The Contrast Could NOT Have Been Greater
The contrast could NOT have been greater. Even on the first night of the Republican National Convention the difference from last week’s Democratic National Convention was astonishing. Last week the Democrat program was anemic, drawn, gloomy, boring and moribund. The Republicans tonight came out swinging, as the late Tom Petty put it, like Sonny Liston, yeh. They were fiery, impassioned, optimistic, eloquent and on message. Tonight was like a breath of fresh air. The speech by African-American Heisman Trophy football star Herschel Walker was stunning (“I believe in God, family, work, America, our flag and law an order. The Democrats believe in none of those things.” And, “I’ve been friends with Donald Trump for years, and I KNOW he’s not a racist.”), as were speeches by Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Jim Jordan and others.
In one respect, I guess the great contrast between the Republican and Democrat Conventions shouldn’t be terribly surprising. The Republicans are standing in front of dramatic economic successes, incredible progress on the international front and rising optimism across ALL economic and social strata. As a group, the Democrat Party is standing in front of rioting and chaos in the streets, out of control “protestors”, cities in flames, elected officials that are weak and feckless, urban blight, broken promises, an ever radicalizing leftist agenda, failed economic policies, pandering to racist ideologies and celebrating politics of nihilism and despair.
Further, the Republicans are standing behind a charismatic (if eccentric) leader, Donald Trump, that entered politics just four short years ago. A “can do” force, he has accomplished the near impossible: rescued America from eight years of Obama stagnation and doldrums. The Democrats are standing behind an aged, tired, shockingly demented “do nothing” that entered politics FORTY FIVE YEARS AGO.
Further, the Republicans are riding on a rising tide of patriotic populist sentiment that stirs the soul. The Democrats are riding the ebb of an anti American elitist, cynical and patronizing wave whose energy has been spent.
The Republicans have been vitalized by a cadre of “young Turks” including Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Kim Klacik, Charlie Kirk, Candace Owens, Brandon StraKa, Jim Jordan, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Matt Gaetz, Vernon James, and many others. The Democrats have been etiolated by the ready for adult daycare Joe Biden, the confused and stuttering Nancy Pelosi, the confused and sputtering Bernie Sanders, the VERY strange Adam Schiff, the hopelessly deadpan somnambulist Jerry Nadler, the childish Chuck Schumer, the absolutely crazy Maxine “Mad Max” Waters, and others. Even the supposed youth of the party, the frightening Lori Lightfoot, the bizarre Gretchen Whitmer, the strange Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the seething anti-semites Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, offer no claim to anything other than marginal niche appeal.
But the greatest difference, perhaps, is that the Republicans have amassed a contingent of individuals that are committed to BUILDING America up, and the Democrats harbor a gang that insists on bringing America down.
Given these stark differences, is it ANY WONDER that the conventions seem to be coming from DIFFERENT PLANETS? As I said above, the contrast could NOT have been greater.