To preface this article, I want to be explicitly clear that I am a political know-nothing. I intentionally avoid watching the news, I distance myself from people who speak politically, and I could not be less interested in debating policy. However, I do not believe that these things are unimportant. I abstain from participating in politics almost entirely because I despise its inherent divisiveness. Issues that are complex and nuanced are reduced to left and right talking points and people who disagree forgo discourse entirely, instead bastardizing opposing views to villainize each other intentionally. Politics is a dirty game, and the media surrounding politics is dirtier yet. In my coverage of the Republican National Convention (RNC), I refrained from asking tough questions and instead attempted to integrate into the Republican culture, serving as a proverbial fly on the wall in order to capture the energy of the event.

I started my RNC journey at Drink Wisconsinbly, a bar in the heart of the action, directly across from the Fiserv Forum where Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, spoke candidly about her experience swimming against Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete. I expected hateful rhetoric, and I expected Gaines to disparage and condemn Thomas, but that is not what I observed. Instead, Gaines spoke more about equality of opportunity and American principles and her hopes of inspiring women everywhere to speak up when they perceive injustice. While I won’t testify to the validity or morality of Gaines’ experiences and opinions, for I believe that is your responsibility, I will simply state that the intention of her comments was far from hateful and obviously aimed to inspire.

From Drink Wisconsinbly, I continued to the Turning Point USA booth where its founder Charlie Kirk was speaking with Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson. Kirk and Johnson spoke sternly and concisely about many topics including Joe Biden, J.D. Vance, government size and responsibility, and on the heels of the Trump assassination attempt, both vehemently condemned political violence. 

The following day, I observed former United States Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf as he delivered a speech to a crowd waiting to enter the Fiserv Forum. Wolf spoke mainly about immigration and the U.S. southern border, claiming that under Trump the border was much more secure, and under Biden, the border was in crisis. Wolf also engaged very actively with the crowd, asking pro-Trump-inspired trivia questions and giving out merchandise for correct answers. Wolf, like Senator Johnson, concluded his speech by speaking about the attempt on the former president’s life. While his demeanor was cool, his eyes were full of fire as he described the assassination attempt as reprehensible and unacceptable. Wolf spoke to our differences as Americans and our responsibility to remain civil in our disagreements, leaving us with an interesting phrase: “This isn’t a matter of left and right, it’s a matter of right and wrong.”

Perhaps my favorite encounter of the whole event was completely off the record and therefore I have no pictures to document, no names to mention, and only minimal general insight to offer. After a long couple of days of complete immersion in Republican culture, I found myself again at the Drink Wisconsinbly pub for an official RNC watch party, this time, surrounded by staff of Republican Senators and Treasurers and Delegates. Assured that they were off the record, the staff spoke very openly and candidly about the extreme polarization of the political parties. The staff called out the ludicrousness of both parties’ far-leaning members and chastised the media for focusing so heavily on those voices. They claimed that while the politicians are so passionately opposed to each other on stage, the individuals that make up their staff are in constant communication, have cordial relationships, and are simply doing their jobs like any other American. While we spoke at length about many issues and specific policies, the only real thing I feel comfortable sharing is the overwhelming sense of community. The staff, which I fully expected to be right-wing political shills, fully intent on regurgitating right-wing political talking points, were instead thoughtful and insightful friends, who posited that 80% of people are coming to the table in good faith, willing to listen, with the intent of creating a community we can all be proud of.