Political conventions are one of the most uneventful events on television. Political conventions are supposed to be boring; where politicians give scripted, butt-kissing, cliche speeches to support and affirm the candidates of the party. However, the 2016 RNC has not turned out as such. The RNC convention has been unpredictable, dramatic, breathtaking, insightful, and mind boggling which has made for great television. The nomination of the Donald Trump has turned the convention into a thrilling roller coaster that mirrors the atmosphere of his campaign throughout the race. So here are some top moments and a few takeaways from the convention.
1. Anti-Trump movement stumped
Cruz's failure to endorse Trump. To start the convention some delegates from the "Never Trump" movement orchestrated a last second Hail Mary attempt to prevent Trump from becoming the party's nominee. A total of 11 states signed a petition that demanded a roll call vote on the rules of the event hoping to change the rules that would allow delegates to vote unbound from the results of their home states' primaries and caucuses and allow them to vote for someone other than Trump. (Fox News). However, this last ditch attempt was an epic disappointment as the RNC crowd responded to a resound no, and moved forward to start an loud "we want Trump chant" to start the convention.
2. Ted Cruz booed off the stage
The Anti-Trump was effectively obliterated in one astounding moment on primetime television. Arguably the most memorable moment of the whole convention was when Cruz took the stage and refused to endorse Trump. Cruz's speech focused on the importance of having Republican principles being implemented in Washington however he avoided using Trump in his speech concluding it with an encouragement for voters to vote for their conscience. Cruz was emphatically booed off the stage in an dramatic moment in the theater. Just like that the "Never Trump" movement in the GOP was extinguished, as the crowd encouraged roaring boos, it solidified 100 percent support for the Mogul, and eliminated any other options for the minority opposition. Trump mischievously lead his rival to tear his political career into shreds, and America got to watch it on primetime TV.
3. Melania borrows from Michelle
The closing of the first day of the convention came out to a rocky start as Donald Trump's wife, Melania, took a section of Michelle Obama's 2008 DNC address and it used it in her speech. The Slovenian immigrant speech that reflected her husband's values was overshadowed by this huge mistake. The media had a field day with this, as this was the top trending topic on Twitter. On the positive side, this helped generate a lot of publicity for the RNC convention, and this most likely will not be a key issue on election day.
4. Ivanka Trump's speech
All of Donald Trump's children did an amazing job delivering their speeches at the RNC, and it really reflects how Trump is as a father. However, Ivanka Trump stood out above all, and was arguably had the best speech at the convention, even outshining her father. Ivanka can turn out to be Trump's secret weapon due to her ability to validate Trump with women. Ivanka praised her father for employing women in leadership roles within his company, and made a call for equal pay for equal work saying and advocated for paid maternity leave. Both of these are progressive ideals that the RNC applauded her for. Many of the CNN anchors gave prospects for a possible political career for Ivanka based on that single speech.
5. Donald Trump accepting the nomination
Donald Trump's 75 minute speech was longer than Obama's and Romney's combined Convention Nomination speeches in 2012, and by no means is this a speech that's going to be a staple in the history books. Although, Trump disappointed some in failing to give specific details about policy, he reflected among key issues about our country by revealing deeming statistics that needed to be heard; adding a brief description of how he is going to fix those problems. Trump was again presented a sense of strength, attempting to convince America that he is the only leader capable enough of climbing a top of the obstacles America faces. Although I am one to demand more clarity of how Trump is going to succeed. I feel a sense of security in his confidence, passion for our country, strength, and I appreciate his authentic presentations the issues in the same view he sees them rather than presenting them in the politically correct way his opponents want them to be shown. So I would step back to those who claimed Trump's speech was a fear generating presentation to enrich voter anger. Trump is not trying to bring out fear, he is simply just trying to get America to see the truth, and America is not happy about it so they are demanding change.
