RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-edit-commentary-charles-lipson-trump-speech-20200828-jobkmcfa2jgp5pw2wjneqi7ebu-story.html

President Donald Trump’s speech concluding the Republican National Convention took full advantage of the country’s best public housing. Using the White House as a controversial but powerful backdrop, the president spoke directly to America. It was a chance to communicate unfiltered to voters, like his Twitter feed, without media spin.

The speech itself was effective, though it was too long and a bit flat as all teleprompter speeches are. Trump normally enlivens those by going off-script and inserting impromptu remarks. He didn’t do that this time, perhaps because the stakes were so high. The speech suffered for it.

The most important thing it did was frame the election as Trump against Joe Biden. That might seem obvious, but it’s actually different from how Democrats are framing the race. They want it to be a referendum on Trump and especially his often-abrasive personality. That’s why the speech’s harsh criticism of Biden had a second meaning. It reminded voters: You have to choose between me and the other guy, and he’s really bad. Both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence took advantage of Biden’s still-vague policy proposals by filling in the blanks. Naturally, they painted a picture of radical socialist transformation.

Another striking feature of the speech — indeed the whole GOP convention — was its emphasis on everyday Black families. The Republicans featured numerous African American speakers, some outlining how they had been helped by specific policies, such as criminal justice reform, others talking about Trump’s personal interest in them and their lives.

The goal wasn’t just to increase Trump’s share of the Black vote, which was only 8% in 2016. It was to reassure all voters that the president and his party are not bigots. American voters, to their credit, won’t support candidates they think are racist. Democrats and their media allies have said Trump and his party are. The convention was an effort to overturn that picture.

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/08/the_white_house_and_dc_last_night_a_contrast_between_law_and_lawlessness_.html#ixzz6WQqU6god

Last night I was privileged to attend the final night of the Republican National Convention as a guest sitting on the South Lawn of the White House. It was a sultry Washington DC summer evening and the guests were happy and excited to be there. But getting there had been a shock.

I was part of the Maryland delegation who had met for dinner at the Williard hotel across the street from the White House. We were told that the Maryland Republican Party had hired armed security guards to walk us across the street to the White House grounds. I said that I was glad to have the guards since I could hear the screaming mob but was deeply offended that it was necessary to be under armed guard to cross a street in my nation’s capital.

During the evening, we could hear the noise from the protestors in the streets as they tried to drown out the speakers. They seemed to have brought noise makers. They were not successful, but it was a constant drumbeat in the background, letting us know that our fellow citizens did not believe that the President of the U.S. should be allowed to present his case for re-election.

I do not know if the television stations showed what happened after the amazing fireworks display. The entire First Family stayed on the stage and joined with the crowd in singing a medley of traditional American greats like “America the Beautiful” and  “I’m Proud to Be an American.” It was wonderful.