Tim Brycs: GOP Convention: In-depth Review Of Day Four
The fourth and final day of the 41st Republican National Convention, held in Cleveland, continued on Thursday.
The most noteworthy news from Day 3 was the failure of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) to endorse Donald Trump during his speech to the convention. Although the Senator congratulated Mr. Trump on winning the nomination, he failed to go the distance and endorse the nominee. This was perceived as an insult and resulted in a chorus of “Boos” as the senator left the stage. By failing to endorse Trump, Cruz did two things: first, he united the Republican party behind Trump, and; second, he shot himself in the political foot thereby ending any plans he may have had for winning the Republican nomination in the future. It’s not everyday you see a political suicide, but we saw one Wednesday night.
Radio commentator Laura Ingraham took a swipe at the main street media during her presentation by claiming “America is on to you.” It will be interesting to see how they treat Mr. Clinton and the Democrats next week at their convention in Philadelphia.
In terms of protesters, 23 people have thus far been elected. Law enforcement personnel did a remarkable job of maintaining the safety of the delegates, the speakers, and the protesters.
CALL TO ORDER
As usual, Chairman of the RNC Reince Priebus, called the meeting to order at 7:21pm ET.
THURSDAY’S SPEAKERS
The theme for Day 4 was “Make America One Again.” Like the first three days, there were several speakers scheduled for the evening:
Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, spoke on the need for unity. He mentioned the expression “under God” in our Pledge of Allegiance was enacted in 1954, and believes today we must protect God.
A short film on “The Donald Trump we Know,” featured various Trump employees and how he has inspired them to achieve success.
Jerry Falwell, Jr., president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, claimed “Trump is a blue collar billionaire.” He went on to describe the need for political free speech and repeal of the Johnson amendment to attain this goal.
Joe Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County, AZ, began by saying he has served law enforcement for the past 55 years. He spoke on how Trump contacted his wife when she was ill. More importantly, he said we need a leader who respects our borders, laws, and police.
Pastor Mark Burns of South Carolina, the founder and president of the NOW Television Network, energized the crowd with his speech. He claimed the Democrats want to divide the country. It was his contention that “All lives matter,” black, white, Hispanic, Asian, etc. He insisted Donald Trump will unite the country.
Former NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton spoke briefly. He told a story of legendary Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi who, watching his team suffer a loss, said, “What the Hell is going on?” He claimed small businesses survive in spite of the voluminous rules and regulations. Like Lombardi, he asks, “What the Hell is going on here?”
Brock Nealer, a motivational speaker who survived a horrible automobile accident, was told after the accident he only has a 1% chance of ever walking again. He reminded the audience Trump was given a 1% chance of becoming president by the media. He, therefore, welcomed Trump to the 1% club.
Bobby Knight, legendary basketball coach from Indiana, sent his best wishes through a brief film clip.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said the country is experiencing too much division, and we need someone to “Get ‘R Done.”
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin spoke. She was the first female governor of the state. The governor claimed we are divided and afraid. We need a president who will address the national debt, immigration, fair trade, and stand with our allies.
Lisa Shin of New Mexico, and member of Asians for Trump, claimed Hillary Clinton is a direct threat to America, and represents everything wrong with the system.
A short film was shown discussing how the Republican party slowly captured the Congress, and now has its sites set on the presidency. “We mean business.”
Chairman Reince Priebus returned to the stage to thank Cleveland for their hospitality. He then used the opportunity to offer his perspective on the Republican party. He said the GOP is the party of the grassroots and new ideas, not the Democrats. A Clinton presidency will only increase the debt, a liberal Supreme Court, and disastrous foreign policies. “She lied,” he claimed, “over and over again.” Donald Trump is bringing new members into the party because he understands the needs of the workers. He said, “My message to America is simple; hold on, help is on the way!…Our legacy is ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'”
Peter Thiel, PayPal co-founder, said our prosperity is limited, and our economy is broken.
Eric Trump narrated a short film of his father as a builder.
Tom Barrack, Rebuild America NOW Super PAC founder, discussed him 40 year relationship with Trump. In the process, he described Trump’s admirable work habits.
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of the nominee, then introduced her father.
Donald Trump began at 10:17pm by “humbly and proudly accepting the nomination for president of the United States.” He said, “We are a country of law and order.” He claimed we can no longer afford to be political correct.
Trump then reviewed the state of the nation. Deaths have increased due to an influx of illegal immigrants. There are now more blacks and Latinos living below the poverty line which has grown significantly since President Obama took office. The trade deficit last year was $800 billion. America and the world is far less safer under the Obama/Clinton administration. Before 2009, ISIS didn’t exist and the Middle East was stable, now it isn’t.
Among Trump’s plans include: Safety at home – by securing the borders. There can be no prosperity without law and order, and; The economy requires reforms to rebuild America.
Trump contends Hillary Clinton is a puppet, and there is no time for incompetence or corruption.
He made the statement, “An attack on law enforcement is an attack on all Americans.”
Trump claimed the Obama administration has failed the inner cities on all levels. “They (inner city youth) need to live their lives like any other child in the country.”
Trump pledged the obliteration of ISIS and Islamic radicals. He also pledged support for the State of Israel. He clarified his comments on NATO, specifically that he didn’t like America picking up the bill. He also insisted on keeping Islamic extremists out of the United States. “I only want to admit those people who
will accept our values and love our people,” he said.
While Mrs. Clinton accepts Sanctuary Cities, Donald Trump does not. He also repeated his concept of building a wall along our southern border. He is proud that he has been endorsed by the America’s Border Patrol.
He said, “On January 20th, 2017, the day I take the oath of office, Americans will finally wake up in a country where the laws of the United States are enforced. We are going to considerate and compassionate to everyone, but we’re going to be primarily concerned with our own citizens.”
We’ve lost a third of our manufacturing jobs due to NAFTA as sponsored by Bill Clinton. He promised to not let jobs escape our shores. “No more bad trade deals; America first.”
Trump wants to stop countries who cheat at trade deals. He proposes a tax reduction, unlike Mrs. Clinton who wants an increase. He feels it is necessary to simplify the tax codes.
As to energy, he wants to ease restrictions thereby creating thousands of jobs. He wants the coal miners and steel producers to get to back to work.
He promised to repeal and replace Obamacare. Also, he wants to help young people with burdensome college payments.
Trump wants to rebuild the military and give better support to veterans in terms of health coverage. He also wants to appoint new justices to the Supreme Court who are conservative and constitutionalists.
He thanked the evangelical and religious communities for supporting him. Trump wants to repeal the Johnson Amendment which limits free speech in religious organizations.
“It is time to show America is back, bigger, better and stronger than before.”
He thanked his wife and family for their support.
He ended his speech at 11:34 representing one hour and seventeen minutes.
CONCLUSION
In a way, I hoped Mr. Trump would announce members of his cabinet. There is enough talent there to make it seem like the “Murderers’ Row” lineup in baseball, but it is probably inappropriate at this time to make such an announcement.
In terms of speakers, they were fine, but I was hoping to have a superstar make an appearance like Clint Eastwood did at the 2012 GOP convention in Tampa. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen.
This was an important evening for the candidate in terms of articulating his vision of America. The Nielsen television ratings will be interesting. Trump needs to exceed 30 million viewers, representing the 2012 figures, in order to make progress. If he beats this number substantially, it will be a strong sign as to his popularity.
The data for Day 1 was recently released by Nielsen. Melania Trump’s speech in the 10:00pm hour reached over 22 million viewers. Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC all received a noticeable bump in their ratings as a result.
After listening to the speeches, it appears the Republicans will attack Mrs. Clinton in three areas during the remainder of the campaign: Dishonesty; Incompetent decision making skills, and; Self-centered. Remarkably, this will probably be how the Democrats will attack Mr. Trump as well.
What most people do not realize is that the Republicans didn’t just elect a nominee, but a whole family instead. This is a family greatly admired by the American public, unlike the Clintons whose reputation isn’t exactly Lilly-white. The Trump family will now spread out over the country, as will VP nominee Mike Pence, to get the word out. This will be a hard act to beat.
Next up is the Democratic convention in Philadelphia next week. It will be interesting to see if the protesters will make an appearance, and how the main stream media reacts to Mrs. Clinton and the speakers. If the past year is any indicator, they will likely treat her with kid gloves.
Following the conventions, three debates are planned. The ratings should blow the Nielsen ratings sky high. Stay tuned.
Keep the Faith!
