The Patriot Post® · RNC Day Three: The Party That Loves America

On the third night of the Republican National Convention, Vice President Mike Pence took center stage. But he wasn’t the only speaker with a worthwhile and solid message. He was joined by his wife Karen, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (whose message extolling America’s founding was brilliant), House candidate Madison Cawthorn, pro-life advocate Sister Dierdre Byrne, a homeschooling champion for school choice in Tera Myers, a Chinese dissident named Chen Guangcheng, and many others.

We’ll begin with Pence, who “touted the administration’s record from an outdoor stage at Fort McHenry, and before a live audience that was eager to applaud,” writes The Washington Free Beacon’s Matthew Continetti. “The scene couldn’t have been more different from the empty hall where Kamala Harris spoke last week.”

Pence addressed numerous issues, including perhaps the foremost one on most people’s minds: “law and order.”

“The violence must stop — whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha,” he said. “Too many heroes have died defending our freedoms to see Americans strike each other down.” That’s an unmistakable contrast from the Democrats’ convention, where they had plenty to say about police but nary a word was uttered about what Pence called “the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country.” Democrat-run cities, we’d add.

“We will have law and order on the streets of America for every American of every race and creed and color,” Pence declared. “The American people know we don’t have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with African American neighbors to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns.”

He concluded, “The hard truth is, you won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.”

When many Americans are concerned about the rising tide of leftist violence but also want to heal the racial divisions exploited by those same leftists, that’s a critically important message.

As for Biden’s hard-left political agenda that even Barack Obama says is just like that of Bernie Sanders, Pence warned, “When you consider their agenda, it’s clear: Joe Biden would be nothing more than a trojan horse for the radical left.”

“At the root of their agenda,” Pence observed, “is the belief that America is driven by envy, not aspiration — that millions of Americans harbor ill-will toward their neighbors, instead of loving our neighbors as themselves.” Division is indeed the only platform Democrats have.

By contrast, the night’s other speakers played up the message that the GOP has a very big tent.

Republicans have made a strong appeal to black voters in recent months. Former NFL player Jack Brewer continued the theme from another football legend, Herschel Walker, in utterly rejecting the media lies about President Trump’s supposed racism. “I know what racism looks like,” Brewer said. “In America, it has no resemblance to President Trump and I’m fed up with the way he’s portrayed in the media, who refuse to acknowledge what he’s actually done for the black community.” Democrats would rather tell blacks they “ain’t black” if they don’t keep voting Democrat.

Kayleigh McEnany, Kellyanne Conway, Lara Trump, and Sister Dierdre Byrne all appealed to women, aiming to soften what suburban women understandably find to be Trump’s rough edges. Their message: The president cares deeply about advancing women, taking care of families, and standing for life — especially the preborn, whom Sister Dierdre called “the largest marginalized group in the world.” Karen Pence reminded women that it is the Republican Party that has stood for more than 100 years in support of women’s rights. Democrats think women’s rights amount to aborting preborn children.

Tera Myers, the mother of a child with Down syndrome, gave a passionate speech about the value of his life in the face of advice to abort him, as well as her fight for a good education for him via school choice. Democrats oppose school choice.

Chen Guangcheng read his speech in Braille, blasting the Chinese Communist Party, which he called “an enemy of humanity.” Joe Biden is the CCP’s preferred candidate, so it’s no wonder China received only a single mention at the DNC. Guangcheng said, “Standing up to tyranny is not easy. I know. When I spoke out against China’s ‘one-child’ policy and other injustices, I was persecuted, beaten, and put under house arrest by the government.” Biden has countenanced China’s one-child policy. “In April 2012,” Guangcheng continued, “I escaped and was given shelter in the American embassy in Beijing. I am forever grateful to the American people for welcoming me and my family to the United States, where we are now free.”

Republicans spoke loudly and clearly to those who love our country, especially by literally standing for it. Disabled veterans who have difficulty standing made a point of doing so for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Madison Cawthorn, who is running for a congressional seat for western North Carolina, was paralyzed from the waste down in a car accident in 2014. He spoke these stirring words: “I say to Americans who love our country — young and old — be a radical for freedom. Be a radical for Liberty. Be a radical for our Republic. For which I stand.” He then got up from his wheelchair with assistance so he could stand.

Democrats hate the nation they want to rule. They divide us based on class, race, and gender. Republicans clearly aimed to show what a starkly different choice they offer to voters in November.