Oh, the 2016 election season. To call it a crazy ride undermines how tumultuous and unbelievable it's really been. There's no better way of highlighting its craziness than the Republican National Convention, which took place over the course of this week.
The chaos surrounding the RNC began months ago. Republicans and conservatives feared it would become a brokered convention, due to many delegates' disdain of their presumptive nominee, business mogul (but not exactly model) Donald Trump. He was a figure hated by many card-carrying Republicans, with some even pledging to vote blue if he were to accept the nomination. This was, however, before he sweet-talked Ryan Paul and other figureheads of the GOP, who were once staunch critics of his rhetoric. With them endorsing him, soon others followed suit, either now in agreement or accepting that this was how things were going to be without turning the Republican primary further on its head. Others continue to voice their frustration with the entire party, particularly with its division and disappointment with its apparent choice of candidate.
In addition to rising safety and protection concerns, the RNC announced the tightened security they would boast during the week. As the country saw, however, this upped security did not stop late night host Stephen Colbert from taking the stage until a minute into his act, allowing him to capture attendees' attention with a type of "Hunger Games"-esque bravado. If there was a lull in stopping him, a comedian who was still not scheduled to get onstage, what was the point of increasing security?
As the convention continued, things became even more comedic -- unintentionally so.
Delegates in Colorado and Iowa walked out of the ceremony in protest. The Trump family poised themselves as an American collective akin to the Kennedys. Cameras intentionally cut to the meager amount of non-white attendees during speeches. Rudy Giuliani spewed straight nonsense. The much-anticipated Ted Cruz gave his own grandiose speech, only to slyly berate Trump in lieu of an endorsement. At this point I think Cruz relishes in the fact that he is one of the most disliked politicians in Washington, but I'm not sure how this would help him get the Republican nomination in 2020 that he's already building up towards. Ivanka Trump, the daughter who Trump admitted he would date were they not related, said her father was "gender-neutral," which shows that not only she has no clue what that actually means, but she is completely ignorant as to how much her father symbolizes affluence and aggressive masculinity in American culture.
Then, of course, came her father, the prized guest of the convention, starting the moment he waltzed onstage.
The song played during Trump's theatrical entrance (sorry, Melania's, but he made sure he was front and center) was "We Are The Champions" by Queen, often played at sports games and concerts to celebrate a victory. The remaining members of Queen, however, considered this far from a victory, seeing as that particular song was written by frontman Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS-related complications, the same disease Trump's VP dismissed in his own state. A few days later, closing the convention with his acceptance speech, he boasted: "At our convention, there will be no lies. We will honor the American people with the truth, and nothing else." This statement belonged in the same speech as more blatant lies, including the claim that ISIS existed thanks to Clinton's term as Secretary of State and crime is at an all-time high. These claims succeeded in rallying Trump fans and further painting a picture of a country that is riddled with crime and on the brink of chaos should another Democrat be sworn into office. There are some who have legitimately believed that before Trump put his name into the election, and they finally have a voice to amplify their ideologies.
For the rest of us, the RNC only serves as another reminder as to why we anticipate the results of November 8, if not making us fear it more. As somebody voting in their first presidential election, it personally scares me over how monumental this one will turn out no matter who's voted in.
We can only wait and see what more craziness will come in, even on the coattails of the Democratic National Convention this week. The Democratic side has faced its own share of drama and controversies, and perhaps we'll see those emerge and develop over the next few days, similarly to the RNC. Their star-studded guest list -- something the RNC notably lacked -- may play a substantial role in that. Maybe Michelle Obama will take pointers from Melania's speech -- oh, wait.
