Geauga County Recorder Sharon Gingerich is attending her first Republican National Convention in downtown Cleveland as an alternate delegate for Ohio Gov. John Kasich. She shares what it’s like to attend one of the biggest political events of 2016.
4:30 PM: Not happy with rules committee. Big disagreement. Just steamrolled those who disagreed and wanted delegates released.
5:28 PM: People are pretty upset. One guy from Trumbull said he has voted for years for people he did not want. Not quite sure why it matters.
Let me just start by saying something about Melania Trump’s speech. That speech seems to be the big deal this morning. Who in their right mind would think that she would listen to Michele’s speech and pick words for her speech? Really? Think about it.
The media chose to focus on that instead the 63 other speakers we had throughout the day. I didn’t hear as much, if any, coverage about the family members who spoke about their murdered children or siblings.
These were the people who moved me the most, whose stories made me cry. Pat Smith, Gold Star Mother, who talked about her son in Benghazi. He called her the night before he was murdered and told her that he was going to die because the Obama administration had pulled the security.
She reminded us that Hillary emailed Chelsea that it was a terrorist attack. Hillary came out and told Mrs. Smith the same thing and then called Mrs. Smith a liar when the official story claimed the attack was because of a video.
It wasn’t easy for Pat Smith to talk about the murder of her son. You could see the pain in her eyes; you could hear the anguish in her voice. Why didn’t the media report that story?
Mark Geist and John Tiegen, the Benghazi Annex Security Team members, said that they were told to stand down when they knew the attack was going to happen. The Team ignored the order and saved the lives of 30 people. They said it was because Americans never give up. Where was the media on that story?
Jamiel Shaw Sr. talked about his son. He was an honor student. He was a star athlete. He was targeted because he was black and murdered by an illegal alien who was a gang member. The murderer had three illegal gun charges on him, assaulted a police officer, had just gotten out of jail and had a deportation order out on him. Where was the media during his story?
There were other stories about murders being committed by illegal immigrants, but I didn’t hear media coverage on any of that. Why? It wasn’t politically correct and, of course, because Melania said some of the same words the current president’s wife said. Now there’s a real important story for you.
Sunday night was a great evening. We went to Voinovich Park for a welcome to all the delegates. East 9th was closed from Lakeside all the way to Lake Erie and open only for pedestrian traffic. There were street dancers and drummers, photo opportunities, food vendors and beverage stands all along our walk to the lake. The Good Time III was anchored there for us, but I never made it.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Science Center were both open for us. We enjoyed several live bands, ending in a concert by Three Dog Night, with the City of Cleveland lit up like a jewel in the background. The evening finished with fireworks display over Lake Erie. I really felt pride for Northeast Ohio.
Monday morning started with a briefing. We heard from Bernie Kosar and Australian Ambassador Joe Hockey, who is their treasurer. He told us about all the help they have received from the United States. He listed the amounts and the times that we have sent them aid. And he talked about how thankful they are.
Then, he said, and in return we have sent Cleveland two “basketballers;” namely, Kyrie Irving and Mathew Dellavedova.
While we had several other excellent speakers, Ambassador Hockey received a standing ovation.
We had lunch at Lola’s with former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and then walked to The Q. The line to The Q stretched all the way to the restaurant. We were surrounded by 8-foot-tall fences once we got into the security perimeter. While security was very tight and lines were long, we were all thankful for the protection.
There were protesters along the walking route, but they were very well behaved.
Sessions started at 1 p.m. and continued until 11 p.m., with a break in between.
Before the break, there was a vote on whether or not to accept the recommendation of the Committee on Rules. As you probably heard on the TV, there was some disagreement on this.
The issue that caused the disagreement was regarding whether or not delegates should be released on that first vote to cast for anyone. If you stop and think about it, it is a National Convention. Do you always agree with your spouse? Your children? Your boss? Probably not.
The delegates did not agree on just ONE issue with the rules. The disagreement was loud and it continued for a while, but it was only ONE issue.
The delegation agreed with everything else and, at the end of the Convention, we will all go out supporting one presidential candidate – unified across the country.
The biggest disappointment of the night for me was that session went so long I did not make it to the Buckeye Bash. Rascal Flats was the featured band and was the only one this week that I really wanted to hear. We had been told there would be a later performance so that the delegates could attend, but that didn’t happen. They were gone when we got there.
I did get to spend some quality time with my favorite Congressman, Dave Joyce, so I
guess that was my bonus for the evening.