GOP Convention: My Take of Day One

My takeaway from the GOP convention last night: both touching and surreal. I followed Zane Bardwick's recommendation and watched almost all of the convention last night on C-SPAN, where I wasn't regaled with pundit chatter and the victim of some producer's decisions on which parts to eliminate. As a result, I saw the many "real" Americans, with their moving stories, their accounts of heroism and tragedy and hope, which many times brought me to tears. Perhaps most affecting were the two heroes of Benghazi, describing the horrific events of the terrorist attack, and Sean Smith's mother, who wept as she told of losing her son, and the lies and coverup that followed from Secretary of State Clinton. Most bizarre was her saying that after the attack, no one from the State Department would answer her questions because she was not "immediate family." I'm sure I don't have to tell you parents how deeply that must have cut. I cried along with her. Awesome indeed was the speech by Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee County. An impassioned plea for unity, and for support of police, who are our first line of defense against anarchy. I think there should be a Federal post for nationwide law enforcement oversight, but if there were, I'd nominate this guy. The prize for unintentional comedy goes to Melania Trump, whose otherwise fairly creditable performance contained her repeated assurances that Donald is extremely "loyal." Ironic from the third wife of a man whose other marriages ended because of his infidelity. The various politicos were not so arresting. They mostly gave predictable speeches from which I can remember little. The exception was Rudy Giuliani, who did receive multiple standing ovations for his plea to respect both police and military who risk their lives to keep others safe. “When they come to save your life, they don’t ask if you are black or white. They just come to save you,” Giuliani said. The most surreal moment came when Donald Trump arrived to introduce his wife. He stood in silhouette in a blue fog for several seconds while the PA played Queen's "We Are the Champions." Then he emerged from the mist like Merlin in a sword-and-sorcery fantasy pic. It's clear that, if he's elected, press conferences will be dramatic productions. Actually, the entire evening had a surreal quality, since Trump doesn't have the support of most party conservatives. Speaker after speaker praised him, and invoked party unity, but the appeal of those who oppose him was quashed at the outset by the chairman's refusal to hear their call for a point of order. That left opponents of Trump's nomination without even the right to object, a tactic more typical of Democrats than Republicans. The spectacle that followed, with praise heaped upon Trump as the law-and-order candidate, rang rather false.