Ann Romney gave a great speech. But will we remember it in a day or two?

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's wife Ann greets the crowd of supporters at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, on August 28, 2012 during the Republican National Convention.

/ Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages

This post originally appeared on Slate.

(CBS News) TAMPA, Fla. -- Ann Romney gave a wonderful speech. What's not deeply appealing about a woman who has struggled with illness and miscarriages and emerged with grace? Surely the day that Ann and Mitt Romney stood in the doctor's office and heard her diagnosis, they didn't think she would be onstage the way she was tonight. She said she hasn't lived a storybook marriage because she and her husband have faced hard knocks. But isn't that what a storybook marriage is? A love that can withstand everything?

But was it a great political speech? I'm not so sure. It depends on what your previous feelings were about Mitt Romney and if you watched it on television or are going to hear about it later.

Thirty-two percent of those who participated in a recent CBS poll said they didn't know enough about Mitt Romney to form an opinion. If any of those voters were watching tonight, this was the kind of introductory message the Romney campaign will be delighted to have them hear.

It was a two-part speech. In the first part, Ann Romney tried to show that she understood women. At one point she said, "I love women!" No mistaking that. More powerful, perhaps, were the little details she offered that showed she knew what women of all socioeconomic backgrounds live with every day. She talked about eating tuna fish and pasta as a newlywed. She described how women have to keep the household in their head no matter what they do: how they're the one who has to remember the number for the emergency room doctor or stay up late to help the kids finish their book reports.

Having laid the predicate, she dove into the real task: testifying for her husband. "His name is Mitt Romney and you really should get to know him," she said. She didn't really do much to tell us about him though. There were no stories you could hang your hat on. She mostly asserted that he was wonderful and testified to his ethic. "No one will work harder. No one will care more. No one will move heaven and earth like Mitt Romney to make this country a better place to live!" That line received the loudest applause of the entire speech.

If Mitt Romney's problem is that voters don't think he's authentic enough, listening to a woman testify to her authentic adoration certainly conveys authenticity on the object of her devotion. You can't feel that way about a robot.

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[RollotheNorman]

You know I wondered about her husband Willard a lot these past few months. I have been haunted by Willard...simply couldn't remember where I'd seen him before. Then it dawned on me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYdpOjletnc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoqMSr1H1ek&feature=related

[Show2n]

Where does she get her clothes? Goodwill? She looks like Ivana Trump from the 80's.

[HERFORDMOM]

I think its great that Mrs. Romney loves women and is trying to identify with us. But as a I sit here at my desk job, eating my tuna sandwich, I just don't feel that warm fuzzy "connected feeling" to her just because she was once forced to eat "tuna fish and pasta as a newlywed". When she says that "we're no different than the millions of Americans who quietly help their neighbors", I can't help but think of a billion reasons why she is, in fact, "different" than me. It also doesn't feel like she's helping people "quietly" either. I mean, the RNC is a pretty big public event. I don't mind her trying to identify with the voters, I understand that's her role - just don't try to make me feel like we are the same.

[unclebernies]

What Ann Romney did was to move closer to her much anticipated annointment to be Queen to the throne overlooking the peasants.

[alanrobisch]

I found it funny the comment by one here complaining that Ann Romney is helping in her husband's campaign. Gee is that Michelle spending her life campaigning for her husband . It must be a stand in. Isn't she home caring for her children. Oh I would have sworn as a mother her children would come first. I guess not Huh

[alanrobisch]

Its obvious that the liberals here can't handle anything that might help romney. She did an excellent job and the Obamaites want to hold on to their caricature of Mitt Romney. Its hard to hate a person who has a wonderful wife who worked from the bottom up unlike the stereotype the obama team wants to spread. They have no past or future to point to so they only thing they can do is throw hate at the Romney's who by my standards are the epitome of what american families should be. I grew up poor and now am middle class as did all my brothers and sisters. We got help but we also had family that urged us to learn and taught us to work. No govt agency does that and yet the Obama creed is that govt is over all and is the end all and be all for everyone

[cynthiaisabelle]

If you are not super rich and you vote for Romney you may as well just shoot yourself in the foot. And what are you talking about? Just who worked from the bottom up in the Romney household? Are you from this planet?

[marcie10000]

"YOU people! Here are the 1999 - 2009 tax returns!" Now that is the speech I am waiting for. Tax cheats. I paid their taxes.

[nhalien]

I think he said the tax returns are in the same box as Obama's college records. We need to find it.

[Lindag20]

Did Ann give a "great political speech"? NO. She talked about pretending to be poor when they were young and how after a hard day at the office, syphoning off money from companies and offshoring jobs Mitt came home and was "mr. wonderful". Referring to everyone else that aren't on her level of wealth as "those Americans" and "you people" shows her true colors.

[nanc12]

I am inclined to like Ann Romney, because she, like my youngest son, deals with Multiple Sclerosis. She is the one thing that makes Mitt Romney a tiny bit ok in my eyes - he has stood by her through MS and cancer (unlike Newt Gingrich.)
However, I would love to ask her how she can agree with ending "Obamacare." She obviously doesn't have to worry about health insurance. But thousands of people with MS would be denied health insurance. They wouldn't be able to afford their medications ($2500 a month for my son's injections) and they can't afford the millions she spends on the dancing horses she uses for therapy. Republicans would also like to ban stem cell research - the one thing that is giving MS sufferers some hope right now. Is this why she has not become a voice for MS on the campaign trail?

So, no, she delivered an empty shell of a speech.

[Lindag20]

I'm sorry about your son's illness. I fear that if elected Romney will work hard to end Obamacare and your son will be left out in the cold. My cousin suffers from Crohn's disease and the ONLY reason he still has health insurance is due to Obamacare. He can't afford his $700.00 a month maintenance medication if he were kicked off his health plan. And Romney wants to replace Obamacare with what??? I don't buy into his vague "something better."

[marcie10000]

My neighbor has MS. It struck in her thirties. She takes a lot of prescription medications and she is worried about her vision. I am so sad about your son. I hope he has modern treatment.

I am so grateful for ObamaCare because I know first hand what it is to be in your fifties, laid off, and a cancer "survivor." You can't get insurance. And you can't get a job with a small business because you had cancer. You are dropped exactly one year after you've had your cancer surgery and you are declared "cancer-free."

ObamaCare solves that cruel choice of working your entire life, paying into insurance, saving a little bundle of money for retirement, and then getting laid off because you had cancer. Y

ou choose not to see a doctor out of fear of a bad diagnosis and wanting to leave some money for your kids. And yet the slackers get to write everything off in bankruptcy or being an "indigent" or get Medicaid.

You and your boy take care, Nanc!

[TimeToEvolve]

Does anyone actually listen to a word the latest Republicon prop says? Last time it was Palin, this time it's Ann Robbed Me.