Pence takes his turn, ‘humbly’ accepts nod
He says Biden represents end of America
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence spoke at Fort McHenry in Baltimore on Wednesday night as he “humbly” accepted the GOP’s nomination for vice president at the Republican National Convention.
Pence opened his remarks by urging people in the path of Hurricane Laura to heed warnings about the strength of the storm and pledged the Trump administration’s help.
He said, “Stay safe and know that we’ll be with you every step of the way.”
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, who spoke during Wednesday’s program, held out the possibility that the storm may cause President Donald Trump to postpone his nomination acceptance speech, scheduled for tonight at the White House.
“We adapt to events,” she
said. “As of right now, the president plans to speak tomorrow.”
Pence’s speech accepting the vice presidential nomination, on the third night of the convention, capped programming meant to show support for the military, law enforcement and public displays of patriotism. He spoke from the fort that is the site of a battle in the War of 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Pence, 61, argued that Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s election would mean the end of America.
Biden argued last week in accepting his party’s nomination that “character” and even democracy itself are on the ballot in November. Pence sought to turn those remarks against the former vice president.
“The truth is: Our economic recovery is on the ballot, law and order is on the ballot,” Pence said.
“The choice in this election is whether America remains America.”
Pence seized on the national reckoning over racial injustice to argue that Democratic leaders are allowing lawlessness to prevail in cities from coast to coast.
“The American people know we don’t have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with African-American neighbors to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns,” he said. He also assailed Biden for saying there is an “implicit bias” against minorities and “systemic racism” in the U.S.
“The hard truth is … you won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America,” Pence said. “Let me be clear: The violence must stop — whether in Minneapolis, Portland [Ore.] or Kenosha [Wis.],” he added. “Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans strike each other down.”
“The American people know we don’t have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with our African-American neighbors to improve the quality of their lives, education, jobs and safety.”
After his remarks, Pence’s wife, Karen, and the president and first lady joined him. Country singer Trace Adkins sang the national anthem.
LAW AND ORDER A THEME
Republicans opened the third night of their convention with a defense of law enforcement.
“From Seattle and Portland to Washington and New York, Democrat-run cities across this country are being overrun by violent mobs,” declared South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem. “People that can afford to flee have fled. But the people that can’t — good, hardworking Americans — are left to fend for themselves.”
Meanwhile, the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in Kenosha has sparked a new round of violent demonstrations.
A Black conservative running for a Utah congressional seat said Wednesday night at the convention that America needs more leaders like Trump who stand by their principles, won’t compromise and “will stand up to the lawlessness supported by the radical left.”
Burgess Owens, a former NFL player, decried civil unrest that’s followed some racial injustice protests and said America is at a crossroads in November.
He declared, “Mobs torch our cities while popular members of Congress promote the same socialism my father fought against in World War II.”
Owens is in a race that could test the GOP’s ability to recapture the suburban districts that gave Democrats control of the House. Owens handily won the Republican primary by running to the right of his opponents, and he is trying to reclaim the suburban Salt Lake City district once held by Mia Love, another Black conservative, who lost in 2018 to a moderate Democrat, Ben McAdams.
Another sports figure included in the program was former University of Arkansas and Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz.
Other speakers also warned that electing Biden would lead to violence in American cities spilling into the suburbs. Trump on Wednesday tweeted about sending federal agents to Wisconsin to help quell the unrest there, and the Justice Department said it was sending in the FBI and federal marshals.
Michael McHale, president of the National Association of Police Organizations, told the convention, “The violence and bloodshed we are seeing in these and other cities isn’t happening by chance. It’s the direct result of refusing to allow law enforcement to protect our communities. Joe Biden has turned his candidacy over to the far-left, anti-law-enforcement radicals.”
VARIED TESTIMONIALS
Wednesday night’s lineup included Clarence Henderson, who participated in the 1960 Greensboro, N.C., Woolworth lunch counter sit-ins. He spoke on “peaceful protests” and what he cited as the president’s record of trying to help Black Americans.
“These achievements demonstrate that Donald Trump truly cares about Black lives,” Henderson said. “His policies show his heart. He has done more for Black Americans in four years than Joe Biden has done in 50.”
The program lacked some of the production elements that had made previous nights of the convention memorable, including slickly produced videos and surprise announcements, such as an unexpected presidential pardon and a citizenship ceremony.
The night also included remarks from the president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as well as several administration officials, including the departing Conway, manager of Trump’s 2016 general election campaign.
“This is the man I know and the president we need,” said Conway, a week before she is to leave the White House.
“He picks the toughest fights and tackles the most complex problems. He has stood by me, and he will stand up for you.”
One of Trump’s most visible and vocal supporters said her boss’s empathy for the changes in her life portray the type of world she wants for her daughter.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump has supported her “both as a new mom and as an American with a preexisting condition.”
McEnany underwent a preventative mastectomy in 2018 after learning she carried a genetic mutation that enhanced her risk of breast cancer.
McEnany, who has a 9-month-old child, said, “I want my daughter to grow up in President Donald Trump’s America.”
‘RADICAL’ FOR FREEDOM
A young Republican congressional candidate from North Carolina decried “the radical left” but urged Americans to “to be a radical” for freedom, liberty and the republic.
Madison Cawthorn, 25, who is white, said national leaders on the left have embraced “radicalized identity politics” that rejects the vision of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Cawthorn said millions of people risk their lives to come to the U.S. “because they believe in the dream of MLK and the American dream,” and urged people to join the GOP as “the party of freedom” that ensures the American dream for all people.
At the end of his speech, Cawthorn, who uses a wheelchair, stood up with the help of a walker.
Sister Deirdre “Dede” Byrne of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary focused her remarks on abortion.
The Washington nun who is also a surgeon and a retired U.S. Army officer said, “Donald Trump is the most pro-life president that this nation has ever had.”
She said the president’s “belief in the sanctity of life transcends politics.”
Another speaker was pulled from the lineup. The Trump campaign confirmed that Robert Unanue, president and CEO of Goya Foods, would not be speaking Wednesday night, citing a “logistical problem.” Unanue’s appearance at the White House this month and his praise of Trump sparked a boycott movement of his company’s products.
Organizers on Tuesday had pulled another featured speaker, “Angel Mom” Mary Ann Mendoza, after she directed her Twitter followers to a series of anti-Semitic, conspiratorial messages hours before her prerecorded segment was to air.