Khizr Khan. When he came on to give his speech at the Democratic National Convention, I didn't expect much. I knew a little about his backstory, but I had seen so many "character witnesses" come on to give short speeches at conventions, I didn't think the impact would be there.
Boy was I wrong ...
There is something to be said for a man who would have been denied entrance into this country simply because of his religion coming on stage and talking so powerfully about the sacrifice that his family--his son--has had to make for the love of their country.
And then, looking straight in the camera, he said directly to Donald Trump: "You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
He went on to question whether Donald Trump even understood the meaning of the United States Constitution, pulling a small copy from his pocket and saying, "“Let me ask you: Have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy."
In one speech, with his wife by his side and his son in his heart, Mr. Khan could have destroyed Donald Trump's chances of winning the Presidency. And I'll explain why ...
Just Right of Center
If there is one thing that the people love more than anything, it's a hero. And Khan's son, Capt. Humayun Khan who died in the United States Army fighting in Iraq, is the exact hero that people can get behind. He protected his unit and ensured that they did not die, sacrificing his life for it. Because of that, he posthumously got a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
And if the man of a soldier who died fighting for his country can come out and support Hillary Clinton, that can have a lasting impact on one particular group of people:
Right of center Republicans.
Think about that for a second ... If we look at the Republican Party of today, it has been hijacked by social conservatives who have effectively pushed traditional, pro-business, pro-defense spending conservatives to the side. In its place, you see people arguing about abortion, gay marriage, and what bathroom people can use.
These Republicans couldn't care less about those issues. What they care about is whether the military is strong and if their businesses can grow.
Now these just right of center Republicans are hearing from a man whose son died in that very same military, stumping for Hillary Clinton. Suddenly, these just right of center Republicans are left asking themselves if they want to support a man who would have made this hero irrelevant.
It's Working
The point of these speeches is to excite people and get them interested in voting for that particular candidate. As POLITICO reported, "In the minute after he finished at 9:18 p.m., observers noted a spike in people searching Google for "register to vote.""
Think about that for a second ...
People spent 7 minutes watching him give a speech about the sacrifice that he and has family have had to make, shaming Donald Trump for never having to sacrifice and for being a racist demagogue, and people heard him. They heard him loud and clear.
And then they learned how to get involved. Now we don't know what party these people were registering for, but it'd be a serious stretch that people were registering to vote because they hated him. Remember, those right of center Republicans pride military sacrifice.
I believe that, should Hillary Clinton win the election, we'll look back and see that it was this single, seven minute speech that changed everything. Donald Trump would have prevented Captain Khan from entering the United States. Because he didn't have that power at the time, he sacrificed his life to save 13.
This election just got a whole lot more interesting ...