What Went Down On Night 3 Of The RNC

We went into tonight’s events with one central question: How would the RNC handle the biggest news stories of today -- Hurricane Laura and the ongoing protests around the police shooting Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin?

And as we mentioned several times on the live blog, one of the most glaring aspects of tonight’s programming was the obvious lack of discussion on these topics — one of the limitations of a convention where many of the speeches were pre-recorded.

However, Vice President Mike Pence did give a live speech, and as such, he made clear the GOP’s stance on what is happening in Kenosha, saying, “The violence must STOP – whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha.” He would add later, “You won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America,” while at the same time arguing, “We don’t have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with African American neighbors.“

We saw a summer of protests after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and there was a seismic movement in public opinion on the question of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. The question embedded in this: Is that sentiment wavering — especially among white Americans. And if it is, is that an opportunity for Republicans to sell a convincing message of “law and order” as part of their reelection bid?

Here’s the live blog team’s top headlines and takeaways for this evening:

• Meena: A Virtual Political Convention With Little Awareness Of The Unrests Of 2020
• Emily: Third Night Of The RNC Held In A Different Kind Of Bubble
• Nathaniel: Protests Turn Deadly In Kenosha As NBA Stops Play In Protest And Hurricane Barrels Toward Gulf Coast // Oh, and there was some convention?
• Seth: A Variety Of Republican Messages But Few Mentions Of Hurricanes, Shootings, Riots
• Kaleigh: RNC Suspends Its Disbelief To Focus On Traditional GOP Issues
• Dan: Republican's Standard Convention Night Sounds Dissonant Notes At Troubled Time
• Meredith: Pence Pitches to "Make America Great Again, Again."
• Galen: The Pence 2024 Presidential Campaign (Unofficially) Kicks Off
• Geoffrey: Republicans Make The Case To Women That They Should Vote For Trump
• Amelia: Republicans Make a Pro-Woman Pitch On An Otherwise Snoozy Third Night Of The RNC