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- By Levi Rickert
Editor’s Notebook. MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — Political party conventions are designed to generate enthusiasm of its party’s base and hopefully attract enough votes from others to vote for their candidates in the upcoming general election.
The GOP faithful met inside the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee last week to hold its 2024 Republican National Convention. It is too early to tell if the GOP’s big party was enough to sway American voters in this year’s general election to vote for their presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump.
Still, the atmosphere both inside and outside the convention was one of unity behind the former president who still denies he lost the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden, and faces sentencing for his convictions on 34 felonies in September, before the November 5 election.
The unity turned the whole convention into the Donald Trump show last week.
At the convention, one could see the cast of characters who make up today’s GOP: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Arizona’s Senate candidate Kari Lake, and even disgraced America’s mayor, Rudy Guliani.
I attended the Republican National Convention and have spent some time since getting back to Michigan reflecting on what I experienced in Milwaukee last week.
Convention Perimeter was a Fortress
Even before the attempted assassination of former President Trump on Saturday, July 13, 2024, the Secret Service, along with other local and state law enforcement, planned to provide intense security to protect the convention-goers. After the failed assassination attempt, the Secret Service said they would increase security in Milwaukee even further.
When I ordered a Lyft to “media row” at the Panther Forum, which was the media hub, my driver informed me that he could only get me within 3 blocks of the forum. As I walked toward my destination, a small parade of Independent candidate Robert F, Kennedy, Jr. supporters passed by with signs displaced on the sides of their vehicles. Scattered protestors were on sidewalks carrying signs.
Within two blocks of the convention venue perimeter, there were hundreds of officers in view. Some were on horseback, dozens were on bikes. Officers on the sidewalks carried automatic rifles. As I continued across a bridge, three police boats patrolled the Milwaukee River. In the air, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter circled the perimeter of the convention location.
Several city blocks were surrounded by high metal fences. The area was a fortress.
In order to get into the convention area, I had to put my camera case through checkpoints that were similar to the scanners at TSA airport checkpoints. On Tuesday night, my bag went through seven checkpoints.
Uncle Sam
Just before I entered the area of the first checkpoint, a elderly man dressed as Uncle Sam, with a piece of white gauze on his right ear stood at the street corner. He spoke through a megaphone in a high tone denouncing liberals in the country.
“The liberals were happy President Trump was hit by the bullet. They probably think we will be for gun control now. They’re wrong,” he said as I passed by.
As I waited to get through a security point, a journalist stopped to interview him.
I saw him early the next morning getting ready to take up his post at the same intersection outside of the downtown Hyatt Hotel.
In Search of Native American Delegates
I was given a half-hour media pass to go onto the convention floor where the state delegations were seated. The floor was packed with people. Across the floor, I saw the large placard with New Mexico on it. I thought perhaps I can find a Native American delegate to interview. I thought that was a good spot to start.
As I walked towards the New Mexico delegation, I saw the Oklahoma delegation. I slowed down to see if I could see Rep. Tom Cole (Chickasaw), the longest serving Native American to ever serve in Congress, or Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Cherokee), the only Native American currently serving in the U.S. Senate. I saw neither, so I kept on my course to the New Mexico delegation.
Once there, I noticed a seated man who could have been either Native American or Hispanic wearing a cowboy hat. I showed him my Native News Online media badge and inquired if he was Native American. He said he is Hispanic. I asked if he knew whether or not New Mexico had any Native American delegates, he said no, not that he knew of.
Just then, there was a non-Native man who I assume was a New Mexico delegate who heard my questions standing to my left. He advised me to the Arizona delegation.
“Maybe they will have a Native American delegate,” he said.
I got caught in a jammed walkway that took me at least five minutes to walk the 75 feet to the Arizona delegation. When I got to the area where the Arizona delegation was seated, I asked a gentleman sitting at the end of a row of seats. I asked him if Arizona had any Native Americans in its delegation. He did not know of any.
I then saw the sign with Nevada on it. I leaned down to ask if there was a Native American delegate among them. I was told no.
To my surprise the non-Native man who had suggested checking Arizona was behind me. He asked if I had any luck finding a Native American delegate. When I told him no, he said:
“Well, I could put on a headdress and paint my face, if you want.”
He thought it was funny. I did not.
The next day, I attended the Native American roundtable. While there, I met a Lumbee man who was an alternate to the North Carolina delegation and a delegate from California, who sits on the Pechanga tribal council. I asked the California Native American if I could ask him a few questions. He told me no.
At the conclusion of the meeting I interviewed Sen. Mullin, who led the roundtable. At the end of the interview, I asked him if he knew how many Native Americans were delegates to the convention.
“I don’t know,” Sen. Mullin said.
I saw more Native American journalists in attendance, who were fun to be with, than I did Native American delegates.
Earlier this year, I told friends, this year’s election is going to be a rollercoaster ride. So far, I am correct.
Thayék gde nwéndëmen - We are all related.
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