RNC: Final Night

Above, the scene at the White House this evening.

The 2020 "Virtual" Republican National Convention is now history. People will be assessing it in the coming years.

Someone asked me if I would mind if it were Obama giving his acceptance speech at the White House (he was obviously bothered by Trump doing it). My honest response: Given the circumstances, I wouldn't be bothered by it. He didn't believe me, but then again, he's part of the "unhappy" political party. 

Above, the acceptance speech.

The speakers who touched me the most were Ann Dorn, who lost her husband in June when he was killed trying to protect a pawn shop from looters (in St. Louis, I think) and Carl and Marsha Mueller, who lost their daughter Kayla to ISIS terrorists in Syria.

The President gave a good speech that touched on all issues and themes he needed to. Some thought his speech was "flat". True, he didn't deliver it as he would at one of his arena rallies. I think he held back on it a little since it was at the White House. He wrapped the BLM and ANTIFS anarchy tightly around the Democrats' necks, nonetheless.

Above, after the ceremonies and speech.

I was really impressed with the fireworks that followed Trump's acceptance speech. At times, they spelled out "Trump 2020". 

All in all, I thought this week's RNC was a successful one and Trump is enjoying a bump in the polls because of it.

RNC Day 3: Fort McHenry

Tonight's virtual Republican National Convention took place at historic Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor, the site where the battle during the War of 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen our national anthem took place.

Vice President Mike Pence, after other speakers, delivered his vice presidential nomination acceptance speech.

Following his speech, he was joined on the stage by President and Melania Trump. I managed to take a few screen shots during this.

Bette Midler Attacks Melania Trump

But, she ain't getting away with it.

A response:

A Symbol of This Campaign

Above, Nicholas Sandmann at the conclusion of his RNC video.

From Fox News:

Nick Sandmann, an 18-year-old graduate from Covington Catholic High School who was at the center of a nationwide viral video controversy, lambasted "cancel culture" in his speech to the Republican National Convention, calling on the country to join President Trump in calling the media out.

"I wouldn’t be canceled. I fought back hard to expose the media for what they did to me and won a personal victory. While much more must be done, I look forward to the day that the media returns to providing balanced, responsible and accountable news coverage," he said. "I know President Trump hopes for that too." 

He continued: "In November, I believe this country must unite around a president who calls the media out and refuses to allow them to create a narrative instead of reporting the facts. I believe we must join with a president who will challenge the media to return to objective journalism." 

In 2019, a video of Sandmann, wearing a red Make America Great Again Hat, went viral, showing the teenager standing directly in front of Native American elder Nathan Phillips on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Sandmann had been on a trip from his Kentucky school to Washington, D.C. for the March for Life on Jan. 18, 2019. 

When the video was initially released, many perceived Sandmann to have been mocking Phillips by smirking inches from his face, while the Omaha tribe leader sang and played a drum. But full footage showed a more complicated image where the Covington students were not the instigators: Phillips had actually walked up to the Covington school kids after another group began taunting the teenagers.  

Earlier this year, Sandmann settled for undisclosed amounts with both CNN and The Washington Post.

To read the full article, go here.

RNC Day Two: "Land of Opportunity"

Above, Myron Lizer, vice president of the Navajo Nation speaks from Shiprock, New Mexico.

Tonight's Republican National Convention theme is "Land of Opportunity".

It will feature a number of interesting speakers and their experiences in life before and after President Trump's election in 2016.

Speakers include:

Richard Beasley, a former F.B.I. agent.

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi of Florida.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron of Kentucky.

Cissie Graham Lynch, the daughter of Franklin Graham and granddaughter of Rev. Billy Graham.

Ryan Holets, a detective in the Albuquerque Police Department.

Abby Johnson, an anti-abortion activist.

Jason Joyce, a lobsterman in Maine.

Larry Kudlow, the president’s top economic adviser.

Myron Lizer, vice president of the Navajo Nation.

Mary Ann Mendoza, whose son was killed in a car crash with an undocumented immigrant.

Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez of Florida.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Cris Peterson, the chief financial officer of a dairy farm in Minnesota.

John Peterson, the owner of Schuette Metals in Rothschild, Wis.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Jon Ponder, the founder and chief executive of HOPE for Prisoners.

Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa.

Nicholas Sandmann, a teenager from a Catholic high school in Kentucky who was involved in a confrontation with a Native American man at a protest last year.

Eric Trump, the president’s son and an executive vice president of the Trump Organization.

Melania Trump, the First Lady

Jim Geraghty: The GOP Still Has Some Fight Left in It!

Someone else besides me thought that the Republican National Convention started out surprisingly strong last night. There were a lot of damn good speakers. It was a sharp contrast to the Democrats' "Temple of Doom" of last week.

Jim Geraghty of "The Morning Jolt" in National Review has an interesting take on opening night.

Here's some snippets:

On the menu today: a surprisingly strong opening night for the Republican National Convention... 

Most Democrats probably didn’t watch the Republican National Convention last night. Those that did probably thought it was schlocky, jingoistic, dishonest, and ridiculous nonsense. 

But any Democrat who understood that the convention wasn’t aimed at convincing them — a fact that vast swaths of Washington political journalists are just incapable of grasping — should watch the programming and feel just a little less confident about November. Not panicking, just a recognition that the Trump campaign and GOP still have some fight left in them, and a message that could easily resonate with large-enough pluralities in enough states to reach 270 electoral votes. 

I still would have cut Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle from the lineup, who inexplicably shouted most of her speech to an empty chamber. The best case for the president comes from non-famous or lesser-known citizens such as nurse Amy Johnson Ford, Natalie Harp discussing right-to-try, Democratic state representative Vernon Jones of Georgia, Andrew Pollack, the father of a Parkland school-shooting victim talking about the “scumbag gunman” who killed his daughter Meadow, and Maximo Alvarez, speaking bluntly about the realty of life under a socialist regime. 

Joe Biden still enjoys a lot of advantages. This is a country still grappling with a serious pandemic that restricts and impedes normal American life including schooling for children, the national unemployment rate is 10.2 percent, and too many cities are still beset by urban violence and riots. This is a tough environment for any incumbent, and every day, Donald Trump finds new ways to keep the Democratic Party’s base highly motivated. 

But you can start to see how Biden could blow this. No American will be enthusiastic for the prospect of a President Biden ordering another national shutdown to mitigate the spread of the virus. Teachers’ unions are infuriating usually friendly parents who want their kids to back into classrooms in some fashion. (Jim Jordan: “They won’t let you go to school, but they’ll let you go loot.“) A full-throated denunciation of the riots as undermining the cause of racial and social justice wouldn’t cost Biden a single vote he needs, but he just won’t do it. Trump and the Republicans are embracing patriotism almost to the point of self-parody; Democrats are arguing that the country has taken a terrible wrong turn and is constantly falling short of its values. The country is sick of political correctness and cancel culture and a discourse of constant rage and grievances. Last night, Tim Scott painted America as a land of unlimited opportunity: “Our family went from cotton to Congress.” Even friendly voices are recognizing that Biden’s message is lightest on “a concrete economic plan for average families.” And we haven’t even gotten to guns, illegal immigration, or judges. 

Right now, you would rather be Biden with a big lead than be Trump and behind. But Democrats felt really good about their chances after a widely praised convention in late summer four years ago, and we all remember how that turned out.

To read the full article, go here. 

Wacko Socialist Virtual Convention, No Thanks!

Above, yours truly in profile in the white cowboy hat at the 1980 Republican
 National Convention in Detroit, Michigan. Los Angeles Times photo.

Well, the virtual Democrat National Convention is over and done with.

There was a time when I used to enjoy watching the conventions of both parties. (I attended three GOP national conventions as a member of California delegation.) Not anymore. I have no desire to stomach the constant lying propaganda of the left wing that has taken over the Democrat Party. There's no moderate (or even mildly conservative) Democrats left anymore. The wackos have taken over. They're not just liberals, they're actual socialists and communists. This ain't your daddy's Democrat Party!

It is not surprising that the audience numbers for the convention dropped by around 40% from four years ago. Overall, the "convention" was a colossal borefest according to many sources. The virtual Republican National Convention will probably see a similar drop in viewership.

Then again, maybe not.

Since President Trump is also a very capable showman, the GOP virtual convention could see better viewership numbers than the Democrats'. Viewers will probably get some good entertainment, at least.

We shall see.