What I Learned From Watching the RNC

I am one of the few Americans who watched both the Democratic and the Republican National Conventions. I watched almost all of both of them — around seventeen hours in total! If you watched parts of one but not the other, I highly recommend balancing that out. (You can find them on YouTube.)

As a progressive, the DNC brought me hope, comfort, and affirmation. The RNC was far more challenging. But it was also far more educational! I had four major takeaways from the RNC, and they came to me in the following order.

First, I felt anger. There were So. Many. Lies.

There were lies by omission. Trump is the “law and order” president who will protect your safety…except that he’s failed to protect your safety from COVID-19, or your safety if you’re a peaceful protester, or your safety if you’re a black American interacting with police. Trump is “not racist,” when throughout the convention he and others called COVID-19 the “China virus.” Trump is kind and compassionate?! Really? Maybe to his supporters, or when he’s in a good mood — but it’s laughable to downplay the vitriol he spews daily over Twitter and in press conferences. Trump is “draining the swamp,” when a sizable swath of his former advisers is serving prison time!