Regardless of our readers’ political leanings, few would argue that the Republican National Convention, which wrapped up in Cleveland last night, wasn’t unique.
“It is a great honor to be here, I am thrilled to death,” said Avalon’s Lynda Pagliughi, the New Jersey Republican State Committeewoman representing Cape May County, and alternate delegate attending her fifth GOP convention. “This convention is making history,” she said.
“This is the most exciting one I have been to. Rather than being at a convention, it feels like more of a movement. This one is electrifying.”
Part of the reason, of course, is that Donald Trump, the Republicans’ candidate for President, does not have a traditional political background and is an iconic personality, celebrity and reality television star. But on Thursday night, Trump presented a different side.
“He showed a different demeanor, and I think you are going to see that for the rest of the campaign, she said. “He is succeeding in unifying the party and now he is going to work on converting the independents and some of the Bernie Sanders people.”
“(The show biz aspect of the event) is definitely part of it, but it’s more than that, Pagliughi said. “Everyone you talk to is positive and excited. It has been very uplifting.”
Pagliughi said watching Trump’s speech live was very emotional.
“When the balloons came down and the confetti, I had tears in my eyes,” she said. “When (Trump) was talking about his mother, he had tears in his eyes. He definitely showed a side of the man we haven’t seen before.”
Ocean City resident, Tom Rotondi, is the State Committeeman for Cape May County and the New Jersey delegate. He agreed and took it one step further.
“He crushed that speech,” Rotondi said. “I think the best thing was when people started chanting ‘lock (Hillary Clinton) up’ and he said ‘let’s defeat her’ that was just perfect and it set the tone. He stayed on message and he delivered.”
Rotondi said Trump hit on themes that most people relate to. “At the end of the day it is about family, it is about being safe, it is about being able to educate your kids and not have to worry about your own future. He hit on all of that. And to include the LGBT community, that is a good thing. Everyone was included. Everyone should have the same opportunities.”
On the topic of being there as a delegate, Tom’s emotions bubbled up.
“I won’t be able to get through this,” he said. “My Dad was an immigrant from Italy. As they say, ‘right off the boat.’ He would be amazed that a member of his family has the opportunity to be on this convention floor and to be part of this great process.”
Rontondi said he was solidly behind Trump’s candidacy, even if that was not the case when the Republicans had 16 other contenders for the top spot on the ticket.
“Even if I did not start out as a Trump supporter I am a party guy and I am a process guy. This is why we have a process. This is not all about Trump, even if he is the face of it. He is our candidate and I am now behind him 100 percent,” Rotondi added.
This was Rotondi’s second convention, and it simply cannot compare to anything he has ever been involved with before, he said.
“First and foremost, Cleveland has done a spectacular job of hosting the event,” he said. The security has been tight, but well organized. It feels very safe here. There is one small (city square) that has about a dozen protesters, but TV gets in there and takes such a close picture it looks like total chaos. But in reality it is just a very small group.”
Rotondi said he made a point of arriving at the Quicken Loans Arena very early each night because there is room to move around the facility and interact with all types of interesting people. He had his photo taken with Marcus Luttrell, a former Navy Seal and member of Seal Team 10, famous as the lone survivor of a 2005 gun battle with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
On Monday night, Luttrell gave a stirring address at the convention, going off script and pleading for unity and support for our veterans. “That was one of the most inspirational things, having the chance to chat with and have my photo taken with a true American hero,” he said.
The structure of the convention program has been very upbeat, according to both Rotondi and Pagliughi
“In between the speeches, they had music and bands and people were literally dancing in the aisles,” said Rotondi. “There was very little down time.”
“It just felt different. It felt like you were a part of something special,” said Pagliughi. “I think Donald Trump made people look at him differently. The campaign is going to be tough and it’s going to be ugly at times. But I truly believe Trump is going to win, he will surround himself with the best people and he will be a great leader to bring positive change.”
