I’M RACHED EDEL MADDOW ALONG WIT
CLOSE BUT NOT TOO CLOSE
COLLEAGUES.
BRIAN WILLIAMS WILL JOIN US
LATER TONIGHT.
TONIGHT IS NIGHT ONE OF WHAT IS
NOT ACTUALLY TECHNICALLY THE
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE
WHITE HOUSE HAD A NUMBER OF
FALSE STARTS IN PLANNING FOR
THIS CONVENTION.
THE CONVENTION SITE WAS
INITIALLY CHOSEN AND ANNOUNCED
AS CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.
BUT THEN THE PRESIDENT IN A
TWEET CALLED THAT OFF AFTER
CRITICIZING THE STATE OF NORTH
CAROLINA FOR ITS PLAN TO REQUIRE
MEASURES LIKE SOCIAL DISTANCING
TO STOP THE RNC FROM BECOMING
SOME HORRIFIC SUPER SPREADER
COVID EVENT.
BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT OBJECTED
TO THAT, THEY ANNOUNCED THEY
WOULD INSTEAD MOVE MOST OF THE
RNC TO JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.
BUT THEN THEY ULTIMATELY
CANCELED THE FL PLAN AS WELL
BECAUSE OF SPIKING NUMBERS IN
JACKSONVILLE.
WELL NOW HERE IT IS.
WHAT THEY’RE DOING IS SOMETHING
IN WASHINGTON D.C. BUT
TECHNICALLY THE ACTUAL
CONVENTION IS OVER.
THE PARTY AND THE CONVENTION
COMMITTEE STILL HAD A CONTRACT
TO DO THIS THING IN CHARLOTTE,
NORTH CAROLINA.
SO THAT IS WHERE DELEGATES MET
TODAY AND WENT THROUGH THE
MOTIONS OF NOMINATING THE
PRESIDENT.
NOW THAT LOW KEY DAYTIME EVENT
IS OVER.
THAT WAS THE REPUBLICAN
CONVENTION.
WHAT WE’RE GOING TO SEE IN
WASHINGTON, D.C. TONIGHT OVER
THE NEXT FOUR NIGHTS IS
SOMETHING THAT THEY WILL CALL
THE CONVENTION BUT TECHNICALLY
IT IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
IT WILL LOOK A LITTLE LIKE A
CONVENTION, AT LEAST A LITTLE
LIKE WHAT THE DEMOCRATS DID, BUT
IT IS NOT PUT ON BY THE
CONVENTION COMMITTEE.
IT IS BASICALLY A CAMPAIGN SHOW,
A PAGENT.
TO UNDERSCORE HOW WEIRD THIS IS,
I SHOULD TELL YOU THE
REPUBLICANS ARE ALSO JUST
SKIPPING THE WHOLE PARTY
PLATFORM THING.
THE STATEMENT ABOUT WHAT THEY
STAND FOR, WHAT THEY’RE RUNNING
ON, THEY’RE NOT DOING THAT.
AT PARTY CONVENTIONS EVERY FOUR
YEARS THE PARTY TYPICALLY DRAFT
AND VOTE ON A NEW PARTY
PLATFORMS.
REPUBLICANS THIS YEAR ANNOUNCED
THEY WON’T DO THAT THIS YEAR.
THEY WON’T HAVE A PLATFORM.
INSTEAD, THEY HAVE PASSED A
RESOLUTION SAYING THEY INTENT TO
REASSERT THEIR STRONG SUPPORT
