Last week, we watched as Joe Biden and his increasingly radical party outlined their dark perception of the country. They offered few policies and no solutions.  Their message boiled down to America is evil and rotten to the core, and Trump is a fascist who represents an existential “threat to our democracy.”  The Democrats also called Trump a racist, accused him of culpability for every single COVID-19 death in the country, and for the economic contraction that has led to a 10 percent unemployment rate.  As if the well-documented failures of the Postal Service over the last several decades have not already undermined it enough, Hillary Clinton blamed Trump for supposedly trying to sabotage it in an attempt to “steal an election.”  

At this week's RNC, the Republicans have not only focused far more on matters of substance and policy, but they have offered a vision of the country that promotes freedom, liberty, religion, faith, exceptionalism, innovation, entrepreneurship, and the American Dream.  They have acknowledged that we are not without flaws, but unlike the Democrats, the Republicans are not calling for the expulsion of our history.  As Donald Trump Jr. said, “In order to improve in the future, we must learn from our past, not erase it. So we’re not going to tear down monuments and forget the people who built our great nation. Instead, we will learn from our past so we don’t repeat any mistakes and we will work tirelessly to improve the lives of all Americans.”

We heard from Vernon Jones, a Democrat Georgia State Representative who excoriated the Democrats for blindly taking advantage of the black vote, silencing dissenters, and for rewarding criminals over law-abiding citizens.  “The Democratic Party does not want Black people to leave their mental plantation.  We are free people with free minds... The Democratic Party has become infected with the pandemic of intolerance, bigotry, socialism, anti-law enforcement bias and a dangerous tolerance for people who attack others, destroy property and terrorize our own communities,” Jones said.

We heard from the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, who dared to defend America, and refused to blame bigotry on victimhood.  “In much of the Democratic Party, it’s now fashionable to say that America is racist. That is a lie. America is not a racist country... I was a brown girl and in a black and white world. We faced discrimination and hardship, but my parents never gave in to grievance and hate.” We heard from the football star Herschel Walker, who has been friends with Trump for nearly four decades and defended him against charges of racism.  “Just because someone loves and respects the flag, our National Anthem, and our country doesn’t mean they don’t care about social justice. I care about all of those things, and so does Donald Trump...“ He shows how much he cares about social justice and the Black community through his actions. And his actions speak louder than any stickers or slogans on a jersey.”

In one of the more touching moments, we heard from Maximo Alvarez, a businessman from Florida who fled Cuba when he was thirteen.  Alvarez, who saw the horrors of Castro’s communist regime firsthand, issued a dire warning if Biden and the radical left-wing agenda somehow manages to win in November. “I’ve seen movements like this before. I’ve seen ideas like this before. I am here to tell you -- we cannot let them take over our country... I heard the promises of Fidel Castro. And I can never forget all those who grew up around me, who looked like me, who suffered and starved and died because they believed those empty promises. They swallowed the communist poison pill.”

We heard from Senator Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, who spoke of the promises of America, and his ability to overcome the odds of winning an election in a mostly white southern district in South Carolina.  “Our family went from Cotton to Congress in one lifetime.”  He spoke of the importance of school choice and of receiving a quality education.  He discussed the benefits of lowering taxes for both the American people and the Treasury Department.  He questioned the intolerance of the left.  “Do we want a society that breeds success, or a culture that cancels everything it even slightly disagrees with?” He acknowledged that America is imperfect, but he remained optimistic.  “We have work to do, but I believe in the goodness of America, the promise that all men, and all women are created equal.”

At the DNC the Democrats were vociferous in their hatred of Trump and America, and they were unified in their concerted effort to dismantle our values, our culture, and our institutions.  At the RNC the Republicans have reminded us all of what made America great, and why it is worth preserving, protecting and fighting for.  The party of Lincoln reminded us that the flag still stands as a beacon of light, and opportunity, and our last best hope for freedom.  We can all unify around that.

Image: RNC