Opening up with their best video to date, a spot about American heroism, the third night of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday had something for everyone and was especially targeted at swing voters in the Heartland.
The speeches were more concise than during the first two nights and the references to faith abundant. The singing of the national anthem at the end by country star Trace Adkins stood in stark contrast to the performance [1] by Billy Porter [2] at the end of the first night of the Democratic National Convention. If you want the essential cultural difference between the parties, between San Francisco and America, there it is.
.@TraceAdkins [3] performing the Star Spangled Banner from the place where it was actually written during wartime, Fort McHenry. đŸ¤© Goosebumps. #RNC2020 [4] pic.twitter.com/buhXia2lXy [5]
— Holden Afart (@thesnarkmark) August 27, 2020 [6]
Gorgeous South Dakota GOP Governor Kristi Noem began the speeches with a pitch-perfect address. The GOP is insane if she is not on the 2024 ticket. Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s words with a warship as a backdrop was a further contrast with the anti-military Democrats and also illustrated that the GOP has a strong national bench for the future.
Ohio mom Tera Myers spoke poignantly about her quest for a proper education and respect for her Down Syndrome child, and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany gave a powerful and deeply personal talk on her struggle with breast cancer and the president’s compassion and care toward her during her health crisis.
The Republicans have been very good during the convention regarding the showcasing of strong competent women. None more so than by the speeches of outgoing White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and Sister Dierdre Byrne [7], a Roman Catholic nun. Both women were the picture of poise and determination. They understood the larger issues at play in this election and they noted the leftwing ownership of the Democratic Party.
Following up the nun, former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz called Joe Biden a “Catholic in name only.” Ouch. Then in an emotional highlight of the evening, North Carolina GOP congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn [8], who is a paraplegic, gave the best speech of the night (aside from Pence). Taking a cue from (GOP convention narrator) Jon Voight as FDR in the film “Pearl Harbor,” Cawthorn dramatically rose to his feet to finish his address. This young man has a big future in the Republican Party. Jack Brewer set the historical record straight about race and the GOP, as did Clarence Henderson, and Chen Guangcheng eloquently warned about Communist China.
Two things stick out over message. One, how much the convention is taking its lead from Reagan’s 1984 “Morning in America” theme and how not long ago most of the Republican message would have been considered normal bipartisan fare. No longer.
The event was topped off by, again, a perfectly lit night speech. This time by Mike Pence. His flag-lined address from Fort McHenry was the best of the night and the video preceding it may have been the first spot for Pence ’24. The veep is the definition of gravitas and his words mirrored that image. He wisely noted the approaching storm in the Gulf of Mexico and assured voters the federal response would be swift and efficient. His use of dramatic pause was expert and his speech was a rousing call to heroic action. The evening ended with a cameo by the First Couple. Another winning night for the Republicans.
This piece was written by David Kamioner on August 27, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette [9] and is used by permission.
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Rapper Ice Cube turns on Democrats: Tells blacks to ‘make them earn that vote’ [11]
California ‘Karen’ is physically dragged out of grocery store after refusing to wear a mask, fighting with customers [12]