Grading the Third Night of the Republican National Convention

This was by far the best night for the Republicans. The drama that Ted Cruz instigated was extinguished by the solid speech of Mike Pence. Pence’s speech may be one of the best Vice President speeches I’ve ever seen. The media will use the red meat Cruz gave them to spend more time talking about that then focusing on Pence, but many people that heard Pence’s speech, will give the Trump ticket another look and will bring more Republicans onboard. In fact I think those that feel that Cruz disrespected the party will now fully sign on to the ticket.

Outside of the media screens that seemed to keep malfunctioning behind some of the speakers, this was the best execution of the three nights. Each speech delivered solid messages and will resonate with those that feel like their government has let them down or those that side with the anti-establishment movement.

Ted Cruz (B-)

- There was a lot of buzz surrounding Ted Cruz’s speech tonight. Will he endorse Donald Trump? Will he be more focused on his own political future? Cruz has a gift of the spoken word. He delivered a strong conservative message but missed a huge opportunity to give the crowd what it wanted…for him to endorse Donald Trump. If he would have endorsed Trump, he would have owned the room and delivered a powerful close of the 9-year-old girl he started with. Instead the crowd turned against him and strongly booed him. He went from an A- to a B- in the last two minutes of his speech. He would have received a C- if the first 3/4 of the speech wasn't so strong.

Eric Trump (B+/B)

- Eric Trump wasn’t as great as his brother the previous evening, but made a strong case for his father. His tempo was a little fast and he tried to fit too much into his sentences, which didn’t make it as crisp.

Newt Gingrich (A-)

- This wasn’t a speech to rally the crowd. This was a speech designed for people to think at home. He laid out an easy to follow case and strong message for people that are worried about security, terrorism, and foreign policy. These are some of the top issues of this election cycle and his clear and concise message will resonate especially with Independents.

Mike Pence (A)

- This speech started by showing what a likable person he is and how well he complements Trump’s dynamic and bombastic at times persona. He then delivered a thoughtful speech that will hit home to the average American. This is the kind of speech where stars are born and Donald Trump couldn’t have asked for a better speech. Trump will get a boost from making such a wise VP choice. My only complaint is that it should have been shorter.

Overall Score: B+

After two average nights, the RNC and the Trump campaign finally delivered. It would have been an A- night without Cruz's bad close. While the media will enjoy playing out the Cruz drama, this was a big night for those paying attention at home. They continued to be wowed by Trump’s family, Newt Gingrich painted an honest picture of the world, and they saw that Trump made an excellent choice for Vice President. With that said, everything rests on Donald Trump’s speech tomorrow, but they set the night up for him with a solid performance tonight.

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