The only thing wrong with the Republican National Convention was Chuck Gray’s ridiculous cowboy hat.
I mean, it looked like it had creases on the sides as though it had been folded in a suitcase or backpack. Come on.
I remember watching conventions with the Huntley-Brinkley News Hour. I am that old.
And I loved it when they used to do the roll call in real order and Wyoming was last.
Now, someone works the math hard and Florida and his kids put Donald Trump over the top, and then the rest of the states were called after the fact, allowing us to see Gray and his pretend cowboy hat.
The four days of the convention coincided with Peggy Jane the Mom returning to assisted living after her second long stint in rehab following her second serious lung infection.
We watched together by phone, and like her, I had eschewed the loud talkers on Fox for the coverage on CSPAN. I highly recommend that.
The most emotional moment for me came on night one, when Donald Trump arrived in the arena, barely 48 hours after being shot in Pennsylvania. I marveled at his strength and thanked God that he survived the bullet meant to kill him.
I really wish he would have no more outdoor rallies in the next 100 days, because I think it’s harder to keep him safe.
I am not a student of political science, but even I have figured out that our country could use some help.
No longer can we hang out here and think that decisions made in Washington don’t affect us.
Maybe it was the $32 I paid for two sub sandwiches.
Or the graffiti and flag burning in Washington, D.C.
Or the leaving behind of 13 American military heroes at the airport in Afghanistan, including Riley McCollum from Jackson.
Or the nation’s sitting ”vice” president absent from Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress.
It all needs to be fixed, and November 5 is as good a place as any to start.
I loved the early hour of one of the days devoted to new-name Republicans and military veterans running for the Senate.
Hung Cao from Virginia and Sam Brown from Nevada were impressive and would get my vote for sure.
But former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy from Montana is my favorite. For one thing, he looks just like Robert Redford used to, when I never missed a movie he made (and before I realized what a flaming liberal he is).
For another, his explanation of Montanans’ common sense values was concise and perfect:
Secure border
Safe streets
Cheap gas
Cops are good
Criminals are bad
Boys are boys
Girls are girls.
One of the nights was devoted to making America safe again and included heart-wrenching stories from families who have lost loved ones to fentanyl and crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
It was tough to watch but proved the point that something has got to be done.
The climax, of course, was Thursday, when Donald Trump accepted the nomination and spoke for a very, very long time.
I loved seeing John Barrasso in the family box just behind Donald Trump. It does matter that we have someone who the president will listen to fighting for us, and we certainly have that.
As a Detroit girl, Kid Rock was the absolute best. Panning the audience however, it seemed as though the ancient boring delegates were not as appreciative as they should have been.
I mean, they got to hear Lee Greenwood sing “God Bless the USA,” about a million times, so a little “Badass,” didn’t do them any harm.
And then there was Melania, flawless in the red dress and the grandkids trying to sit still.
And as if knowing that the country is desperate for the return of sophistication and class, “Nessun Dorma,” was the last thing we heard.
“Let No One Sleep.” There is much to do and the fate of the country at stake.
Sally Ann Shurmur can be reached at: SallyAnnShurmur@gmail.com
