LatinaLista — No matter the critiques, the gaffes, the egos on display or the walks down numerous memory lanes, the Republican National Convention (RNC) was an event that proved to be, in part, a puzzlement to both those who attended and those who were watching from home.
Aside from Clint Eastwood’s disrespectful bit that doesn’t warrant further mention, listening to the other speakers and the crowd’s reaction to them shone a light on just how fragmented the GOP party really is.
It began with Chris Christie’s speech that was odd in how long it took him to mention the man he wants to be the next Commander-in-Chief.
Then there were the speeches of Condoleeza Rice and Marco Rubio.
By all reviews, both speeches were delivered well and are indicative of the new reality that exists in the United States, as well as, the GOP.
Unfortunately, during both speeches, which alluded to both speakers’ hard backgrounds where discrimination haunted their parents and how opportunity must be shared with everyone, the crowd noticeably stopped short of wild applause or shouts of USA at certain statements that reflected a reality that was strange to the majority in the room.
While everyone enjoyed the Horatio Alger-esque elements of both speeches, there was palpable hesitation on how to respond to an African American and Cuban American for whose parents took advantage of government programs to advance their stations in life.
It’s an uncomfortable reality that the party’s only response thus far has been ear-piercing chants of USA — leaving the impression that the acronym is being used more to divide than include.
