What to make of the RNC in Cleveland
CLEVELAND - Like Donald Trump, the Republican National Convention was anything but conventional. It included sharp divisions, flashy entrances, calls to lock up Hillary Clinton, and internal feuds that went public.
CLEVELAND - Like Donald Trump, the Republican National Convention was anything but conventional. It included sharp divisions, flashy entrances, calls to lock up Hillary Clinton, and internal feuds that went public.
Here are the images, messages, and themes that stood out from the four days in Cleveland:
America is a troubled and scary place. The nation is in decline economically and morally, according to the speakers at the "Q," Cleveland's basketball arena. Constitutional rights, trampled. Crime, rising (see "law and order" in Trump's acceptance speech). Illegal immigrants, pouring across the border. The country and the dreams of its people are shrinking. And radical Islamic terrorists have the United States in their crosshairs, thanks to a spineless president, they said. Coastal elites scorn hardworking regular people. Police officers are being assassinated. The future is slipping away. Of course, several speakers did refer to the notion of American exceptionalism. A few even used the Puritan-era "shining city on a hill" metaphor that President Ronald Reagan loved. Yet there was little optimism or uplift to be had. The dominant theme was despair.
Republican unity? Only in hating Hillary. The idea was that after a divisive primary that saw Trump strong-arm the party elite and take hold of the GOP, Republicans would come together in Cleveland and unite behind their new leader. It didn't happen.
Many of the party's biggest names stayed away from the convention, including every living former president or nominee, save Bob Dole. Only six of Pennsylvania's 14 Republicans in Congress and the Senate showed up. Just one New Jersey congressman attended. Even the home-state governor, John Kasich, refused to take part in the formal convention festivities.
Inside the hall, some Republican insiders who had come around to their nominee remained uneasy, offered faint praise, mainly saying he was a better option than Clinton. A small group tried to usurp Trump on the convention's first day, and Sen. Ted Cruz staged his own prime time rebellion Wednesday, urging Republicans to "vote your conscience." Even Trump allies had little to say about the nominee and instead focused on attacks or talked broadly about conservative values. The one - and perhaps only - thing that brought Republicans together: hatred of Hillary. Is anger enough to win?
What's the alternative? Amid the grim portrayal of an America in danger and cataclysmic warnings about a Clinton presidency, an important element went missing: a coherent, consistent message about how Trump would make things better.
Night after night came grievances without optimism, anger without hope. The fury, embodied by Rudy Giuliani, Gov. Christie, and lusty chants of "lock her up" played well among the party faithful in Cleveland. But will that rage attract people who aren't already firmly in the Trump camp?
The danger for Trump is that the week offered the GOP base a chance to vent but failed to expand his support. Where was the keynote moment offering something people can rally around? "He gets all the Hillary problems built in, but who is Trump?" GOP strategist Mike Murphy said Thursday at a forum hosted by the Atlantic. "He needs to show people."
Though Trump won the nomination by giving voice to the frustration of so many Americans, winning the presidency usually requires delivering a vision of a better way forward. On the last of his four days on the national stage, Trump tried to deliver that. His solution: Trump. "Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it," he said, in remarks prepared for delivery. "I'm with you, I will fight for you, and I will win for you."
Kindness amid the fury. As is often the case, the anger of the crowd dissipated the closer you got. Approached for interviews, delegates from across the country were almost universally gracious, thoughtful, and eager to help. Many appreciated the chance to simply have their say - even if it was to an East Coast lamestream outlet. One thanked a reporter "for what you do." The personal interactions stood in stark contrast to the resentful tone of much of the convention, including repeated attacks on the news media.
Pennsylvania will be critical. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Donald Trump Jr. visited the Pennsylvania delegation. And then Mike Pence made the Pennsylvania delegation's Westlake hotel one of his first stops as the official GOP nominee for vice president. The message was clear: Pennsylvania is critical to Trump's strategy. Republicans haven't won the state since 1988, but with his appeal to working-class white voters, Keystone State Republicans believe Trump can break the losing streak and capture a huge state that has been an important part of the Democratic puzzle. The question is if Trump's gains in the Northeast and Southwest can offset expected losses in the vote-rich Philadelphia suburbs, where wealthy, educated voters may be repelled by his abrasive style.
Flubs. Trump complained that most conventions bored him silly, and he promised to put on a spectacular show studded with stars. But he could lure only B-listers, such as Scott Baio, the actor who played Chachi in the 1970s, and Antonio Sabato Jr., a soap opera star and underwear model. At times, the show was choppy and ran late. Long-winded speakers and a dispute over the rules that could have been settled beforehand pushed Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst out of prime time. As she spoke, delegates and guests were streaming for the exits.
There were several unforced errors: It turned out part of Melania Trump's speech praising her husband was cribbed from Michelle Obama's 2008 Democratic convention speech. The Jumbotrons in the arena flickered and then darkened Wednesday right as Eric Trump was speaking. The biggest mistake of all may have been allowing Cruz to take the stage to stab Trump in the back (rhetorically).
The Trump Kids. Stars were born. Trump's children - Ivanka, Don Jr., Eric, and Tiffany - used their prime-time speaking slots to show their father's softer side. They won wide praise from pundits and delegates.
A big week for Christie. After his initial post-endorsement appearances with Trump drew mockery - and prompted him to declare that "no, I was not being held hostage" - Christie wasn't a frequent presence on the campaign trail. But the governor was back on the national stage this week, with a convention speech "prosecuting" Clinton that stirred fervent chants from the crowd.
He was also a top defender of Trump - arguing that Melania Trump hadn't plagiarized Michelle Obama because "93 percent" of her speech was different - and a vigorous critic of Cruz after the Texas senator failed to endorse the now-GOP nominee. The attack-dog persona appeared to play well in Cleveland, but whether Christie's all-in association with Trump will pay off politically remains to be seen.
215-854-2718@tomfitzgerald
