RNC Night 1 Rejects Hollywood Host For Night Dominated By Everyday Americans

Night one of the Republican National Committee’s first-ever remote convention kicked off Monday, rejecting Democrats’ hosted model for a faster-paced, single-location-centered event that beat its competitor in production value and rally atmosphere, although still stunted by the lack of a live audience.

Activists and everyday Americans stole the show, telling moving stories of the fights, lessons, victories and tragedies that brought them to that stage, skillfully parlaying those stories into specific policies they support the president on. While some veteran public speakers struggled in an empty room bereft of boos, cheers, and applause, the understated and often emotional deliveries of the less-experienced speakers hit the high notes of the evening, moved in between by political ads.

The convention’s focus on America’s promise highlighted minority and immigrant voices, but still suffered from biased coverage that repeatedly interjected to accuse Republicans of racism. The same public and corporate media companies that cut off speeches at the RNC ran last week’s Democratic National Convention without interruption. Despite the attacks, for many loyal corporate media consumers the convention provided the longest slice of counter-programming they’d been treated to in years.

While the long-planned DNC relied heavily on pre-taped videos from cliche locations, moved along by rotating hosts, awkward music videos, and Milwaukee’s empty Wisconsin Center, the more hastily planned RNC abandoned its convention center plan, centering instead on the august and classical Carnegie Hall in Washington, D.C. Most speakers were live and on-stage, with many of those who beamed in filming from their homes or offices. While speeches once again went quickly without the interruptions of a cheering base, the lack of the DNC’s Hollywood moderators helped significantly with the pacing, preventing last week’s variety show atmospheres.