Night one of the Republican National Convention featured many interesting dynamics. Foremost among them has to be that the most effective elements were the Republican Party’s pre-Trump themes and old guard establishment politicians.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Welcome to the Commentary magazine Daily Podcast were Tuesday August twenty fifth, twenty twenty Abe Ringwald is off this week. Armed John Podhoretz, the editor of commentary with me, as always associate
an editor nor Rossman high on our agenda,
The senior writer Christine rose and high Christine IDA, guys
though we had the first night of the Republican National Convention
I think we are all agreed that we were surprised at how
Thor Attainable was how unmask he it was how competent it was. Given that you know
The the Trump White House and the Trump administration often do their formal things quite Messalina. They issue
does statements with typos in them or grammatical errors they eat. The events are often is
lab dash, sometimes or seem almost like, thrown together
I would say that that technically and technologically to my
immense surprise. This first night of the convention was vastly more professional seeming,
then the first night of the democratic convention, given that the Democrats have the entire
air world of showbiz of Hollywood at their fingertips and Trump was working with you now, a guy who helped him produce the Brenner,
the producers are talent wranglers of the apprentice
and move like clockwork. The of the production value
was at the melon auditorium, where everybody was mostly speaking. Were
very high. There wasn't a single glitch, the films were well produced, end and so in the sense that add these conventions have
Try to give you a sense of being a staged version of what the what did
a is or will be.
Consciously or just in the kind of the the.
Presentation, you are
well we're in good hands here, like that. This doesn't feel, with the exception of Kimberly Guilford,
screaming her lungs out? There was no moment
the two and a half hours of the of the of the evening that made you think they know what they're doing
well. It felt like a convention didn't
Like a very special pandemic era. Episode of your favorite sitcom were everybody's on zoom. You know they were
we're, are trying to do too much. They did they did a convention. You have speeches, you have
dollar, videos in the middle and
well it usually is. They didn't try to reinvent the format and that worked
They did, which was extremely valuable, is have life people.
And it's not hard to have life people, the performer
anxiety of the age of covert, means that you can actually have people in the room, or else you communicate to more irresponsible types that they can do that too
how an extremely condescending view what they did was
perfectly safe and very effective stagecraft. You can actually try to react to people without having them in the audience, which is also why
can go foil, stuck up the room so much, because she was playing to an audacious projecting to a crowd that wasn't there and it does its Vichy
and the call made him into a hot, medium and stuff
everybody else play what did did the direction that the got anthem
and where I thought it was the staging wise it works as well. As you know,
It is notable that the person who spent the most time on Fox NEWS among my entire cried Missus Gilroy oil, isn't was, in fact
the worst performer of the night, it was the regular people. You know the deed, the Father, whose daughter was killed in a and a school shooting, be met. The cuban American. Do you no one's businesses in Florida
regular people talking about their experiences did much better and they didn't stumble. I mean they really were well that they were right,
before that venue, and they did a good job. I was I,
the astonished by the of course I was reading for my sins. I always read the New York Times: life feed coverage of any republican speech. Any any convention,
it's important to see what you know. Political opponents,
what they're watching and how that compares to, how I feel about it,
there were many moments when, as particularly when people who,
describing their personal challenges and how they overcame them. Why they support the Republican Party where the New York Times folks had to go,
silent, because I didn't really have a response. It was a person of color, for example, or if it was a the father who, whose daughter had been
They said very little, but today's
our times front page is all about how ominous the tone
and I did not get a sense of an ominous tone. What I got from speakers liked him, Scott and Nicky Hayley was actually are
It was saying you know what your country isn't perfect.
There's so much that's good about it, and our founding principles will see us through this this period of trial, I didn't see that they were avoiding issues. So much is saying we have.
We understand that there are these challenges ahead of us in an currently. What we're going through and here
the way in which we think we can overcome that. That means a message of optimism, not ominous at times when described and widen conventions. Why did they mark the start of the political gear right the election years? Because voters were previously turned out tune in to the process right, but also its because a lot of people who work for referral? Disaffected supporters of your political coalition come home.
What this did was give all those republicans who are really republican voters, anymore, republican republican voters, who are disinclined to support that european. The age of trump
reason to come home. I got it. I
that message. I don't watch that I don't watch the the twitter feeds of the live streams or whatever that everybody else watches. So I can actually consume the programming
I checked them. This morning there was the Saint Louis Couple, Saint Louis couple: who is
turning to the meaning and has very sceptical about, would work, and it really worked and people who
like I know, this is gonna really resonate with everybody who identifies with
brandishing you know entitled rich people in a gated community.
In the middle of the country and no
I'm not integrated community, I'm not wealthy. I don't wanna a I hate guns. I absolutely identified with this couple, not because of anything that they represent personally, but the ordeal
through the persecution they endured at the hands of local officials, is something every conservative, voter, Carolyn
and then what they were called the reason you got a little more contacts, you, the build up to their little video spot showed what they were.
In column issued they were that these protests, supposedly peaceful protesters, were threatening violence with there were now at. This was verbal violence they were threatening to read.
This woman they were threatening to. You know, get them, but the fear-
You got more of a sensitive of gave you their perspective, and I agree. I have nothing class wise back runways, anything like these people.
Listening to them, talk about their fear and then get
and they had knowledge there. Like luck, we were you know we ve been charged with a felony, all those people who threatened doesn't and terrified us on our own property. Nothing happened to them that land that landed with me as well, because I think that
the idea that a lot of people correct their heads around and it's very nimby? Yes, yes, but it works as political messaging. Well, I'm glad you guys-
highlighting this because it was the most striking event of the night in the sense that you wouldn't think that up a pair
Ultra wealthy trial lawyers who live in the most expensive house in Saint.
This would be the ones to make the
populist message resonate
they did it's not just that you know they were coming to our house and we got charged. They didn't get charged. It was
the entirety of the the fact that what they were doing was defending their house and that
this is something that apparently you are not allowed to do. When
the Brussels, decide that you're not allowed to do it because they're up to something else- and I thought was particularly
but equally effective and get you know, know how many people are watching it, but was the fact that they hide
I did. They didn't name her, but they highlighted the fact that without the but one of the people screaming,
Them and saying you know your day is over and we're coming for you and where was the soon to
a democratic Congress woman from
Louis Corey Bush who was the head and
as they said, was a marxist black lives matter agitate.
And there she was so you know they saw a little piece of waters of her yelling at them and she
one a seat for Congress, and I think the point here is this- is the
face of the Democratic Party, or this is a face of the Democratic Party that they tried.
To show you last week, you better look you better look before
Are you turn around and and vote, and this is why
I would say the with the before you vote the way you voted in twenty eighteen before you,
who suburban I'd turn around and Satellite Donald Trump. So I'm that a vote for the Democrats and in it the way you
it didn't twenty eighteen and turn the house. You know one forty seats in the house for the Democrats.
It's like there was something very specific and a message very specifically to thee forty three percent of Americans who live in a house household with a gun, that's
Lotta people, forty three percent of americans- that's that's almost here! That's like a hundred and fifty
a hundred, sixty million people and and they
and this idea that if you then try to protect your home because you're afraid of a mob that you're gonna get charged with a felony.
That's gonna wind, like no one said, even though I have none of us has a gun owner, but I certainly in a
Hogan owners and I and and people
have guns in their house for two reasons, one of which is that their hunters are they do it for sport,
and the other is for protection, and we saw we have. We have had vivid examples over them,
as two and a half months of the dangers that are being pose to Americans by,
mobs and we have one ongoing right now in Canosa Wisconsin, as the republican convention is going on
People are setting fire to churches to liberal left this unitary, universally churches. There's that adds amazing piece of footage.
Of this building burning down and on the on that sort of em roadside church Marquis. That's a little like a movie theater sign where they can change them.
Just what those letters on old, Molly, theatres- it says
lives matter and the and the fire and the building is burned up, is burning up behind him
I think that was a car lot, but yeah I basically Ngos for design. It was a used car lot that, and I dont know if the church sustained damage. I think the sign was burned out. Yeah I mean well, but that this actually points is something we were. We were raising is a possibility. Last week, when we were watching the democratic convention, which is it really turn, I think it really is proved to be a strategic error,
a binding, didn't, engage the issue of the civil unrest
so the rioting and and the destruction that's going on nationwide. I think it's a because the fact that they can
lately ignore. That is why
running centre the urgency this week I mean it is it is happening and is going to continue to happen and they had nothing to say about it. Nothing will be done.
Wanna talk about it. That doesn't mean that Biden doesn't have two and a half months to talk about it. He does I mean they're gonna, be three debates
He can say what every wants to at any moment and if he decides that it is important for him to come out and do some kind of a corrective to say
did he stands of law and order and stands with people being, if you know of wanting things to want to weed out at not wanting right
there is to take over the streets of cities or start my marching to the suburbs he he can do it any at any moment, but the opportunity is there. The point is that the Democrats didn't wanna talk about it because they were
waiting for their unity message in a unity message, as America is structurally racist country, with a colossal problem with the people who we hired to maintain order and defend us against criminals, and that
problem in this country. Right now is dealing with those
people and not with the criminal element who are resurgence in cities with these
what this thirty nine percent increase in an in homicides
over last year and am and all of that so so Biden has
came at any moment time in on this didn't have to be last week, but the fact that Democrats here's my question- and this is, I think, the big question: do they see it, but they don't want to talk about it or have they brainwash themselves into believing that their message about or that or that the message that goes from the funding the police on the far left
do you know treating police with suspicion and assuming the worst of them when incidents happen. Kind of on the right of this debate that,
this is where this is. The hope that this is the all are the parameters of the discussion of what's goin on since George voids killing.
I don't know if I a hundred percent agree with you that they can just such a sketch away they the introduction of the ticket job.
One. The nomination, while presenting white papers, saying
We need more police funding that well saying
I oppose the notion that we should defend the police. Camilla Harris Camel iris I'll, never get that right.
PAMELA Harris commonly Comma Senator Harris
became the VP nominee after losing the nomination in part because of her record as a tough on crime prosecutor. These are advantages.
A general election. That thing entirely seated and the reason why
they didn't. We are all in agreement because they dont know how to navigate this moment. They don't understand how to threaten middle between an activist class that once an abolitionist approach to long forest.
And conditions all around them, that suggest we need more of it. There
utterly paralyzed and confused, and if that paralysis
since then tat somehow disappear, or
I bet they're going to grow spy
and be able to to fret frustrate some of the aspects of their activist base and and accept the consequences.
I don't think Republicans going over to look. Let them live that down had an opportunity to make an argument that Republicans would have had to rebut from a smaller stage, which is this. Chaos is happening on this presents watch and they get declined to make that argument
and now they are responding to the republican argument and they look smaller and I don't think they can reverse that and I think
Two year, I think that's absolutely right and I think to your earlier question John about what are they? Are they just didn't there hadn head in the sand, or do they really believe this isn't a problem? I actually you know I have a lot of living. As a I mean it.
But uncle minority here in DC. Most my friends are pretty committed in some quite politically active Democrats, an uneven progressive,
what I always hear like. I will sometimes send them a little of something saying you have. Is this really blacklist matter, because this is what makes me skeptical of the black lives matter? Movement, not the idea, but the movement and they'll
always always always always say you know. This is
one small group, this is not what the movement is about, that you really can't. You can't touch tat an entire movement with this one group's activities, and I get that course
my answer- is yes, but you taint Republicans if one group of crazy white supremacist say something so I agree that that should apply to both sides, but I actually honestly believe that for a lot of
Liberal minded people there. Still this can see- and at this point it has to be acknowledged that it is a currency that day
is just a small group of rabble rousing in all these places. You know
Kenosha situation right now. I think he's gonna blow that wide open, because these these, I do think a lot of these black lives matter groups that spontaneously erupt in protest then becomes
quickly organise and their destructive, and I don't think you can separate that behaviour
from and parse it out in threads, like all the looting was just these troublemakers, not like, let's matter Americans are.
Turning to ask will really because other protest movements, don't
all into violence and looting every single night, that just doesn't happen, so I don't think it's just.
Stay a bull conceived, but it is a real can see. I I ask it the way asked because, when looking at the New York Times LIVE bog or looking at what her last night, while the commission
what's going on, you get a sense of out of a media establishment which forces these are like gum like the theatre, critics body writing about them. You know these conventions giving them reviews, including me him guy now at others
the the inability to perceive a large.
Our message and trot and to try to figure out dispassionately what is being gone for and whether or not what is being gone. Four is effective rather than supplying you're willing audience with snark. The entire time can have the effect of deadening, your prayers
option to what is actually happening and whether or not there is a turn or a shift in public opinion that
can be led the impart, which is what politicians do right. They harness they harm.
In Kuwait, ideas, connect them to policies, work or even just to simply, you know, serve them.
The tools of leadership and then see if that can be put in a stew and still can start bubbling and and and bees
something that people want to eat red
the New York Times lie blog last night. It was it worth. It struck me that they they
not only have an audience that doesn't want to hear that anybody, any body resin
to anything with Emmy Republican and the Trump Arab might say. Unless that Republican is gonna vote for Biden, but that its other they do.
Want to it that they are no longer capable of hearing it hearing when somebody says
I don't want you know. Elsie is not the only what Tina in America
in our I run a small business and I dont know, except for socialism or hearing you know, an immigrant
human say, if I had, if, if they forced me to give up every
dollar that I've ever made. I would still be a thousand times better off having come to America,
than anywhere else and if they destroy this country,
there's. Nowhere else to go. When I was a kid and I could come to America to save myself from communism, I had a place to go
We have no, where to go
thank you, America. We have nowhere to go and if you can't understand how that message might resonate with people who don't like socialism and why Joe Biden ran away from socialism at the convention,
All of that, then, how can you interpret what's going on or see the forest for the fruit trees? I think you guys did. I didn't follow them near times my blood, unfortunately, but I think you guys detected a tunnel shift that while I would have anticipated as well cousin, it's always interesting to see with it.
The parties decide is gonna, be in then cable news hour and then the network news, our democratic party, obviously went far to the centre and much more working class and policy oriented,
and emotionally oriented character. Driven approach to appealing to the electorate in the
Our here, you relegated all, though the Trump bombastic types mostly today
to the eight and nine hour and there were some real low lights, MAC Gates, Charlie Kirk and then the time
our that the trunk claim. Everybody goes in the trunk clan sort of block bombed. I don't think they they did very well, but then you had you know these. This sort of trump in of
individual who the president likes a lot of blogs with big hair circle,
here. What they were saying, even though they were saying, is stuff like right to try saved my life, which is an absolute triumph right to try something everybody really wanted. Just couldn't figure right to try is the is the insistence on deregulating experimental treatments for fatal diseases cancer there,
These young colleagues most likely have ever right by the idea being that medical
rock receive the you know the admonition to do no harm in the case of people who really don't have much hope that that that's something that that that that Trump, that the trumpet minister
push through has been a bipartisan initiative for a long long time, it was the Republican like Congress in twenty seventeen I got it through and they deserve,
the credit for it is an absolute triumph so near to snark about that is really
Nor has money, we're my parents, if there's all kinds of snarking that I think is worth again, so they hide
lighted, and there was that Trump Meet meeting in the White House wish the hostages who have been released under Trump.
Watch and David Sanger, veteran foreign course.
On it said yes, Trump got the people out, but the Obama and Bush got people out too
like so the hell what so. So, if your administration successfully- and there was a bad moment for Trump There- we should talk about, but
your their administration, successfully rescued, or you know, or got released. Hostages from a horror
circumstances in Venezuela in Turkey in,
in IRAN and North Korea, and he took
victory lap and you know what fine and, if Obama, taken a victory lap. Finally, Bush had taken a victory lap, fine. So what are you? What are you piss
all over it. For that's what I mean. So it's like you know you can just shut up about it or say these were the four people that he released. By
I think what you said, and what do you guys know
the shift in town when maximal Alvarez began to speak at the top of the ten our, which was. I think we disagree on this a little bit, but I thought that
extremely affecting and very effective. The first pro republican speaker- I can remember
who made the argument that these guys are all socialists and landed now is again
a place of less more and sorrow
anguish in fact, and terror over the prospect of the notion that this, the last best hope of earth would be overtaken by the debt which he ran from
and clearly emotionally affecting us. He was emotionally affected, threatening the course of the speech, but I thought it was if you can make the organ
These guys are all socialists. No one should ever pound the table again. They should do it from a position of absolute anguish and horror over the the prospect of losing
This experiment. Yes, I totally agree his. He was besides TIM Scott, probably the best does
speech of the evening, and the interesting thing is the New York Times
so that in real time was to point out that he's just an aging demographic in Florida and younger Cuban Americans, don't really that they don't have those views which is
Maybe that's true, but the idea that you would discount this man's personal experience when you know that's all we heard from the unseen for a week was everybody's personal experience was to marry and get off
by the way. The elections in three months write it
in thirty years. Ok! Ok! Anyway, I mean, I think, that the central think we can agree. I just what the effect is. The effect of the effect of the liberal bubble on on on liberals and the question is how much effect affected that have on the Biden campaign. Clearly, the liberal bubble was extremely destructive to Hilary, even though she never really felt like she was about.
Because she thought that even liberal reporters were against her. But this country is, and it is in an unstable circumstance and things shift and opinion shifted like when people say well trumps. You know public has decide the trumpets failed on the corona virus, and maybe the public has decided the trumps failed on the krona virus, but
It is August, twenty fourth or twenty fifth, the elections on November third, and if the death rate continues to go down and the case you know and that's the case- numbers continue compound for tomb.
Once they're, not gonna, think the same way about the virus that they did in July, and people keep citing these numbers and pulling from July, which is fine. But every day the public's mood may shift in relation to this thing and if they talk themselves into the notion that all the
things, are set in stone. The Democrats they are going to miss the change they are going to miss the Delta. That is going to be the determining factor.
Tour of the election out. The other thing that needs to be said about this is
no matter how slight you watching this last night and for the first time, if you, if you're not you know absolute trump in, you might have
set yourself. As I said to myself, I don't know- maybe maybe they're really gonna win this thing, because they were hard hitting trump wasn't wildly unpleasant,
and when CNN responded to trumps meetings with first with these kind of corona virus first responders and then with the hostages,
cut today. Bash Indiana Bash says on CNN, says: you know they weren't
socially distanced. They were.
They are all saying the White House and they weren't socially distance. Well, they're all gonna get corona virus tests before they go into the room with Trump. You know I mean they're they're, all basically exe.
As if they have. If they have the virus they're not going into the room, they go into the room with him and with each other they are free of the virus and they don't have to wear masks. If the idea is that their neat, we need to live in Mask theatre in order to promote presented a good example to everybody. That's that's! Basically, the kind of thing where you
I have to say you guys, are again- are not seeing the forest where the tree swell and I think that's an important point, because we have to two things that have happened in the last few days. One is that binding in an interview as we talk about low, but yesterday said oh
follow the science I'm going. Allow unelected scientific experts to tell me that I should locked down the whole country again, the same time, the what
Your print addition today has a really fascinating examination of the consequences of lockdown there there. How blanket
Towns are not only obviously economically ruinous, but also not that effective. That targeted efforts are much better rapid tests. That might not be a hundred percent accurate, but that so give people kind of who were in hot spots, a notion.
Whether or not they might have become infected, that there are all these very precise, targeted points that actual experts, public health experts have come up with. After studying how different countries have managed this pandemic.
Or mismanaged in some cases- and we know this now, so we all- we have a lot of new information. We have parents panicking.
I mean even the even Michel, Goldberger, the New York Times, busily used her columns. Basic data to complain about,
She doesn't know what's happening in children's public school, I mean
We have a lot of people starting to question what we ve been doing the last few months as we should.
Things have changed. Circumstances are changing if, if we keep
hearing Bind and Harris Saying: lockdown locked on lockdown science, I'm science, but without shifting to take in this new
information that scientists in public health experts are telling us that an opportunity for the Republicans to step in and say, here's what we're doing where we're going with what we know. Now, what the other, the others striking fact about
the Biden. I know I'll I'll, lock you down all this is that it came just as not just these articles but upon
Policies are beginning to shift like. I think I think it was
the CDC that basically list
did the notion that everybody has to quarantine for fourteen days if they even suspect that they have something
I was noticing this because, as I was driving
This morning's take by my daughter somewhere and I was driving through the Bronx. They have these sites
on the road that ordinarily say, if you come in from out of stay quarantine for fourteen days and the language change this morning,
It said something like icily.
Yourself for fourteen days only go
outside for necessities. That is not quarantine. Quarantine, as you don't go outside you stay in your apartment and don't leave your apartment. That is what quarantine is, that is being liberalize. It's been liberalized and in it
Andrew Comas New York and build the Plaza New York of its being liberalized here, it's gonna be liberalized everywhere, and this, I think was this is where no was long held idea that the public was at some point going to openly revolt against that the heavy hand of
from here government is, is actually beginning to shift and may be beginning to shift in some ways.
This is out of out of fear and that the the politicians that aren't getting the message are. Our views are very soon gonna start feeling in
credible? He gonna build the plaza the other day, basically said that he figured that other was gonna, be no indoor, dining in New York City until now,
steer or theatres, or anything like that very airily, because he was also say, love these rich people- they'll come back now, they'll be dining next year and they'll be theatre next year. Size also envisioning the year in which he's out of office, which is probably a number of excellent rank. What that that that? That's true that suit of part of the problems with term limits by the way, one of the one of the failures of term limits
That means that a politician in his second term no longer you now has the incentive to make sure that he can get elected for a third but but
striking as and feel Murphy. Other governor of New Jersey has been going through some of this as well. It's like I'm sorry, but people were holding open their businesses or like doing whatever they could do so
in business, losing money do whatever they could, because they figured that it would end by labour day, let's say or something like that, and they could get back to work, and so they which are string along try to keep people as long as long as possible continue to deliver food. Even though people outside build outside build these makeshift platforms outside in parking spaces to have people eat just to keep people working and keep the business going, and if there is no end date, if they have no sense of when this is gonna, stop
they're going to give up the ghost they're not going to keep doing this any longer. And then you really could have a kind of population of small businessmen, tens of thousands of them who stand up and say my life has been ruined first by the virus, which I don't blame anybody for and then by politicians, and I blame them
and who are all those politicians near but the day nor diameter is getting more hysterical, as does that's occurring written dead times article yesterday about the notion that you know cases
Many states are decreasing and we have only the public health experts to thank for that, because the restrictions are actually working and concludes by saying you know
Although numbers are flattening, albeit very high, the numbers are a positive sign, and yet they caution that resurgence is, can and will happen again, as schools reopen and hurricane seasons began,
What is the policy recommendation hear them closely
forever and don't evacuate people to hurricane shelters. What are you saying?
you're just saying that we need to be four afraid forever and shelter in place forever, Weller till November third,
don't let them I mean that gives away the girls on. It's probably the
Yes, but I mean it, but it no longer, I dont think any longer I feel like lockdown, has become an ethos on the heart of the matter,
it is a lifestyle is an identity that is no longer tethered anything objectively. You could call science or data.
Has to be understood that, since these message are being transmitted, messages are being transmitted by writers and editors right through through through media public
patients. There is no business on earth that is more amenable to lock down culture. Then the media
Thus we can do what we can do without ever being in a room together, we can do what we can do. I mean it's better for reporting to have. You know people on the ground do collar and all that, but basically everything that can be done,
With the exception of the actual physical printing of a product, which of course, is less and less important can be done from home,
so the idea of under,
ending what the intolerable pressure is on people whose livelihoods cannot be pursued sitting
you know when the laptop on their laps anywhere is, is kind of
extraordinary, and so where does it come out, comes out as as, as Christine said in Michel, go
Burke of the New York Times saying
My god, I don't know, what's going on with my kids, and I can't stand having them in the house anymore, which is basically what you saying all those courses. So I don't know how they're going to be educated and
I am deeply sympathetic that I have three kids at home and all that, but that is the one area in which the new class that populate the media are feeling the heat. If they have kids, if they still have, you know if they either have kids or their kids are young and after TAT, too
a b living in this, you know limbo. Well, there's also a point at which we start to descend into farce in there is that there is a little signal of that. The other day when, when
governor might doing a republican governor resorted is it announced very probably. We have opened up centres where kids can come say.
Please sit and do their distance learning so that their parents can go back to work and sober Demille responded with the treaties and congratulations. You ve invented school
the idea that you can
what city deposit talk about doing this, you like opening a day care center, where kids can all come in and
there and be watched by adults, so that parents can go back to work that school and here again, I think what that exist
This is that a lot of what's going on here is is interest group powered plays, in this case the teachers unions,
but for parents to look at that and say wait a minute. So it's it's it's safe to have some here in DC, for example, on Friday we can be another mass protest
then all this handwriting about. Oh you know we're all gonna, be we're all gonna wear masks we're gonna, take temperatures, we're gonna, socially distance, ridiculous. They haven't they won't they continued and walk around all these protesters night after night. Many them not worry, masks getting in people's faces. They're not gonna, be able to enforce that. And yet you know we can open our schools and we
moving to face three here in DC, because out that, even though we ve had no doubt for a while now became somewhat
declining it's it's still too dangerous. I mean it is people who are known. As I wrote a piece yesterday of analysing scouring the issue about the colleges in the New York Times a casually described this college experience as being in a police state. You aren't, you have to sign, you have to
sign contracts that it concerns the cons circumcised
behavior, both on and off campus, that their forcing kids tunes
come on each other like Stasi, and that
there are cities now that are changing their zone, easel zoning laws that it can punish landlords offer of rent out two kids who have parties off campuses, though that summit
that's even plausible, it doesn't make any sense, and yet there are
hold these same professors. Where, like what you have to protest and you gotta do it in person came, does have a digital protests, that's not effective it off and it is very close to political coercion. The coercion of thought you are supposed to engage in peace.
The activity now in order to have a social life. That is
Georgia right well by the way. Another theme
in this sad new class divide and then end the end. These games being played by the new class came up last night when we think the second or third speaker was a charter. School advocate a teacher,
Who is basically a pole ally? One of her main issues is that she is opposed to sex education, though this has. This was not the theme of her speech, but it was, of course, hammered upon on social media, bye, bye, bye, liberals and.
People again on the times, live, blog and elsewhere started. Saying things like, I thought Trump wanted to reach out to union people in unions. That she's attacking unions is all this language attacking unions in the teachers union them attacking unions, and it's like first of all, being an to union has. It is one of the connective pieces of connective tissue between Trump and Trump ISM and old time. Republicanism a right to work was, it was a leading factor in
in in in helping turn Democrats into Republicans in the nineteen seventy semite amaze, particularly in the south, and I'm looking up numbers here,
and guess how many I mean you ve, probably know this, but you know how many workers are unionized in the United States. Forty
point six million, that is one tenth of the american Labour force. A hundred and forty six million people work. Fourteen point: six million ex of more
four hundred and forty six. Basically, ten percent of the labor force is unionized down from about seventeen and one thousand nine hundred and eighty three, which is down from a one thousand and thirty or something like that years,
we are most people are not unionized and most people do not have a favourable view of unions when they find out what unions do except liberal reporters who seem to think that you now being
sentimental about teachers. Unions is really a great way to go to make a populist message. If you're in a sore parents verses it out
there's while and I think actually. This is something I think that for science,
convention didn't do well, because there were a lot of very abstract references to socialism and communism. There were a lot of references to the squad. Obviously in and some members in squad,
about democratic socialist. But I think you would
far more effective for Republicans to do what you just did John and point out,
The future that Democrats would emboldened by electing
by having binding in the White House and squatted his back
is a more unionized future. That is certainly what the large segment of progressive coalition ones, and so we would go from a country where he could point to what the teachers are doing its goals. Right now and say: do you want a group of work?
with special interests to shut down
entire parts of our economy, to shut down entire industries
and regularly strike, because they have the backing of an administration that things that's good for the economy. Again, this I'm unspeaking hyperbolic terms, but that's what commences disposed to be as an exercise in hyperbole and I think the vague I think it's fine to talk about
Communist China, but I dont that that the vague
France's to socialism didn't land with me, because I think there is a and me
it maybe that's feeding the base. But that's me did to the brain
call it when they were like. Oh socialism is socialism that I think it's far more effective. Two point two particular instances where mission creep on the part of the progressive left could lead to a socialist outcome. Even if it's not a valid Lee Socialist.
As a way to new ones and access to me- and I agree with you, like I'm three I'd- love to hear that kind of you know incremental list message, but that's just not that's on those gonna fire up boaters, unfortunately, okay, so if we basically have Germany, Germany comes with the agreement that
Firstly, the rubber convention was was a success. Obviously what we think doesn't matter. What will the matter is? No, no! No! No! No! No! No! No wait a minute before him. Don't interrupted the what we think absolutely does matter here. We are part of the audience we are the least me eyes began myself. I am one of those guys its trump age pushed away from the republican coalition, and I detected a distinct note about reached me. Ok,
fair enough. But what I mean is that we know what matters in the larger senses. You know do trumps. Fair rules go up to his negatives. Go down, does does did outdo did. Does the race tighten all of that
now. There is an interesting aspect to this, which is you know, so I praised it. Some other people appraised,
you know: Wolf, Wolf. Blitzer said it was very professional and you could have
There is a real danger to Trump here. Let's just tell you at the dangerous. The danger is that he is going to read my column and then your post and two or three other things and decide that this was the greatest try
in the history of triumphs and he's Oregon a pocket, the gains and start acting like a crazy person on
yeah. You know over the next couple of getting at the first night on the next night by just speaking by just opening his mouth and by treating either
and saying it out the reviews around, and it was the greatest convention since eighteen sixty. That was by the way what them Charlie Kirk Interesting choice, whether would have Charlie Kirk kick off the convention, which he did given the fact that the last time we heard from Charlie Turkey was starting a centre on politics and the future with Jerry for
well, junior vulgar herd centre. Choose your friends well, so it out. Generally speaking, I wouldn't have had him at the convention after Jerry Farewell juniors declining hooked, gonna fall yesterday. I just I just
you know, just as in a kind of vat in the Anthony Wiener sense of like it. If you want a whether its fair, not you're, gonna like do Hilary have to get rid of whom a bed and and the fact that she didn't
Europe may be why she lost the election and even if it's not nice, to jettison Charlie Kirk because of his relations with them
Excuse me for saying relations shortfall Junior could that New Roma as a whole other cupboards right, but that you'd have basically, I have to say, look you're gravy gotta take one for the team we can have on the stage anyway they do that. He said this is the most important election since eighteen, sixty
get out he's twelve years old? So you know one thousand, eight hundred and sixty and one thousand nine hundred and sixty two hammer pretty much the same in the rear view mirror
this is my big take away from the night. I think it's the one I'm gonna sketch out today, which is that those damn the stars the night with a republican status quo Ante establishment, Republicans everybody hated four years ago. Those are the guys who nailed it, the people who landed flat-
where the figures of the Trump era, the people around the president's orbit, who had brought with him into office? Who glum dawns in his moment to make it their own
Those are the guys who landed flat.
It's just me. I think they actually know yelled at there, but
but then I dont think that gets landed. They the attacks that he was trying to land, with the hope that the performative hyperbole that the appeal to every thirty seconds, I dont think that work. I dont think on trumped junior work. I know, can give way to work. People who work for everybody, you can see it: a Republican Commission, two thousand four or two thousand eight twenty. Sixteen the familiar familiar themes, I mean what was striking to me. There's a lot.
Talk. I listened to the five thirty eight podcast, which was recorded last night, and yet they were struck by how much african american Outreach was being done, not just
TIM Scott being the keynote or at the end of the night, but the sky, Vernon Jones, Georgia, state representative, who endorse Trump
usually occur: Herschel Walker, the football player in classical classic urban areas. Only in Baltimore yeah, who is who is really good? I mean she hasn't, have a prayer of winning that rates by them.
That was up. There was a really good speech in all three of them. What did they hit? They hit crime, Democrat and also they take you for granted. Biden said you're, not black. If you won't vote for,
and I'm black and I'm not voting for him and who is he to say what it means to be black? And you know this. This effort to sit in this effort to kind of suppress are near, are views and and all
is, is it is? It is a glimpse of your future. I thought that was incredibly effect.
An interesting as, of course it's not it's not outreach to African Americans. It is an outrage to soft, suburban knights, who don't like the
idea even now or whatever of voting, for you know a parting of a racist, and so they want to hear the Trump is not a racist, which is what Herschel Walker said, and they want to hear that it that there are black people who will vote for Trump and two were angry at
the crowds for Europe for putting them all in one basket and and and that's a permission structure that is being created.
It by highlighting those those those sorts of sand
and one other point on that. It also offered an alternative message about race in this country that we had not. The trump is incapable of making for many reasons, and that no one else around him has even attempted to make and to have that message made on the first night to me was really important because it talked about.
And acknowledge the country's past. It didn't safer,
and all down. It said we gotta work with what we have and we have values and ideals that matter and that we can move forward and do better
and that message coming out of the mouth of TIM, Scott. That line about going from you know from the cotton plantation to Congress and in a lifetime. Tat was
strongly moving, because it's true and it doesn't involve abstract. I you know, ideologies it doesnt involving a coercive
chanting in demanding the white people, raise their fists with a wide powers. I mean all this stuff, that's going on that that makes into
voters nervous. It gave them an alternative,
and we need that in his country right now, we desperately need that some bad dreams,
you mentioned in your arm, which is some my theme that really struck me throughout the night.
Is unconditional patriotism, unqualified love of country. That is not transactional. That is not conditions based on whatever
whenever whatever is happening in the news cycle and that moment on that something did not here at all.
The democratic convention. If you hurt it, it was couched in cautious, but this was some on conscious, except
of love of country, which is something that really resonates with a lot of people in its with its added.
Important to note that there were qualifications in the presentation of the United States and its history that were exactly the kind of qualifications that should exist. Right peculiarly said this country is not per
and she said my parents came my mother wore a sorry. My father were a turban. They moved to US
all town. I was a brown girl in a black and white world. We face discrimination, but- and this is not a perfect country
but its ideals and aspirations are perfect and
though. The founding ideals are perfect and on its work,
day a camera who said this will work on its worst day. America is the greatest country on earth, and that was something that Democrats after a terrible missteps in the nineteen seventies.
The Mcgovern and AM car Carter years desperately try to correct for in in the Reagan years, and then Bush Clinton like their big. They way
the ninety four convention. Thus the San Francisco convention
The Democrats aid for you, you never
every square inch was covered by a fly. There were flags everywhere, flags, flags, flags lags was just after the Olympics and than waiting for Olympics in LOS Angeles and
and it was like they were wrapping literally wrapping themselves in the fly, because they knew this was a weakness of theirs.
And now the party you know, and then after it, of course, even in twenty sixteen, the Democrats under under Obama was like the hope and change, convent
we all time, because Trump was bad and hated America and talked about how America was greatly Mauro, yeah America's the greatest ever America's great, it's fantastic, its veto, elected Obama. So great now
course they're back to America's GO hand in hand with terror. I saw some morning after reactions abundantly Hayley that highlights how how flood the worldview is on the part of the left when, when it comes to turn the racism messages they they picked a part here
Speech was, like a Mickey Hayley says: there's no systemic structural raises in this country, but she says she experienced racism in this country as though they
and I dont think that can make the distinction between racist individuals and what they allege, which is systemic institutional, intractable, racial disparities, and
maybe they don't actually believe what it is there saying, but if they did, they would be able to draw this distinction, and I'm left to conclude that they don't actually probably believe in the structural institutional racism that they allege, because they would be able to make them
sanction then between a racist, individual being racist, an institution
that are that are
engaged in a conspiracy against a particular ethnic, religious cigar. Creedle group I mean there's that look, there's a plain fact that standing before you, that was the theme of TIM Scott Speech and
team of Mickey Hayley Speech, and that makes no sense when you hear these words come
the mouse,
of common Harrison. Others, including Michelle Obama and Barack Obama, witches,
their standing there there's telling there on the stage of the conventions, one
now the gaily was the governor of the state TIM Scott. Is a? U S! Senator dickie Ellie was you an ambassador calmly, heirs of the vice presidential Domini Barack Obama. Was president. Michelle Obama was first lady. They are the proof that the country is not systemically racist in their own person. Just like the call Hannah Jones is proof that America is that a systemically race of country, because a third rate moron like her, has somehow become the world's greatest expert on american society. That itself
as proof that the countries and systematically racist I mean it- I'm allowed mouth a historical blow, obviating pandering nonsense. Peddler can rise to the top of her profession and she's black, so guess what America's not systemically racist and so that by the
I am now speaking, you know with anger and hostility and all that which is basically reflecting the call Hannah Jones is Twitter feed on it on an arab minute by minute basis, but I I
you do at this- hey imparted serb stress the fact that there are many people in this country who, for whom this message is
doesn't make sense, but of course they also did not something they think about very much whether or not America systemically racist is not. There is not something that is,
we go running through their head, so every everybody says it. So if I get systemic crisis, I don't even know what assembly racist means. So fine sewed systemically racist races. Well, if you then have again it's this permission structure, if you have prominent people of color actively arguing against the theme that was peddled at the democratic convention, you are telling
saw a white people who art the uncomfortable with Trump that they are allowed to take another one.
And how much better you can do on one night of a convention if, in fact anybody wants
With that we will, we will say, dear and convene tomorrow will be joined by our arm.
Friend and Washington, commentary columnist, MAC Canary so for Christine Rosamond nor Rossman, I'm John outwards keep the burning.
Transcript generated on 2020-08-25.