I’m at a loss for what to say. No jokes. No outrage.
Not a good look but not surprising.
The moment of silence came at the request of one of the roughly 2,300 delegates as the convention work began early Saturday morning. Any delegate has the right to make a motion during that part of the convention process, said state Rep. Danny Nadeau, a Republican from Rogers who chaired the convention, in an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune. Delegates offered hundreds through the weekend, he said.
Nadeau said he recommended against the motion, but his job is to facilitate the delegates’ work, and he cannot unilaterally block it. The motion passed on a voice vote after Nadeau asked the crowd if they “would like to have a short 30-seconds stand in silence for Derek Chauvin.”
The actual moment lasted fewer than 10 seconds before Nadeau clanged his gavel. Some Republicans were uncomfortable with the episode, while others supported it.
The vote illustrated how the convention delegate base often holds more conservative views than the broader electorate. It also served as a reminder that cultural flash points from 2020 remain deeply embedded in Republican grassroots activism, even as party leaders attempt to keep the focus on taxes, public safety and the economy.
Even if Republican officials didn’t direct the moment of silence, they’re now being forced to respond to it.
I can understand that people might get tired of feeling like criminals get away with too much and are sometimes glorified when they are killed by police. And I doubt that few people would have wanted to have George Floyd as a neighbor.
And police officers do have tough work as they are usually dealing with the dregs of society. I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to police officers when the situation could go either way.
But this was so obviously wrong that anyone with an objective mind can’t justify it. That the Republicans would do what they did says so much about them and why they cheer for the cruelty we see coming from the White House.
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I didn’t know him, but Floyd was apparently not an exemplary individual. But being a flawed individual never warrants being put to death.
To me, this is as obvious as gravity.
That said, l regularly speak with folks IRL that think that Chauvin did absolutely nothing wrong. What is more fascinating is that these same folks also support our current president without reservation.
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