At party conventions, 2 views of patriotism

PERSONAL RICHES

—"The centerpiece of the President's entire re-election campaign is attacking success. Is it any wonder that someone who attacks success has led the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression? In America, we celebrate success, we don't apologize for it." — Mitt Romney.

—"Mitt Romney, he lives by a different code. To him, American workers are just numbers on a spreadsheet. To him, all profits are created equal, whether made on our shores or off." — Ted Strickland, former governor of Ohio.

LAND OF IMMIGRANTS

—"My grandfather, like millions of other immigrants, didn't come here for some government guarantee of income equality or government benefits to take care of his family. In 1923 there were no government benefits for immigrants except one: Freedom!" — Rick Santorum.

—"We believe in an America where going to school doesn't depend on how much money you have. We believe in an America where getting decent health care doesn't depend on how much money you've got. ... We believe in an America where no matter who you are, where you come from, what you look like, what your last name is, you can pursue your own happiness, and you can make it if you try." — Obama in a campaign speech in Norfolk, Va., on Tuesday.

AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM

—"Over the past four years, Americans have been led to believe we're just like everybody else, that America isn't unique. But it's not true. We are different. Not because of where we were born, but because of who we are as a people." — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

—"We believe in an America that leads with our military, but also takes care of our veterans and stands up for our ideals and shows the power of our example." — Barack Obama.

UP BY THEIR BOOT STRAPS

—"I tell students all the time the only way to fail in America is to quit." — Mitch McConnell.

—"Today's Republicans and their nominee for president tell us that those first-graders are on their own_on their own to deal with their poverty; with ill-prepared young parents, maybe who speak English as a second language; with an underfunded school; with neighborhood crime and blight; with no access to nutritious food and no place for their mom to cash a paycheck; with a job market that needs skills they don't have; with no way to pay for college." — Deval Patrick.