and we provided what our thoughts were for issues both regarding D.C. But on issues also regarding education, we were and we are in favor of the Opportunity Scholarship Fund, and that is -- favorable language is included in the national party platform.

HOMANAnd so that goes to the national party platform and then when every state submits their ideas. And there's also -- the Republican Party solicits nationally for ideas, and then every state in the territory gets two delegates to the platform committee. And so they all go and meet early, and they're all subdivided into subcommittees. And I don't know, Kevin, if you want to speak a little bit more about that.

IGOEYeah. Jill provided a pretty good summary there. They're divided into subcommittees. They come up with a language, and then they spend a couple of days in full committee going through the language and see if they want to make any changes to it.

NNAMDIThe D.C. delegation, it would appear, or someone wanted to get a little stronger language about voting rights in the House of Representatives. That didn't make it. But I'm wondering to what extent do other delegations have issues that they would like to see in the platform that also don't make it?

HOMANWell, I would actually relate this process to the legislative process as well, and that it's a lot of push and pull. And ultimately, you end up with a platform and hopefully what is important to your state, or for us, D.C. is included. As I mentioned before about the Opportunity Scholarship Fund that was a very important issue for us, and that was, you know, the school voucher program. And that was included.

HOMANThe -- there is language that we would've liked that would've -- that we wanted included, and this time, it didn't make the cut. But, you know, it's not to say that we'll continue working on that. But, really, the point of the platform is to have the discussion, have the policy debates and to come out as a stronger party. And, you know, what if we all can agree on 80 percent of the issues, then, you know, we together -- that's what we agree on. And you might not agree on the 20 percent, so...

NNAMDIWell, we and especially Jill talks a little bit about the role of the Tea Party and the libertarians like Ron Paul. But what's the role of moderate Republicans? As a matter of fact, allow me to have Bill in Burke, Va. raise that question himself. Bill, you are on the air. Go ahead, please.

BILLThanks, Kojo, and good morning. A long-time registered Republican, I remember when the Tipper and Gipper would be on opposite sides of issues but were respectful for each other. And now I see my party has been taken over by people who seem to have the outlook, my way or the highway. And I'm wondering why I should support any of the candidates' positions of the party.

NNAMDIThank you very much for your call, Bill. Allow me to add to that this email we got from Carl: "The GOP convention delegate on your show said the party is trying to attract as many votes as possible, and was thus dismissive of Charlie Crist's endorsement of Obama. Yet the draft platform that had been circulating is widely viewed and has been proudly declared as the most conservative in history.

NNAMDI"As in 2008, it calls for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. It also calls for a ban on abortion with no exception for cases of rape or incest. It's extreme in both its fiscal, as well as socially conservative positions. How does this square with the party and your guests claiming that the GOP is trying to build a big tent? How can you attract independent voters, in other words, moderate voters, if you keep moving towards a more extreme position?" Jill.

HOMANWell, I would have to say for me, in my view, those issues that you just mentioned fall into my 20 percent, and I'm very conservative on the economic issues and on the education policy issues. But just to touch on a little bit about the point of what is the role of moderates in the Republican Party, and I would actually say that Gov. Romney has success in working with Democrats, moderates and conservatives.

HOMANAnd I think one really needs to only look at being a red governor, so a governor in a blue state -- it's, you know, he was elected by predominantly Democratic state and one that is Republican governor...

UNIDENTIFIED MANKojo, anybody is...

HOMAN...and really govern from a center-right position, especially on issues regarding the economy, and had to work with a Democratic state legislature. So I think that type of individual that has success on crossing the aisle and getting to a consensus is, you know, is one that I can support.

NNAMDIAnd, Kevin, I'd also like you to talk about the relationship between some of the hot-button issues, those mentioned by our emailer, the hot-button issues and the platform, the relationship to, A, how those issues get resolved on the platform and, B, the relationship to the candidate and the candidate's views.

IGOEYeah. Well, I think the platform generally is a statement of principles. And when it gets into specific issues, there's going to show some diversity in the party of how people approach certain issues. You know, for both Bill and Carl we're concerned about the partisanship or perhaps lack of bipartisanship in Congress. I would say that both parties have gotten themselves into a situation where the -- partly because of the way we do the redistricting process now.

IGOEWe have fewer and fewer truly competitive districts at a general election in America. The Democratic Party, those members have to watch out for their left wing, and the Republican Party members have to watch out for their right wing, which means you play to the voters who take place -- who vote in a primary situation. I'd also point out that, you know, in the first two years of the Obama administration, the president had a super majority in both the House and the Senate, and he didn't get some things done then. So I think that speaks not so much to a partisan divide as it does to a lack of leadership.

HOMANIf I could just make...

NNAMDIPlease do, Jill.

HOMANIf I could just make this one point, and not to discount -- I truly believe when people have issues of concern, it's very important, but the reality is that election is about the economy. And when you ask people who don't have jobs, you know, what they really care about, well, they care that they don't have their job, not, you know, what is the nuance of what the Republican Party is with respect to, you know, this abortion.

HOMANAnd so I think this economy is about -- this election, I think, is about jobs. We're in a situation where we have had over 42 months of consecutive unemployment more than 8 percent. We're in a situation that we had the largest debt that we had ever had in the nation's economy. And people forget that this president will be the first president in modern history to have never passed a budget. And this was even never passed a budget of a -- under a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate.

HOMANAnd so I think we face some very difficult financial issues, and I think we can have this policy debate on social issues, but, you know, I would rather have the policy debate on social issues when the economy is strong and when we have -- we're back to the 6 percent unemployment. That, to me, is, you know, great. Let's start having those social policy debates once we're able to reduce our debt.

NNAMDIIndeed, Kevin, do you see -- if that is indeed the main theme of the Republican Party and the Romney campaign, do you see issues as having distracted from that campaign and is the purpose of this convention in part, now, to try to get the Republican Party back on message, given the distractions by Congressman Akin, even the distraction by a speech made by presidential candidate Romney recently in which he seemed to be raising the birth issue? Those are the things that have been dominating the news lately.

IGOEWell, the news media has -- the 24-hour news cycle has become a one-hour news cycle.

NNAMDIYes.

IGOESo they need time to fill air space. Just to put a point on what Jill was saying, Kojo, I believe in The Washington Post poll, which is out this morning and shows Romney actually up one point nationally, I believe. In that poll, what comes screaming through the numbers is what the voters care about, is the economy and jobs and getting the American economy moving again.

IGOEThe social issues are pretty much not on people's radar screen so that something like a Todd Akin thing, it's a news story for a couple of days. Is it going to hurt going forward or be a significant distraction? I don't think so. And I think when you see Gov. Romney's acceptance speech on Thursday night, he's going to give the American people a well-thought out plan going forward to how to fix this economy and get America coming back.

NNAMDIJill Homan, in some ways you personified this de-emphasis on social issues because you are one of two openly gay GOP members selected as delegates or alternate. How do you feel about the GOP's position on gay marriage? Do you feel that that is less important now than the economy?

HOMANWell, I think regarding the D.C. Republican Party platform, we actually were just very -- we had favorable language that recognized that we're a diverse party. But again, for me, I just go back to that this election is about the economy and jobs. And, you know, sure, I'm happy to have that policy debate on gay marriage and other issues that stem from that.

HOMANBut, you know, just to bring it back on a local level, you know, what I find -- to me, you know, what keeps me up at night and what I'm concerned about is, you know, 25 percent unemployment in Ward 7 and 8, and 50 percent unemployment in the ex-offender population. And then when you look at our council members, six months ago, you have Councilmember Mary Cheh that introduced this legislation about wildlife.

HOMANAnd I just think, you know, if all boats rise, why is Councilmember Mary Cheh not as concerned about, you know, what's going on in Ward 7 and 8? And that, you know, that to me is, you know, the most critical issue. Not to discount it, there is a lot of folks that are working hard on those issues, but in D.C., we do have marriage equality, and so I think, you know, we've accomplished that at a local level.

HOMANAnd I think, you know, we have some organizations like GOProud and Log Cabin Republicans that continue to work on issues with respect to gay marriage and also just equal rights and nondiscrimination in the workplace. And I think fundamentally, it's -- we all, you know, we all agree. We're in line with less government, but it's just trying to -- where these public policy positions come from.

NNAMDIFor those of our listeners who may be unfamiliar with the District of Columbia, Ward 7 and 8 in the District are where the least affluent populations in the District happen to live. And we should note that the well-known activist Ron Moten is running in Ward 7 as what he characterizes as a Frederick Douglass Republican. But, Jill, you feel the Republican Party needs to focus on urban areas. Can you talk a little bit about that?

HOMANAbsolutely. It's something -- I had an opportunity to have lunch with -- excuse me -- the chairman of the Republican Party, Reince Priebus, and I joked a little bit. He called me on July 3 and asked if I would have lunch with him, and I was just thinking, did he think about who is the only person in town in D.C. that he want to -- but it was a very, very nice lunch. And he asked what I would like to do as an RNC member.

HOMANAnd I said one of -- to me one of the most important things that I would like to do is, I think, the Republican Party needs a successful model of an urban Republican Party. And when you look at where the population moves have been within the District of Columbia, we've had 3 percent growth in population over the last 18 months. So the District is growing. And then when you also look nationally, our cities are growing.

HOMANBut when you look at the top five cities in the nation, we have less than 5 percent Republican representation in those legislative bodies in their city council. And so I think if, as a Republican Party, we can figure out how we can be successful and win these seats, I think that will help us nationally. And I think we have the right message, which is about school vouchers, it's about jobs, it's a lot of the policies that great Republicans like Jack Kemp espoused in urban areas.

NNAMDIWe're coming to you live from Tampa, Fla., where the Republican National Convention is scheduled to get underway officially briefly today but will really start tomorrow afternoon. Our guests are Jill Homan, Republican National committeewoman-elect for the District and an alternate delegate here for the D.C. Republican Party, and Kevin Igoe, who is a delegate for the Maryland Republican Party and the former executive director of the Maryland Republican Party. You can call us at 800-433-8850. Let's go to Linda in Woodbridge, Va. Linda, your turn.

LINDAHi, Kojo. Thanks for taking my call. I'd like to address Jill's earlier comment about the fact that the president could not get a budget through even when there was a Democratic Senate and a Democratic House. As everybody knows, you have to have a super majority now to get anything done. So I think it's kind of disingenuous to say just because you have 51 people in the Senate, that you can accomplish anything you want. And I'll take my answer off the air.

NNAMDIIt addresses the partisan divide that you referred to earlier, Kevin Igoe. What say you?

IGOEYeah. Well, for Linda, actually I think what happened is if you go back to -- I believe it was September of 2010. I recall a news conference where Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi cancelled the vote on the budget 'cause they didn't want to hold the vote before the 2010 election. And I would note that in -- as recently as three months ago when the Obama budget came up in the Senate, there were 97 votes against it.

IGOENot a single Democratic member voted for President Obama's budget for fiscal year 2013. And I think part of that -- the reason for that is that because this president has failed to deal with entitlements. If you're for the status quo on Medicare, you're for bankrupting Medicare because even his own trustees say it'll be bankrupt in 2024.

NNAMDIGot to talk about Medicare later, but first let's go to Gary in Arlington, Va. Gary, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

GARYThanks for taking my call, Kojo. This question is for Jill. I'm driving down the highway, listening to Jill telling conservative -- or telling gay people, hey, don't worry about it. It's OK. I'm Republican. But it's OK to the Republican Party to look at me as second-class citizen. I can't understand as a woman and as a gay person how come you are OK with that. I don't understand that, Kojo, and I'll listen to you off the air.

NNAMDIThank you for your call, Gary. Here's Jill.

HOMANI -- and I appreciate your point. And I would have to say that with respect to the Republican Party, I believe in the conservative principles of the party, and I believe that you can end up in following those conservative principles. You can end up at a policy solution of gay marriage. And so I disagree with my fellow Republicans on those issues. But in terms of trying to get people to your side and trying to win the debate, it takes time.

HOMANBut I think this election is truly about jobs and job creation. And I would just have to say that I'm more concerned about our current president's handling of the economy than I am about my fellow Republicans' views on gay marriage. And so that's, you know, that's just my view, but I appreciate your comment.

NNAMDIGot to take a short break. When we come back, we'll continue our conversation with Kevin Igoe and Jill Homan. We'll also be hearing from a Green Party vice presidential candidate and one of the activists here demonstrating against the -- well, not demonstrating -- at the Republican National Convention. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.

NNAMDIWelcome back to our conversation in Tampa, Fla. with Jill Homan, Republican National committeewoman-elect for the District. She's also an alternate delegate for the D.C. Republican Party, and Kevin Igoe. He's a delegate for the Maryland Republican Party and the former executive director of the Maryland Republican Party. Yesterday, about a mile from the security perimeter surrounding the convention site, we found a camp affiliated with the Occupy movement dubbed Romneyville.

NNAMDIBetween the two sites, temporary metal fencing is set up to separate protesters and the public from media and delegates and local sheriffs. National Guard, Tampa Police patrolled on foot with K-9 units, on bicycles and on golf carts along, well, what were mostly empty streets. Camp Romneyville is set up behind an Army Navy surplus store. And in the calm before the storm, we were able to catch up with a number of people who feel that their stories are not a part of the narrative being told by either party. Among them was a candidate from another party.

MS. CHERI HONKALAMy name is Cheri Honkala, and I'm the vice presidential candidate for the Green Party.

NNAMDIHow long do you plan on being here?

HONKALAWe are right now in the hands of God and the universe because depending upon the hurricane, we might have to help these families figure out how to evacuate. And if so, we have various different locations that we're going to go to 'cause I assume Romney and the Republicans will not be down here to help in the evacuation process.

NNAMDIWhat do you see is the relationship between the Green Party and the Occupy movement?

HONKALAWe really see ourselves as the Occupy candidates. Some would say that some of us are pioneers of the whole Occupy process. Before people started to use the term Occupy, we were taking over abandoned houses, reclaiming land and housing families for the last 25 years.

NNAMDIDo you see any distinction between what you plan on doing here at the Republican National Convention and what presumably you plan on doing in Charlotte at the Democratic National Convention?

HONKALANo. It's really sad. It's very similar. Believe it or not, I was a very big Obama supporter, worked on his campaign. Now, as time has gone by, I can't afford to look the other way when I know that President Obama has spent the same amount of money on the military as George W. Bush. And under his administration, millions of families have lost their homes, and he has really gone to the center.

NNAMDIWhat would you expect from a Romney presidency?

HONKALAWell, from a Romney presidency and from an Obama presidency, we're actually putting our entire planet in jeopardy because both of them are in a race right now to see who can be more conservative and who can tighten the belt and make as many cuts as possible. And I refuse to proceed from this notion of scarcity. We live in a country that has an abundance. And we have enough houses to house people, and we have enough to provide the basic necessities of life.

HONKALASo we just got to get our minds out of this absolute insanity. I am in touch with the disgruntled masses, and this country is moments away from massive uprising, particularly in our urban poor communities. Our fight here is a fight to show that we're the ones that have the morals and the values, and we're the ones that actually care about our children and the next generation and the planet. And we can't let them win this fight.

HONKALAThey say that they're people of God, that they care about the middle class, and they say all of these other kinds of things. And the real deal is, is that they don't. They represent corporations. They don't care about us. Many of the folks that are part of the Republican Party are just unconscious of the fact that their party represents corporations, just like many Democrats are unconscious and not -- and they don't realize that they represent a one-party system.

NNAMDII just looked around and saw a police being deployed in this area. Do you feel you will be safe?

HONKALAWell, we're never safe because of local law enforcement. You know, the police are also pawns in this larger process as well. But we will be safe because we have a long history at practicing nonviolent civil disobedience, and we have a responsibility to proceed from courage and not fear. And I'm really -- I'm angry at people that are sitting out there and are apathetic or thinking that they're just going to sit out this election or they can sit out this struggle. During the civil rights movement, you know, people risk their lives.

HONKALAIt was their children that filled the paddy wagons, that went on the marches, that sat at the lunch counters. And so have a responsibility to our elders and our ancestors. It's not OK to say I'm too busy or I'm in school or I'm in debt or I have a job or whatever. The only voice that we have is one of protest. And the day that they win and convince all of us to be afraid and there's none of us left marching, then we're really in trouble as a country.

NNAMDIThat was the vice presidential candidate for the Green Party. A lot of action swirling on around this while we were talking with our police helicopters flying overhead, members of the camp setting up a tent above, a sleeping toddler next to us, a few wiry terriers running around our feet, and at least one homeless man who hailed from Memphis, Tenn., who seem to be more worried about the looming storm than he was about politics. Here he is.

MARKMy name is Mark.

NNAMDIWhy are you here, Mark?

MARKI'm here because of some bad decisions I have made in my life, and it got me in the circumstances I'm in now.

NNAMDISo you are homeless, but why are you at this particular place, at this particular time with the Occupy movement?

MARKWell, not really necessary 'cause of the movement. Now, I'm aware of the movement. I support the movement or what they got going on. But basically, I'm just here 'cause I'm hungry and I'm broke, and I had nowhere else to go.

NNAMDIHow long you plan on staying here?

MARKI don't know. I can never say. It's just like whenever. I cannot -- I can't predict it.

NNAMDIWhat do you see for your own future?

MARKA better way and a better life.

NNAMDIWell, I hope you get it, Mark.

NNAMDILater in the afternoon, we stopped by the Florida State Fairgrounds where P.A.U.L. Fest was on the way. We talked with a long-time supporter scheduled to speak at the festival that evening. Here he is.

MR. SCOTT HORTONI'm Scott Horton, host of "The Scott Horton Show" on the No Agenda Radio.

NNAMDIAnd tell us a little bit more about No Agenda Radio and "The Scott Horton Show."

HORTONWell, No Agenda Radio -- I'm actually brand new there. It was started by Adam Curry, the former host of the "Headbangers Ball" on MTV back in the 1980s. And he's a big podcaster now and has started putting his show out on the live stream. And my friend Jack Blood invited me to join their new network. So I left my old one and I joined No Agenda. It's noagendaradio.com.

NNAMDITell me about your support for Ron Paul. How did that evolved?

HORTONWell, I've been a Ron Paul supporter since about 1997. I first saw him on C-SPAN in the middle of the night talking about George H. W. Bush's conduct during the first Gulf War and was blown away by the fact -- it said R-Texas next to his name. Well, he is criticizing a Republican president for his foreign policy, and I've been following him ever since.

NNAMDITell me a little bit about how you think this event and Ron Paul supporters will impact the Republican National Convention given that the candidate himself won't be speaking.

HORTONI doubt it'll have any effect on the Republican convention whatsoever. The rest of the American people will see why the Republicans are certain to lose this November when they tell every young person who wants to joins their party to go to hell.

NNAMDIThe Republican National Committee has made what it seems to think are some confessions by including a few Ron Paul principles in the Republican Party platform about Internet freedom, about auditing the Fed and the like. How do you feel about that?

HORTONThat's the most laughable thing I ever heard. Mitt Romney is going to take up liberty as his cause? Please, he's a Rockefeller Republican. He has no interest in liberty or peace or anything that Ron Paul stands for, whatsoever.

NNAMDIThere are some plans in the Nevada delegation, it is our understanding, to put the candidates' name into nomination at the convention. Do you approve of that? Do you think it should happen?

HORTONMy understanding was that the higher ups had already made sure that that could not happen. Karl Rove and the Republican Party have done everything they can to steal this election from Ron Paul, to frustrate his delegates, to rip them off and to smear him and marginalize him. And I think probably over Karl Rove's dead body will Ron Paul be nominated (unintelligible).

NNAMDIInstead of speaking, there is going to be apparently a video of Ron Paul's life aired at the convention. How do you feel about that?

HORTONI think it's kind of funny actually. They think that they're going to get Ron Paul supporters to support Mitt Romney by playing us a little video and we'll be mollified by that. And the truth is we won't be. The truth is, too, that that video will be about what a great guy Ron Paul is. But it won't be about how he was right about the housing bubble and how the Federal Reserve's (word?) bank credit caused it.

HORTONThey won't explain how right he was about the horrors of the Iraq War and why it should not have been waged back in the first place. It won't be any of the clips where Ron Paul is right and puts the Republican Party to shame. Instead, they'll just say, well, what a great guy and what a great doctor. And don't we all love him? That's fine, but it's not going to win one Ron Paulian's vote for Mitt Romney, not one.

HORTONAnd Ron Paul has been lucky that he's been able to use his congressional seat as a bully pulpit in order to teach and preach libertarianism to the people of this country all these years. But the libertarian movement is not a part of the Republican Party coalition. It never has been, and it won't be. I think the future of the movement is a real realignment in American politics, away from the central state, away from our world empire, away from our homeland security state, away from bankrupt tyranny that the Republicans and the Democrats have been pushing us toward.

HORTONAnd unfortunately, they have to, you know, get us in that bad of a situation before we can rally back and react and bounce back. But I think the support that you see for Ron Paul four years ago and, again, this presidential election is a reflection of the fact that people are sick and tired of the Republican and Democratic parties. And they're sick and tired of the liberal and conservative ideologies. They want better.

NNAMDIThat was a Ron Paul supporter. In the final analysis, Ron Paul lost. He won't be -- he will not be speaking live at this convention. But there are a number of established and upcoming names on the live-speaking roster this week. Who are you looking forward to hearing from, Kevin Igoe?

IGOEYou know, Kojo, I really look forward to hearing Ann Romney's speech. Excuse me. I think she'll provide some real insight into the type of person Gov. Romney is, and I think the American people will be taken by that.

NNAMDIWho are you looking forward to hearing, Jill Homan?

HOMANI'm really looking forward to hearing the first female Hispanic governor, Gov. Susana Martinez, as well as the youngest governor in the U.S., Gov. Nikki Haley. And if I could just -- we're very, very thankful for everybody in -- all the residents of Tampa for their patience with all the street closure. As a D.C. resident, I get street closure, so I'm with you in this very big...

NNAMDINo blackout so far here.

HOMANOh, yes. And just really thankful for the police and the National Guard and the Secret Service presence. You know, everybody has a First Amendment right to protest. And so I think it was, you know, great that you had a chance to give those folks some coverage.

NNAMDIKevin, is Ann Romney's speech going to be televised now? Wasn't -- it was supposed to be tonight, but is it going to be...

IGOEI think it moved to -- Wednesday, it will be televised.

NNAMDIIt will be televised. Kevin Igoe, he is a delegate for the Maryland Republican Party. Jill Homan is the Republican National committeewoman-re-elect for the District. Thank you both for joining us, and thank you all for listening. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.