I am an original anti-Trump Republican. I first articulated my opposition to Donald Trump’s destructive and narcissistic nature in 2011, when he was …
I am an original anti-Trump Republican. I first articulated my opposition to Donald Trump’s destructive and narcissistic nature in 2011, when he was considering a run for president in the 2012 cycle. I decided then that I would never vote for him and I declared my support for Joe Biden months ago. Even so, I was unprepared to be as moved by the nature of the Democratic convention as I have been. With the parameters dictated by COVID restrictions that prevent any large-scale gatherings like party rallies, even political insiders were anticipating that the convention would be, at best, uninteresting. Instead, it has turned out to be some of the most inspirational programming I’ve seen in a very long time. And as a lifelong Republican who has spent much of the past 12 years advancing conservative principles and working to elect Republicans, that’s saying something. We are living through one of the most divided, uncertain moments in our nation’s history. America’s heart aches from the loss of over 170,000 lives in a pandemic in just five and a half months, racial unrest that has swept across the land, and economic despair, with as many as 30 million Americans unemployed. Under the circumstances, it would have been easy for the Democrats to spend four nights trashing the president with abandon and every Republican in Washington right along with him. It would have been easy for them to give in to the urge to lead with anger and further divide our nation. Instead, they spent the first two nights trying to mend our divide, bringing together the most inclusive, bipartisan coalition of Americans in support of Joe Biden that we have ever seen. From the National Anthem on opening night, sung by a diverse choir of singers from every state to last night’s nomination roll call that reflected the true colors of our country, to the broad collection of speakers from every race, gender and both major parties, this convention has lifted our spirits and allowed us to hope that maybe —just maybe — we could have a president who would put the unity and well-being of our nation above himself.
