In this screenshot from the RNC’s livestream of the 2020 Republican National Convention, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem addresses the virtual convention Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. The convention is being held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic but will include speeches from various locations including Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. | Photo courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images
“From Seattle and Portland to Washington and New York, Democrat-run cities across this country are being overrun by violent mobs,” said South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
Even the unfolding tragedy in Kenosha could not shake Republican National Convention planners from their script on Wednesday.
The third convention night kicked off with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem criticizing Democratic-led cities being “overrun by violent mobs,” remarkably tone deaf given people took to the streets in Kenosha in the wake of police shooting a Black man, Jacob Blake, multiple times in his back.
“It took 244 years to build this great nation — flaws and all — but we stand to lose it in a tiny fraction of that time if we continue down the path taken by the Democrats and their radical supporters,” Noem said.
“From Seattle and Portland to Washington and New York, Democrat-run cities across this country are being overrun by violent mobs. The violence is rampant. There’s looting, chaos, destruction and murder. People that can afford to flee have fled. But the people that can’t — good, hard-working Americans — are left to fend for themselves.”
With “law and order” a major Trump campaign theme, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. — also ignoring Kenosha — praised “heroes of our law enforcement and armed services. Leftists try to turn them into villains. They want to ‘cancel’ them. But I’m here to tell you that these heroes can’t be canceled.
“…I see law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every single day to keep our communities safe, in spite of the hatred thrown at them.”
Trump continues to downplay the reality of police brutality in his quest for a second term.
In tweets in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting and unrest in Kenosha, Trump on Wednesday was especially void of nuance in referencing the Wisconsin governor.
“We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should do the same!)……TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!”
The Noem and Blackburn speeches may have been prerecorded. That’s no excuse for turning a blind eye to Kenosha. Even if Trump calls the Blake family — Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris did earlier on Wednesday — the omission of Kenosha in the opening convention speeches dealing with policing is glaring.
Here are other convention takeaways:
How many times do I have to tell you?
Many, many, when it comes to a central Republican National …read more
Source:: Chicago Sun Times