I agree with Scott that the GOP convention got off to a terrific start last night. A number of the speakers were outstanding–Herschel Walker (as Scott said, he looks like he could still suit up), Cuban immigrant Maximo Alvarez, Baltimore Congressional candidate Kim Klacik, school shooting activist Andrew Pollack, Democratic legislator Vernon Jones, and more. [UPDATE] Here is Alvarez’s speech in its entirety:
The featured speakers were Nikki Haley and Tim Scott. Both were good; Scott was great. Again, a very short excerpt:
Sen. Tim Scott: “over the past 4 years, we have made tremendous progress”https://t.co/FzUo7cI7Ga pic.twitter.com/x8Zy4549ch
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 25, 2020
The most affecting part of Scott’s speech was when he talked about his grandfather, who dropped out of school to pick cotton after the third grade, and never learned to read or write. And yet his grandson now serves in the Senate. “From Cotton to Congress in one lifetime.” It was powerful stuff, but the evening was full of such positive messages.
The real question, I think, is how many people watched. Those who watched could only have been impressed. The Nielsen ratings will come out this afternoon, but the early returns from C-SPAN, which is what I watched, are encouraging:
C-SPAN’s livestream of the first night of the Republican National Convention has attracted nearly 440,000 views, marking a substantial increase over the start of the Democratic National Convention, which drew 76,000 views.
Let’s hope that six to one ratio continues to hold!
UPDATE: Here is Tim Scott’s speech:
Here is Vernon Jones:
Congressman Jim Jordan:
Nikki Haley:
