Who Is the Republican Party?
Floyd Jernigan takes us behind the scenes to moments given little coverage at the Republican National Convention, allowing us to understand that our Party is a tapestry of people.
by Floyd Jernigan
It’s All in the Dress
A mother in Meridian, Idaho was arrested on a trespassing charge after taking her children to a public park in 2020 during the Covid pandemic. The video of Sara Brady went viral as Brady is seen with other parents and their children at a playground.
That was one of several reasons given by Brady for showing up at the RNC Convention in Milwaukee with a different evening gown on each day. And each dress designed by herself.
Brady, a guest at the Republican National Convention, told those who asked, “I make political statement dresses, and this is one of many dresses I have, and it's an appeal to heaven dress. This is the third dress I've worn this week. And actually, it's the rejection of the theory that kings have a divine right to rule over us. It's an appeal to heaven, our creator, that God rules over us. So, I thought this dress would be fitting to wear.
“Yesterday, I actually wore the ‘don't tread on me’ dress.”
Brady said she changed her entire outfit in just days to show her support for former President Donald Trump after an attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.
"You know, after what happened this last weekend, and then seeing this picture, it was so legendary and iconic. I was like, that’s got to go on a dress, and I put it on the dress. Monday, I wore a Trump dress, which actually has an image of Trump with his arm in the air with the Secret Service around him right after he was shot … It's such an iconic and legendary photo.
“I like to take political messaging statements out of that sort of thing, then I mix it with fashion. To me, it's like fireworks. People seem to really enjoy it. I really enjoy it.”
3 Things to Remember
“Never forget flowers on your wife’s anniversary.
“Never take in a business partner who is not in the family.
“And never vote democrat.
“I’ve forgotten the first two but never the third.”
That was the message of restaurateur and owner of The Calderone Club owner Gino Calderone to our table during the final night of our visit to Milwaukee and our attendance at the RNC National Convention.
The Governor is in the Club
To make the evening even better, we were seated next to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who was graciously visiting with numerous well-wishers during his meal. Not being shy, Phelps County’s Karen Harris and Tara Peters approached the Governor and asked if we could take a picture with him.
Gov. Abbott did so with a welcoming smile, then took time to talk “state house” politics with Rep. Peters.
In fact, the Governor enjoyed the visit so much that the head of his security detail asked us to give the Governor time to get back to eating.
Smile, You’re On
If you were at the RNC National Convention, the odds were in your favor of being approached by somebody with a microphone, a recorder, a camera or a cell phone.
After attending the U.S. Concealed Carry Association’s policy symposium on issues impacting Second Amendment rights featuring Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita, a U.S. Marine, and Congressman Wesley Hunt of Texas, Floyd and Barbara Jernigan were interviewed by the NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation’s Washington Bureau headed by Producer Takeshi Yamasaki.
“In our country, our people do not have guns so we are very interested in understanding why this is important to Americans,” said Yamasaki.
After that interview was concluded first with Floyd, then with Barbara, Alexandra Hutzler and Producer Shannon Caturano with ABC Digital approached Barbara.
The conversation went like this:
“You’re a woman.”
“Yes.”
“You own a gun.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It’s my Constitutional right.”
“So you don’t feel safe in your home?”
“I do.”
“So why do you own a gun?”
“It’s my Constitutional right.”
“Well, you don’t feel safe in your city?”
“No, I feel safe in my city.”
“Then why do you own a gun?”
“It’s my Constitutional right.”
Quick Takes
You never know who you’ll meet….
One morning, several Missouri delegates headed to the local Walgreen’s which was conveniently located close to the Missouri delegation hotel, the Drury Inn. There shopping for her own family’s needs was Lara Trump, who was kind enough to pose for a selfie with one of the Missouri delegates.
Wednesday morning, Phelps County’s Karen Harris and Tara Peters visited with U.S. Senator Eric Schmidt at breakfast the morning after he was a featured speaker on night 2 of the Convention. “He was like a kid in a candy store. He was so excited for that opportunity,” Harris said of Sen. Schmidt.
Historic Parallels, Maryland Connection, And a Movie
President Trump made a surprise visit in the middle of the afternoon Wednesday to introduce the movie “Trump’s Rescue Mission: Saving America” that was part of the many activities at the Convention. An unexpected delay of the start of the film prompted whispers circulating that the President was going to attend, a rumor which turned out to be true. First, U.S. Sen Ted Cruz of Texas entered, then former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy made his way to a seat.
Nicole Harris, chairwoman for the Maryland Republican Party, and the wife of Andy Harris, the lone Republican Congressman from the state, was sitting next to us in the theater. She noted that the movie’s producer, David Bossie, was going to have to explain why he left everyone waiting, as the announced start time came and went. Bossie is also Maryland’s state committeeman and was chair of the state’s delegation to the GOP convention. He is also the head of Citizens United, the national conservative organization “that has literally changed the way campaigns are waged in America,” according to writers across the political spectrum.
Then Mr. Trump walked onstage, and gave a 10-minute introduction which included thanking Bossie.
The feature-length documentary is a Citizens United effort.
Ironically, Trump’s introduction of the movie after the previous Saturday’s assassination attempt came at the Miller High Life Theater within the convention’s security perimeter. This was the same theater where Theodore Roosevelt spoke in 1912, just minutes after surviving an assassination attempt across the street.
Safe and safer
While the DNC made headlines in the propaganda outlets touting “joy,” rioters were front and center of what happened outside their Convention. There were protesters in Milwaukee too. But other than one day, when we walked across the street from an estimated group of around 1,000 who were intent on using speakers to blast their message, whatever impact they hoped to generate didn’t amount to a blip on the day.
A big part of that was because law enforcement details were everywhere. And the men and women on duty were gracious while being ever watchful. We had drones and Coast Guard helicopters overhead, Coast Guard boats on the river, mounted law enforcement units on the streets, and the always present throngs of walking security. Units from TSA, Homeland Security, FBI, and Secret Service were joined by the Illinois Law Enforcement Mutual Aid System, University of North Dakota Police, Wisconsin Department of Justice, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Wisconsin State Fair Park Police, and 10 fire departments from different cities in Wisconsin.
More than 24 states and the District of Columbia sent 4,000 plus law enforcement personnel, including MISSOURI, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakoda, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
When asked how they were selected to serve, the answer was always the same and to the point. “If your chief is a known Republican and the department has a reputation for ensuring the law is enforced and in a fair manner, your department gets contacted. At that point, you have the option of volunteering. We wanted to be here.”
Ahead of the convention, participating agencies reportedly did not receive additional training beyond what they had already completed at their home departments.
By our count, there were 20 members of the Missouri Highway Patrol in attendance. The Kansas City Police Department was the only other Missouri representation listed on the official tabulation.
Wisconsin, not surprisingly, had the most units represented with 55, while Florida had eight, Ohio seven, North Dakoda six, Tennessee five, and Texas, Minnesota, California and North Carolina four each.
And the Band Played on
Music was on display at the RNC. Trace Adkins performed for the Sunday night Welcome Party. Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The USA,” served as an introduction to President Trump’s Monday night and Thursday night entrance. Kid Rock sang “American Badass,” Chris Janson did “All American Guy,” Jason Aldean performed “Try That in a Small Town,” and Christopher Macchio, called “Trump’s go-to tenor,” performed Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma.” According to the tenor, the aria, which ends with the phrase “Vincerò,” is Trump’s “Victory Anthem.”
However, the “house band” that was there for all of it, and within close proximity to the Missouri delegation as we were closest to the stage along with Wisconsin and Nebraska, was Sixwire, a group out of Nashville.
The band was one of the highlights of the convention. And when the teleprompter experienced a malfunction on Monday, Sixwire kept the delegates entertained until it was fixed.
Sixwire performed covers of songs from the Foo Fighters, Cheap Trick, the Doobie Brothers, The Village People and more.
Sixwire includes members Andy Childs (lead vocals, guitar), Steve Hornbeak (keyboards, vocals), John Howard (bass guitar), Steve Mandile (guitar, vocals) and Chuck Tilley (drums, percussion). The band formed in 2000.