Day 3 of the Republican National Convention ended Wednesday night with Vice President Mike Pence formally accepting his party’s nomination for a second term while casting his and President Donald Trump’s re-election as critical to saving America.
Pence warned that electing rivals Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would be a vote for the radical left, calling it a choice between law-and-order and lawlessness, in an attempt to capitalize on unrest on the streets of Wisconsin in the aftermath of a police shooting of Jacob Blake in the town of Kenosha.
It was a night the party continued to soften the President’s image, touting his record on the economy before COVID-19 that benefited all demographics, particularly black people and women.
While some expected greater outreach following the shooting of Jacob Blake, even as the NBA postponed their play-off games in protest, the focus from Pence was rather on the aftermath.
“Tearing down statues is not free speech and those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Last week, Joe Biden didn’t say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country. So, let me be clear: The violence must stop, whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color.”
SABC’s Sherwin Bryce-Pease reports…
‘Double down on policies’
The Vice President accused Democrats of doubling down on policies leading to violence in American cities which others referred to as being overrun by violent mobs. This is as 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder, following the killing of two people during the Black Lives Matter protests on Tuesday, who had expressed support for Blue Lives on social media and seen here in the front row of a Trump rally in January.
“Joe Biden says that America is systemically racist, and that law enforcement in America has and I quote ‘implicit bias against minorities’. When asked whether he’d support cutting funding to law enforcement, Joe Biden replied, ‘Yes, absolutely.’ Joe Biden would double down on the very policies that are leading to violence in America’s cities. The hard truth is you won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America. Now under President Trump, we will always stand with those who stand on the thin blue line, and we’re not going to defend the police. Not now, not ever.”
Pitting the choice facing voters in November as a stark, Pence said, “The choice in this election is whether America remains America. We stand at a crossroads, America. President Trump has set our nation on a path of freedom and opportunity. Joe Biden would set America on a path of socialism and decline. But we’re not going to let it happen. We will defend our freedom. And our way of life.”
‘Trump empowered women’
The outgoing Counselor to the President and his winning 2016 campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway talked about her experience in the White House as evidence that President Trump empowered women despite having just four women and 19 men in his 23 member cabinet.
“For decades, he has elevated women to senior positions in business and in government. He confides in and consults us, respects our opinions, and insists that we are on equal footing with the men. President Trump helped me shatter a barrier in the world of politics by empowering me to manage his campaign to its successful conclusion. With the help of millions of Americans, our team defied the critics, the naysayers, and conventional wisdom – and we won.”
Hoping for a repeat in 2020, the first couple putting in a surprise appearance Wednesday night ahead President Trump’s keynote acceptance of his party’s presidential nomination later Thursday.
In the video below, SABC reporter Sherwin Bryce-Peas talks about the themes captured at the convention:
