The Republican National Convention Speakers Are the Viral Stars of Conservative Media
On Monday night, the Republican National Convention kicks off, and it looks like it’s going to be quite the circus. Organizers have shared a partial list of speakers, and whereas the Democratic lineup revealed a deep crack in the party’s identity, the Republican lineup reveals just how cracked the party has become.
While no one knows exactly how convention speakers are chosen, it’s generally accepted that they are meant to reflect the core ideologies of the party. Traditionally, the invitation to speak also functions as an opportunity to introduce potential new rising stars of the party to voters. But having bid a sweet farewell to tradition the day he decided to announce he was running for president by riding down an escalator, Trump was free to use whatever criteria he wanted in deciding who should speak at his nominating convention.
As such, the roster is what you might expect from a Real World open casting call. It’s as if Trump and his lackeys based their decisions exclusively on what would make for good television. Only when considered from that angle does it make sense to have Alice Johnson, the formerly incarcerated woman Kim Kardashian West urged President Trump to pardon, and Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the pistol-yielding, rifle-toting lovebirds of Missouri, speaking at the same event.
Also slated to speak is Nick Sandmann, the high school student from Covington, Kentucky who successfully sued the Washington Post, CNN, and other media organizations after their coverage of an incident involving Sandmann and a Native American inaccurately framed Sandmann as being confrontational. As a result of the coverage, Sandmann claimed to have experienced a widespread backlash. According to Breitbart News, his presence at the convention is meant to speak to the dangers of cancel culture.
In the spirit of “Just Say No to Cancel Culture,” Trump also invited Abby Johnson, a former employee of Planned Parenthood turned anti-abortion advocate, whose memoir about her conversion was the basis of the controversial 2019 film Unplanned. By picking these viral stars of the culture wars, the tv-obsessed Trump is clearly goading the public into tuning in to the convention at what he hopes are record ratings. Similar tactics have been used by Bravo and the producers of the Real Housewives franchise.
The party has promised additional “surprise speakers,” but don’t expect any of them to be the typical representatives of the Republican establishment, insomuch as it even exists. Mitt Romney already announced he isn’t attending. George W. Bush won’t be there either. Paul Ryan R.S.V.P’ed no, presumably because he’s too busy trying to make a buck on Wall Street, as did Dick Cheney, and his daughter congresswoman Liz Cheney. This is in stark contrast to the Democratic party, which gave some of the longest speaking times to the institution’s former leaders.
While both parties are going through major transformations, only one is morphing into something so radical and nonsensical that it could pass for satire. In a recent humor essay for McSweeney’s, author Carlos Greaves joked that Ben Shapiro was given a speaking slot so he could read aloud the lyrics of “Thong Song.” But how far away is that really from inviting handgun-yielding homeowners to the convention to speak about the 2nd amendment?
As is the case with all reality television, the Republican National Convention is built for maximum emotional impact— and more importantly, killer ratings— and booking clickbait speakers, whose very presence throws gasoline on the embers of America’s culture wars, is just Trump’s attempt at reeling in viewers. This convention isn’t about the Republican party or what it stands for. It’s a pre-staged car crash designed specifically so that you’ll crane your neck to catch a glimpse of the mayhem.
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