This week’s Republican National Convention was a heady, exciting affair. It wasn’t stodgy and predictable like most party conventions are, and even with the sobering recent memory of the attempt on Donald Trump’s life and other moments that tugged at everyone’s heartstrings, the atmosphere was electric all week.
It wasn’t hard to miss the energy with celebrity guests, fiery speeches, and the appearance of “everyday people” with compelling stories. Even a somewhat subdued Trump gave an address that brought down the house.
It’s not just conservatives noticing the excitement, either. CNN’s Van Jones, an adviser to Barack Obama, made an interesting analogy between this year’s RNC and another pivotal moment in history.
Former Barack Obama adviser Van Jones argued Thursday that the energy at this week’s Republican National Convention was comparable to what he saw when the nation’s first black president was first nominated in 2008.
Jones, now a CNN senior political commentator, talked about the palpable “spirit” and enthusiasm he could feel among the people at the RNC.
After CNN contributor Scott Jennings spoke with excitement about wrestler Hulk Hogan, UFC head Dana White, and former President Donald Trump’s upcoming speeches at the RNC, Jones said, “This spirit that this guy [Jennings] has, you guys think it’s because he’s drunk, he’s not, this whole thing is like this.”
“The last time I was at a convention that felt like this was Obama 2008. There’s something happening,” he said.
That’s high praise from someone like Jones, who pointed out, “Dreams become nightmares and nightmares become dreams. You’re watching a nightmare become a dream for Donald Trump. He has had a nightmarish summer with, you know, convictions and indictments and all kinds of stuff, almost got shot. It’s becoming a dream for him.”
Related: Hulkamania Invades the RNC, Brother!
Compare the palpable energy surrounding the RNC with the Democrats. The Biden reelection effort has an almost comical vibe, with Democrats running around like the Keystone Cops scrambling to either unseat the president or keep him firmly in place. Jones noticed the contrast as well:
Biden’s the opposite. The dream that he had for himself as a young man to stand up and to rescue this country and to move it in a positive direction he actually delivered, he actually delivered on that. He did beat all those odds. He has done extraordinary things. He is an extraordinary man. But by holding on too long, it’s becoming a nightmare. And the donors who have written huge checks for him, I mean the biggest checks are the ones who are stepping back.
ASIDE: “Extraordinary” is an interesting word to describe Biden. It’s fitting, but not in the way Jones intends it to be.
Obama’s historic 2008 run was a watershed moment in our political history, but does that mean we’re in for something as earth-shattering? We still have just over three months until the election, and that’s an eternity in politics. Nevertheless, it’s hard not to have some excitement after the momentum of the RNC.
Tighten your seat belts. We’re in for a heck of a ride between now and November 5.
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