I have lots of little takeaways from RNC Night 1 that don't really add up to one big one, so here goes: The in-person format worked well and made for a more seamless presentation than the DNC, and there was more substance to a lot of the speeches than just "Trump is good." Scott's speech was especially good, and I thought it was interesting that Republicans focused on a lot of the old hits like school vouchers and appointing Supreme Court justices. On the other hand, it's interesting that those speeches existed alongside those of Gaetz and Guilfoyle, who gave very over-the-top, Trumpier speeches. Even though Trump has shown that rhetoric can be effective at rallying a base, I just don't think it's an effective message to the American public. Overall, the "optimism" we were told would be present at the RNC was in short supply tonight (again, with the notable exception of Scott's speech). Overall, a pretty whiplash-y night.