Political Conventions Should Be NC-17

It’s the first day of the Republican National Convention, which means that things are already getting pear-shaped. In other words, it’s a fitting follow-up to what the Democrats did (and didn’t) do last week.

On today’s Reason Roundtable podcast, Nick Gillespie, Peter Suderman, Matt Welch, and Katherine Mangu-Ward break down the lowlights and strain for some highlights from last week, while previewing the American carnage and straining for upcoming attractions in this week’s. The gang also talks about Portland protests, New York City backsliding, school reopenings (and lack thereof), and (of course!) superhero movies.

Audio production by Ian Keyser and Regan Taylor.

Music: ‘Come Get With Us’ by TrackTribe.

Relevant links from the show:

“The 2020 Republican Convention Doesn’t Have a Platform—It Has Trump’s Pet Peeves,” by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

“Americans Dislike Both Biden and Trump,” by J.D. Tuccille

“GOP Hawks Are Turning Out for Biden,” by Eric Boehm

“Democratic Convention Recap: Biden and Harris Vow To Make Government Even Bigger,” by Justin Monticello

“The Democratic Convention Was a Brief for Biden’s Character. Policy Got Left Behind,” by Peter Suderman

“What if Joe Biden Were a Libertarian? We Fixed His Acceptance Speech,” by Paul Detrick

“A Vote for Joe Biden Is a Vote for a National Mask Mandate, Says Biden,” by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

“Did Joe Biden and the Democratic National Convention Forget About Trump’s Tariffs?” by Eric Boehm

“Tulsi Gabbard Says the DNC Didn’t Even Ask Her To Speak,” by Robby Soave

“Are the Democrats Right That We Are Seeing an ‘Epidemic of Gun Violence’?” by Jacob Sullum

“Americans Rightly Tune Out the Democratic National Convention,” by Nick Gillespie

“Kamala Night at the DNC: The Party Anoints Harris and Brags About Biden’s Crime Bill,” by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

“Democratic Convention: Dems Want to Stop Gun Violence, but They Can’t Say How,” by Brian Doherty

“The Democrats Should Not Be Presenting Houston’s Police Chief As an Avatar of Reform,” by Jacob Sullum

“Democratic Party Platform Calls for End to Drug War, But Not Really,” by Scott Shackford

“Big-Spending Biden,” by John Stossel

“Michelle Obama Hates Politics and Third Parties, Loves Schmaltz and Unity,” by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

“Bernie Sanders Just Gave Joe Biden a Very Expensive Wish List,” by Eric Boehm

“When You Say Yes to Hate: Dispatch From Portland,” by Nancy Rommelmann

“A Night of Aimlessness, Surrounded by Flames: Dispatch From Portland,” by Nancy Rommelmann

“School Reopenings Linked to Union Influence and Politics, Not Safety,” by Corey A. DeAngelis

“California Blackouts: It’s Not Just the Heat, It’s Also the Anti-Nuclear Power Stupidity,” by Ronald Bailey