Notes on the Republican Convention: Day 2
Tonight was a stronger night for the Republicans. Before we dig in, some news: Sen. Kamala Harris will give a speech tomorrow to counter President Trump’s acceptance speech.
Also, I had a Republican/Trump supporter lined up to provide their analysis, as Johnnie Moore did for us yesterday, but due to a personal issue, they had to drop out. In lieu of that, I’ve included some comments from Pete Wehner, former Bush Administration official, from his analysis in the NYT.
2020 Republican Convention: Day 2 Review
Unlike Day 1, tonight’s convention opens up with outreach. A Hispanic evangelical pastor, Norma Urrabazo, opened up with the invocation.
The first speaker was Myron Lizer, VP of the Navajo Nation and an evangelical pastor, who endorsed Trump and made a really interesting reference to his people being locked out of opportunity in a way that is not all that dissimilar to what advocates for racial justice more broadly (that have so readily been dismissed and marginalized at this convention) have argued.
A video featuring Jim Ponder, a felon who has turned his life around after making a commitment to the Lord, and the law enforcement official, Richard Beasley, who arrested Ponder and later became his friend and co-founder of their non-profit. Following the video, the two men joined President Trump who announced that he would give Ponder a full pardon. It was a powerful story and moment. I’ll have more to say about it later in this post.
Cissie Lynch Graham, Billy Graham’s granddaughter and Franklin Graham’s daughter, gave a speech that belonged in primetime, and represented the most cogent, sustained argument to religious conservatives of the convention so far. While the Democratic convention insulated them a bit from generic Republican attacks that Democrats are anti-religion, minimal work has been done to set out limits on religious freedom or abortion, and Lynch Graham went right at those issues.
Many conservative pro-lifers were also lifting up the remarks of Abby Johnson, who gained prominence in pro-life circles as someone who worked for Planned Parenthood and now opposes abortion rights. Johnson referred to Trump as the “most pro-life president ever,” and closed her remarks with appeals to volunteer for Trump.
Nicholas Sandmann, from Covington Catholic High School, epitomized this convention’s attempt to make “cancel culture” a matter of personal concern for voters. Sandmann said this regarding how he was treated by media and progressives, “The truth was not important…Advancing their anti-Christian, anti-conservative, anti-Donald Trump narrative was all that mattered. If advancing their narrative ruined the reputation of a teenager from Kentucky, so be it.”
VP Pence led a longer segment where he spoke with Americans who have been helped by Trump Administration policies. I thought this was an especially effective segment that focused on school choice, and brought back “right to try” legislation for the second night in a row.
President Trump oversaw a naturalization ceremony in The White House. More on this later as well.
Tiffany and Eric Trump spoke, and like Donald Jr. last night, did not offer much of a personal testimony about his father, but instead a red meat speech about the threat posed by progressives and Joe Biden. Also like last night, Eric focused on restrictions on church services due to COVID, suggesting it was motivated by anti-religious sentiment. This line from Tiffany was particularly striking: “I encourage you to see beyond the facade that so many other politicians employ. They mask themselves in disguises of decency as they try to pressure us to mask our own identities and beliefs.”
In another norm-breaking move, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking from Jerusalem (in his personal capacity…lol), laid out his view of Trump’s foreign policy accomplishments with a heavy focus on Israel.
Finally, Melania Trump spoke from the Rose Garden. It was reported the West Wing did not have sign off on her remarks. Like much of the night though, she delivered remarks that were distinct tonally and substantively from what comes out of this Administration generally, and from her husband specifically.
Analysis:
You can tell the Republicans had a politically effective night by looking at Democrats and progressives on social media. There was a meltdown. In part, yes, due to the unprecedented abuse of the White House and powers of the presidency for a political show, but also because of the fear that it might work. I observed yesterday that these conventions have presented an image of the political parties that is at odds with what we see reflected in news media, party activists and some of the parties’ own leaders, and I think that is true.
But what we’re also seeing is that these conventions are harsh reminders to partisans that the other side actually exists. So much of the reaction to the convention last night was “how could they talk about that, without mentioning this!” Well, they are a political party. To a certain extent, that is what political parties do, unless forced to do otherwise.
While progressives have been having esoteric debates about what “defund police” really means, and how such phrases were a part of moving the Overton Window, it seems like some have been caught off-guard that Republicans aren’t going to humor the Foucault-inspired abuse of language—they’re just going to say you want to defund the police. Now, of course, Biden has actually been very clear that he does not support that approach, rhetorically or substantively, but this is where you get to the baser problem of Republicans simply not caring about the truth when it comes to attacking Biden.
On faith, day 2 was much more cogent, and spoke more directly to specific issues rather than generalities, even if there were very few, if any, actual policy commitments attached to those references. The conventions appeal is mostly to conservative Christians, but Democrats should not underestimate the number of Americans that includes. You can see how faith is proposed as a missing ingredient in confronting our nation’s problems, especially when it comes to race (see here not only the presidential pardon, but the remarks of Kentucky AG David Cameron, in what we might look back on as a breakout moment for the Republican), but also when it comes to COVID and other issues. Again, that is a more broadly-held conviction than Democrats might want to think. The Democrats’ convention last week helped to preempt some of the attacks that they are “against God” or “anti-religious,” but the convention and Democrats’ faith outreach generally only offers so much of a buffer against more specific criticisms. The Biden campaign would be wise to spend some time and resources not simply on talking about Biden as a “man of faith,” but as someone who is nuanced and respectful when it comes to issues like religious freedom and abortion.
One thing this convention is helping me grasp more fully is the way in which “cancel culture” is made to be an incredibly personal, threatening force for individuals. I had thought that it was more of a purely tribal argument (“people with your views are being silenced”), but this convention has driven home for me that Republicans want individual Americans to fear how “cancel culture” will affect them personally. It’s not just about progressives having undue influence in culture, but as several speakers argued, Democrats want to “control your thoughts.” I really did not grasp that until this week. Democrats want to make stories about CEOs being removed about “punching up,” but Republicans are saying “if Democrats can take down people with that much power and privilege, imagine what they’ll do to you.”
The final comment I’ll make about Day 2 is that it epitomized Donald Trump’s complete disregard for American values (in the most fundamental sense), his disrespect for the Office he holds, and his willingness to transgress if he sees personal benefit for himself. I understand that the pandemic threw off their convention plans, but you just don’t use the Rose Garden as a host for your political convention. Your Secretary of State should not leverage sensitive negotiations in a dynamic region of the world to make a partisan argument. Presidential pardons and naturalization ceremonies are presidential duties and responsibilities, not political devices. Of course, these norms are easy to break in a nation where its people no longer respect or care about them. And politically, it’s a bit of a trap. Oh so after accusing Donald Trump of being a racist xenophobe, now they’re upset that he’s using his Office to pardon Black ex-felons and welcome immigrants to this country. You just can’t win with the media and progressives.
But these norms exist for a reason. Presidential power has to exist outside of partisan gain. Immigration should not be subject to political prerogatives, nor should pardons. The Secretary of State should represent the country, first, not a political party.
Democrats have transgressed on these kinds of issues too, of course. To point out how last night furthered our institutional decline is not to hold others blameless. But it must be said. Not everything can be justified for the sake of partisan conflict.
Another Point of View
Pete Wehner on Day 2’s best moment:
Daniel Cameron, from Kentucky. His speech was elegant, historically literate and masterfully delivered. He was calm, hopeful and spoke about healing America’s wounds. He prosecuted an effective case against Biden while mostly avoiding Donald Trump. Cameron was like a figure from another era; he’s out of sync with the Trump G.O.P. Maybe one day he can help make the Republican Party great again.
Wehner on Day 2’s worst moment:
Mike Pompeo’s speech. It wasn’t the worst speech of the evening, but it was the most cynical. The speech shouldn’t have been delivered; a secretary of state delivering a convention speech from foreign soil was certainly inappropriate. His politicization of the State Department is injurious, the transgression of yet another norm during the Trump era. And his portrayal of Trump’s foreign policy record was deeply misleading. Pompeo is a bright man who knows better. But character matters more than intelligence. Pompeo is a political hack with a prestigious title.
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