What was missing from Trump's speech
It's about tone and the wording.
Yes, he took time out to thank Evangelicals for their support. And at that moment, his voice seemed to calm a little.
And it was more presidential than I've seen of him.
However, a CTRL-F search on "God" in Trump's speech revealed only one hit at the very end: "God bless you and goodnight! I love you!"
In Reagan's 1984 acceptance speech, he said these words:
We celebrate the right of each individual to be recognized as unique, possessed of dignity and the sacred right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. At the same time, with our independence goes a generosity of spirit more evident here than in almost any other part of the world. Recognizing the equality of all men and women, we're willing and able to lift the weak, cradle those who hurt, and nurture the bonds that tie us together as one nation under God.
And this:
Each new story was typical of this land of ours. There was Ansel Stubbs, a youngster of 99, who passed the torch in Kansas to 4-year-old Katie Johnson. In Pineville, Kentucky, it came at 1 a.m., so hundreds of people lined the streets with candles. At Tupelo, Mississippi, at 7 a.m. on a Sunday morning, a robed church choir sang ``God Bless America'' as the torch went by.
And finally here:
The glistening hope of that lamp is still ours. Every promise, every opportunity is still golden in this land. And through that golden door our children can walk into tomorrow with the knowledge that no one can be denied the promise that is America. Her heart is full; her door is still golden, her future bright. She has arms big enough to comfort and strong enough to support, for the strength in her arms is the strength of her people. She will carry on in the eighties unafraid, unashamed, and unsurpassed. In this springtime of hope, some lights seem eternal; America's is. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.
Reagan's speech, to judge from that last excerpt, was less angry and more welcoming.
He also said this:
We don't lump people by groups or special interests. And let me add, in the party of Lincoln, there is no room for intolerance and not even a small corner for anti-Semitism or bigotry of any kind. Many people are welcome in our house, but not the bigots.
We shall see whether anger and frustration drive at least 50.1% of general voters to the polls in November.
James Arlandson's website is Live as Free People, where he has posted Reagan's Secret Missions (into minority neighborhoods), Reagan's Balanced and Reasonable Politics, Qital (Warfare) Verses in the Quran, and Edward I: Plantagenet: Over 120 Facts and Stories.