Ronald Reagan Tribute Video Opens Final Night Of RNC Speeches

The third and final night of the Republican National Convention opened with a video tribute to former President Ronald Reagan, effectively a mash-up stringing together some of his most memorable moments in the White House.

After the video closed, former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and his wife, Callista, took the stage. In alternating lines, they propped up the Reagan legacy and tore down President Barack Obama's, comparing it to former President Jimmy Carter's.

"Both [Obama and Carter] weakened the respect for America abroad; Both increased government programs, filled with waste and inefficiency that failed to produce results; Both made promises they couldn’t keep. And as a consequence of ineffective policies, both were unable to revive our economy and create jobs," Callista Gingrich said.

Earlier in the day, Yahoo! News reported that a Reagan hologram projection had, at one point, been intended to be featured at the RNC. It didn't pan out, designer Tony Reynolds, told Yahoo!:

However, Reynolds says he discussed the idea with a number of Republican activists who asked him to delay the project out of concern it would overshadow Mitt Romney's acceptance speech.

"At the time he hadn't chosen Paul Ryan, so I think they were a little worried about his energy," Reynolds said. "Even in a hologram form I think Reagan's going to beat a lot of people in terms of communicating."

There's always 2016.