RNC 2020 Opening Night: ‘Be Afraid, White America!’

RNC 2020 Opening Night began on Monday with a very blatant dog whistle: Be afraid, White America. Be very, very afraid!

Politics
After condemning last week’s Democratic convention as “dark” and “negative,” Republicans boasted that their convention would be filled with hope and optimism, with messages that were both uplifting and optimistic. That plan lasted all of 5 minutes.

“I think we’re going to see something that is going to be very uplifting and positive, that’s what I’d like it to be.”  – Donald J. Trump

On Monday afternoon, Donald Trump made an appearance in Charlotte, NC to formally accept his nomination for a 2nd term. His speech quickly became a meandering, grievance-filled opportunity to settle old scores and to paint himself as a victim while demonizing everyone else as out to get him.

“What they’re doing is using COVID to steal an election. They’re using COVID to defraud the American people, all of our people, of a fair and free election,” Trump said to applause from the sparse crowd without providing a shred of evidence.

Next, Trump created claims that a Joe Biden win would see the country overrun with violence and protests similar to the ones from earlier this summer across America. He also warned that Democrats were out to take away guns and religion via a rigged election.

“The only way they can take this election away from us is if it’s a rigged election,” he said. “Don’t let them take it away from you,”

When the small crowd burst into chants of “four more years,” Trump had this to say: “Now if you really want to drive them crazy, you say 12 more years,” bringing up an old and unproven beef that because he believes former President Obama spied on his 2016 campaign, he deserves a “do-over” and additional time added to his term.

“Fact check: The first night of the Republican National Convention featured more dishonesty than four nights of DNC.” – CNN

By Monday evening, RNC 2020 Opening Night didn’t get much better.

Staged inside the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., RNC 2020 Opening Night began with a video tribute to America narrated by actor Jon Voight (Interestingly, the video featured the slogan “Trump 2020” with no mention of Mike Pence). The theme for the night was “Celebrating America as the land of promise” and kicked off with a prayer from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of NY. Next was a roll-call that was an obvious but cheap rip-off of the almost identical one Democrats used during their own convention.
.

THE SPEAKERS:

Among the speakers for RNC 2020 Opening Night was Andrew Pollack, the father of Parkland shooting victim Meadow Pollack, Heismann Trophy winner and former football star Herschel Walker, who attempted to somehow convince Americans that Donald Trump is not a racist, and RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who said Democrats have no ideas for the future of America despite admitting earlier in the day that Republicans will not have a platform for 2020 and will simply allow Trump to make it up as he goes along.

Patricia and Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis homeowners who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters earlier this summer were also present to scare the living daylights out of White suburbanites. Their stoic words claimed that Biden-Harris would “ruin” upscale (read: White) neighborhoods across America with “poor” (codename for Black) housing. Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. was also given a speaking slot. However, instead of speaking, she shouted an angry speech to the empty arena that was laden with lies and negativity.

A Louisiana plastic surgeon (whose cosmetic medical expertise has little to no knowledge of dealing with a pandemic) promoted the idea that Donald Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was brilliant (despite the loss of hundreds of thousands of American lives from his ineptitude). Then, Vernon Jones, a Black Democrat from the Georgia State House provided an “I’m-A-Democrat-But-I’m-Voting-For-Trump” moment.

.
Keynote speeches of the night were delivered by former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who’s words made clear she is already running for 2024, Donald Trump, Jr., who appeared inebriated and simply regurgitated his father’s regular and predictable talking points, and Sen. Tim Scott, who was probably the most positive presenter of the evening.
.

THE CONTROVERSY

In addition to his already low poll numbers, RNC 2020 Opening Night was marred by a trifecta of bad news for Donald Trump.

Over the weekend, an audio recording of Maryanne Trump Barry, a former federal judge and the sister of Donald Trump, was released and became a distraction and embarrassment for ‘The Donald.’

“His goddamned tweet and the lying, oh, my God,” she said in a recording posted by The Washington Post. “I’m talking too freely, but you know. The change of stories. The lack of preparation. The lying,” she continued while adding that her brother has “no principles” and is unfit to be president.

Also over the weekend, longtime Trump aide and confidant Kellyanne Conway announced she was resigning from her post at The White House. The news came after Conway’s teenaged daughter posted on social media about how much she despises Donald Trump and how she wants emancipation from her family.

Then on Monday, religious adviser and Trump supporter Rev. Jerry Falwell, Jr. resigned as president of the Christian and conservative Liberty University. The resignation occurred after a former “pool boy” came forward with proof that he engaged in a 7-year sexual relationship with Falwell’s wife while the reverend regularly sat in a corner and watched.

All in all, RNC 2020 Opening Night was presented without a hitch or technical glitch.  Still, the make-believe message that Joe Biden is a liberal-left socialist who will raise everyone’s taxes and turn upper-class neighborhoods into crime-infested Black slums was more than just a stretch.  The GOP’s serving of red meat was clearly geared toward Trump’s already existing rabid base, however, the Monday night festivities were almost assuredly ineffective in convincing Democrats or Independents to defect to Donald Trump.

OK WASSUP! discusses Politics:
RNC 2020 Opening Night.