Sometimes we all need inspiration.... August already seems so long ago. September has been tough.... California has burned. And Oregon. Friends had to be evacuated. Even sailing away from the Democratic Party feels long ago. (It was literally less than 3 weeks ago. Literally.) The air quality for the last week has apparently been equivalent to smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day. Oh yes.... and I chased a heroin dealer down an alley. (If you want to see the footage that resulted from this Republican's Sunday in San Francisco click here.) For various reasons I miss August.
I also miss the inspiration I felt when watching some of the speakers at the RNC.
So here is my list of the ten speeches you may have missed that seem to say it all about where we are right now.
1) Herschel Walker. Wow, just wow. I'm proud he is an American, and I am proud to be a member of his Republican party. Three minutes I could rewatch a dozen times and still discover something new. Personally I'm outraged that newspapers like the Washington Post --I've heard it used to be something prestigious, but forgive me... I'm a Millennial... That was a long time ago-- are denigrating Mr. Walker. He is amazing. He is what we hope our athlete heroes will be. But he is the real deal. And the real deal should always be respected.
2) Sister Deirdre Byrne. Some people are born to serve. Some have a vocation. Sister Deirdre Byrne, a physician, former Army doctor, and habit wearing sister shows the strength of a woman with a vocation. Sometimes we are vessels, not agents. I won't compare her with the Hollywood stars that "graced" the DNC... But Sister Byrne has the strength of a flame in the dark. Her cause may not be your cause, but her strength should be a model for all of us.
3) Ann Dorn. Our hearts must all bleed for Ann Dorn. She shouldn't have to live with the grief she lives with today.... But this summer of hate cost her so much.... We should respect her enough to listen to her story. We should all mourn with her. She lost her husband, America lost a good man. We need more citizens with a sense of responsibility. We need more empathy. She embodied decency.
4) Maximo Alvarez. Socialism is fashionable these days. I should know, I am a Millennial, most of my teachers babbled delightedly about how positive socialism was... One said, when asked about the deaths caused by historic socialist regimes that "you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs"... Maximo Alvarez is a man who didn't learn about socialism in a book. He paid the human cost. If you want to learn about the difference between socialism and democracy listen to Maximo Alvarez. He understands that American democracy is too precious to abandon to socialist theory.
5) Debbie Flood. The Republican Party isn't what it used to be... The Democratic Party definitely isn't what it used to be... quite frankly, if you like the idea that Americans still make something and that American manufacturing still means something you should listen to Debbie Flood. She understands the American economy better than anyone on the business channel.
6) Jack Brewer. America is the land of the individual. And there are few people who represent the individual better than Jack Brewer. The individual voice matters, and few people have ever had as strong an individual voice as Jack Brewer. Personal responsibility can be cool. And Jack Brewer gives me hope.
7) Clarence Henderson. Sometimes we all need a history lesson. Clarence Henderson lived it. His story is America's story. Listen. Learn. Share. Life is complicated. Change can be good.
8) Jason Joyce. A details man from a place the rest of America tends to forget. A place the Democratic Party wants to throw under the bus. We should all listen to Jason Joyce, because he knows his stuff.... because this is a national election about local issues. Do we want our local issues decided by people who care about esoteric theories and don't know the facts the way people on the ground do?
9) Patrick Lynch. Pat Lynch made history with his speech. His presence at the convention isn't really anything anyone has seen in my lifetime. He spoke hard truths from the heart. And he definitely isn't a political hack. This is about blood on the streets. Sadly. So... listen.
10) Congressman Jim Jordan. If you noticed... my first 9 picks were non politicians. Jim Jordan is very definitely a Congressional leader. Frankly, I think America would be a better place if there were a few dozen Jim Jordans. But we are lucky we have one... But here he is speaking from the heart... so... listen....
In conclusion... These were my top ten speeches. My top ten that might otherwise be overlooked. There were others that were also worth a listen. Please notify the Marin GOP if any of our links are broken. We're a small county Republican website. We can't afford a professional web administrator. This is all done by volunteers. So... if you have any suggestions please let us know.
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