On Tuesday, writing for The Washington Post, conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin laid into the first night of the Republican National Convention, saying that it was devoid of optimism and instead a parade of racially-charged anger.
"In the spin before the Republican National Convention began, President Trump’s team insisted we would get optimism, hope and uplift," wrote Rubin. "Instead, the first night has brought a parade of angry and aggrieved — and mostly White — speakers who sound as paranoid as Trump ... In contrast to the upbeat videos and testimonies of the Democratic nominee’s good character, Republicans have largely relied on a parade of angry individuals standing on a podium. The setting had the feel of a local tea party confab, with many people speaking VERY LOUDLY to people already fully in their club."
One of the key moments of the evening was Trump adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle's animated speech condemning Democrats as a threat to the American way of life — which found itself on the receiving end of social media mockery. But there were many other moments that exemplified the GOP's grievance politics, wrote Rubin.
"The white supremacy was barely disguised as 26-year-old Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA and Students for Trump said Trump is 'the bodyguard of Western civilization.' Let me translate: Anyone who is not a White American is foreign, alien and 'the other,'" wrote Rubin. "The climax of White victimhood might have been the St. Louis couple, wealthy trial lawyers Mark and Patricia McCloskey, charged with unlawful use of a weapon after they brandished guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home. Their appearance was a bullhorn message to aggrieved Whites: We will protect you! The couple’s complaint that 'they' want to destroy the suburbs was classic Trump language — an undisguised effort to play to Whites’ fears."
"There will be three more nights of hollering and race-mongering," concluded Rubin. "Parental supervision advised."
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