OPINION | The Republican convention looked like a bad parody of a comedy show

These figures supported Trump at the 4:46 Republican Convention

Editor's Note: Frida Ghitis, a former producer and CNN correspondent, is a columnist for world affairs. She is a contributing opinion columnist for CNN, The Washington Post, and the World Politics Review. Follow her on Twitter @fridaghitis. The opinions expressed in this comment are yours. See more opinion at CNNE.COM/OPINION

(CNN) - Sometimes, while watching the pandemic edition of the Republican National Convention, I had to remind myself that it was not a "Saturday Night Live" parody of the Trump party. But it could easily have been.

The first night of the convention consisted of a series of skits on topics that Trump has repeatedly anticipated for us, alternating between lies about who President Donald Trump is and what he has done, and lies about who Joe Biden is and what he would do.

The convention began with an opening video. As images of the Statue of Liberty and Trump appeared on the screen, the narrator, Jon Voight, described Trump as "a man who works tirelessly for Americans" and Republicans as a party that "embraces the undeniable greatness of the diversity »(there you could put the laugh track). If the producers of "SNL" had been directing, they probably would have added a video of any of the more than 200 times Trump has gone golfing, and perhaps the clip in which the president told members of the Democrats no Congressional targets to go back to where they came from.

They painted Trump as a "decisive leader" against the pandemic, unlike the Democrats. The evidence to the contrary is overwhelming, with abundant material available to illustrate Trump's clumsiness during the federal government's response. Just to make the point, the producers put Trump in the White House talking to "ordinary people," without face masks, not enough social distancing, with Trump again mentioning "hydroxy" and again giving incorrect information about the coronavirus.

Speakers at the convention offered variations on these misleading themes, with occasional nods to minorities. Young conservative activist Charlie Kirk proclaimed Trump the "guardian of Western civilization." And the wealthy St. Louis couple who became famous in world news for brandishing their guns last June against "Black Lives Matters" protesters outside their mansion claimed that Biden and the Democrats "want to abolish the suburbs" by building low-income housing in neighborhoods. In addition, they warned about the taking of Congress by "Marxist revolutionaries."

It was all really scary, or funny, depending on your perspective.

Biden, we hear over and over again, plans to withdraw funds and dismantle the police, something that he has repeatedly denied. He was also accused of being a radical socialist, a ridiculous claim dismantled by his decades of public service. A Cuban émigré pointed out gravely that Fidel Castro was once asked if he was a communist. Castro also said no. We know how that turned out. So, a grain of salt on Biden's centrist claims; It could be a secret communist.

Montana businesswoman Tanya Weinreis praised Trump for saving her business and expressed deep compassion for small businesses facing "the terrifying prospect of Joe Biden."

The speakers were determined to make Biden look chillingly scary and Trump reassuringly competent.

Perhaps after Biden's recent performance, they changed the tactic of painting him as a madman, and instead decided to portray him as a weak leader controlled by "radical socialists," a label that came up time and again.

The accusation that all Democrats are becoming socialists collides with the reality that primary voters chose centrist Biden, who then chose a centrist running mate in Kamala Harris. They will surely hone their Trojan horse argument.

Trump's "promises made, promises kept" slogan came up several times, reminding me of his promise to abolish Obamacare and replace it with "something fantastic." Waiting, still. Then there is the wall that Mexico would pay for and all the other broken promises. But what does all that matter?

There was a lot of drama, even tears. But nothing came close to the performance of Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., former Fox News anchor and Trump campaign fundraiser. In a strident, melodramatic tone that was vaguely reminiscent of the exaggerated rhetorical style of South American warlords, Guilfoyle gave us an urgent warning of the great dangers that awaited us. Biden and the Democrats, he warned, “want to destroy this country… they want to steal your freedom. They want to control what you see, think and believe, in order to control how you live. And she pleaded: "Don't let them kill future generations."

When he finished his effusive display, CNN's Wolf Blitzer coldly declared, "That was blunt." Jake Tapper replied, "Energetic is the right word."

If "SNL" were writing the script for the Republican convention, they could simply copy some of these speeches and performances verbatim. And then finally, they could show how party officials try to create a platform, explaining what they stand for and what Republicans believe and hope to achieve. In a comedy twist, staunch Republicans would understand that everything they believed in has been destroyed or rejected by Trump.

So someone would suggest that instead of bothering to create a platform, it would simply be enough to issue a document stating that they will believe whatever Trump wants. If it were a television sketch, it would be hilarious. But, unfortunately, for the United States that is the reality.

Republican National Convention 2020 United States elections