In covering politics for 15 years, the 2024 Republican National Committee (RNC) convention was probably the least stuffy, best produced and most diverse I have ever seen. That is a plus in the RNC’s favor, as many do not necessarily feel they have a place in the party.
Yet certain mainline Christians and traditional GOP voters complained that the convention fell away from Christian values and orthodoxy, particularly after the first night when RNC co-chairs Michael Whatley and Lara Trump chose to platform people who reflected a different type of voter. These people were the physical and intellectual diversity residents in the party, and those who had been converted in their thinking about the Republican Party and Donald Trump.
People got their panties in a wad, including former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis, pro-life activist Abby Johson and Alabama State Auditor Andrew Sorrell. Sorrell expressed his disappointment to 1819 News, indicating concern about what the display “says about the mission of the GOP going forward.”
'Let’s start with the porn star Amber Rose, who said, “These are my people, this is where I belong;” I’m not sure that’s the best look for the Republican Party,’ Sorrell said. ‘She’s the founder of that feminist protest, Slut Walk, and as recently as March, praised Satanism as a very rational, logical religion that helps a lot of women get abortions.’
‘Somehow, this lady gets a speaking spot at the RNC?’ ... ‘I think [the RNC] is thinking she’ll appeal to some demographic that we need to win, but I don’t think we’re going to get very many LGBTQ+ votes or Satanist votes. I just don’t think that those are coming our way. And I don’t think we want the porn star vote.’
Then how does Sorrell expect to win? Because like it or not, porn stars are Americans, have political opinions and vote. Why not give them a reason to vote for your candidate and platform?
Rose spoke from the perspective of being a mother, not a porn star. Families have been greatly disenfranchised under the current Democrat administration. Profession aside, why is her voice and vote not credible or needed?
CNN’s Van Jones was politically astute, recognizing the sea change occurring. As RedState reported:
CNN contributor and Democrat strategist Van Jones was impressed with model and rapper Amber Rose's speech, as were many who listened to her at the Republican National Convention on Monday.
Jones told CNN viewers that Rose's speech was ‘probably the most dangerous speech’ for the Democrat party.
Rose spoke to her generation, the one fed lies about Trump and Republicans. With Rose’s 26.3 million Instagram followers alone, she reached a voting bloc that Republicans could not (and would not) court.
Other Republican Christians were troubled and apoplectic about Republican Party member and civil rights attorney Harmeet Dhillon chanting and offering a Sikh prayer on the close of Night 1.
Abby Johnson lamented on X:
I don’t know. I’m not sure we’ve ever had a porn star speak before. Or a non-Christian prayer to open the convention. Is that really necessary? Do we have to fall that far for “votes?” Can we not maintain some level of decency? Can we not at least pretend that our party was…
— Dr. Abby Johnson (@AbbyJohnson) July 17, 2024
The words Johnson chose, “fall that far,” and “decency,” are bigoted, as though giving Rose and Dhillon a platform somehow degrades the party. Trust me, the party has done that to themselves over the years.
What struck me in watching the entirety of the convention is that official platform declarations about Jesus Christ or Christian values were unnecessary, because Christian faith and values were front and center after what happened on Saturday, when God saved Trump from an assassin’s bullet. Trump himself was thanking God. The majority of the prayers, invocations and speeches were presented by Christian priests and ministers. Both South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Detroit Pastor Lorenzo Sewell brought down the house with high praise and worship to Jesus. Rev. Franklin Graham’s remarks and prayer concisely preached the salvation message.
Rose’s words about being embraced by everyone at the RNC stand out: “It's all love.” So, we know the people of faith at the RNC showed the love of Christ. I have no doubt that relationships were developed that will lead people out of darkness and into light politically, but especially spiritually. But that would never have happened if an open invitation to come had not been given.
Pastor Darrell B. Harrison of Arizona’s Redeemer Bible Church said it well:
At the risk of sounding like ‘Captain Obvious,’ I would humbly remind my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that political conventions are precisely that—political. That reality makes political conventions, both by definition and by nature, worldly, not ecclesiastical. We must remember … that the overarching mission of political conventions is to win votes not souls.
The Republican Party’s end-goal is to draw voters to its platform and candidates. A good majority of Americans today are not going to be typical GOP voters, nor should they be. In Trump’s nomination acceptance speech, he said he wanted to be the president for “all Americans.” That would include those who don’t pass conservative, Christian or GOP purity tests.
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, As the Girl Turns, is an investigative journalist, author, opinion analyst, and contributor to 1819 News, Redstate, and other publications. Jennifer writes on Politics and Pop Culture, with occasional detours into Reinvention, Yoga, and Food. You can read more about Jennifer's world at her As the Girl Turns website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819news.com.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
