Republicans shatter norms by using government
roles during political convention
Trump allies and family members also used misleading
claims to portray the president as the best hope for America’s future
Daniel
Strauss
@danielstrauss4
Wed 26 Aug
2020 05.56 BSTFirst published on Wed 26 Aug 2020 01.31 BST
Allies of
Donald Trump shattered political norms, stirred controversy and issued
misleading claims against Democrats during the second night of the Republican
party’s national convention on Tuesday.
In speech
after speech, a collection of Trump’s family members, allies, rightwing
campaigners and swing-state farmers portrayed the president as the best hope
for America’s future.
A spokesperson
for Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden said Tuesday’s event presented an
“alternate reality” that failed to acknowledge the severity of the coronavirus
pandemic or its economic fallout.
In his
speech on Tuesday, Larry Kudlow, who leads the White House’s council of
economic advisers, described the coronavirus pandemic in the past tense,
apparently ignoring that hundreds continue to die each day.
More than
175,000 people have died and more than 5.7 million have been infected in the
US, far more than any other country in the world.
“President
Trump’s RNC is an alternate reality. In this delusion, thousands of Americans
didn’t die in the last week from Covid-19, nor have millions of Americans been
infected or put out of work. Our economy hasn’t ground to a halt and our kids
aren’t being kept home from school,” Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign
manager, said in a statement.
“Donald
Trump’s continual refusal to take this virus seriously has given the United
States the worst outbreak in the world, and his convention’s refusal to come to
grips with reality or acknowledge the magnitude of the loss is a stark reminder
to Americans of his complete failure to lead.”
As Trump
trails Biden in national polls, some speakers claimed that Trump’s first term
accomplishments were being ignored, while Biden and Democrats enjoy the cover
of a sympathetic media.
“My father
ran, not because he needed the job, but because he knew hardworking people
across this great country were being left behind,” said Eric Trump, the
executive vice-president of the Trump Organization, which is currently under
investigation. “The media mocked these patriots – and ‘the flyover states’ in
which they lived.”
Meanwhile,
Trump and members of his administration raised ethics concerns and broke
longstanding traditions by using their public office positions for political
purposes.
In a
pre-recorded segment played early on in the evening, the president used his
executive power to pardon Jon Ponder, a man from Nevada who founded an
organization to help prisoners reintegrate into society after he served time in
prison for robbing a bank. Later, the convention aired a naturalization
ceremony for a diverse group of new American citizens, swearing their
allegiance to the United States with the acting homeland security secretary,
Chad Wolf, and Trump present.
Mike Pompeo
became the first sitting secretary of state to address a national convention in
75 years, again prompting criticism that he was inappropriately using his
office for political gain. Pompeo himself has high political aspirations and
has been mentioned as a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2024. He
used his brief speech to tout the Trump administration’s major foreign policy
moves.
“This
president has led bold initiatives in nearly every corner of the world,” Pompeo
said, going on to say how Trump has “held China accountable for covering up the
China virus”, without providing details. He also noted the Trump administration
moved the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and claimed that under Trump’s
leadership the “Isis caliphate is wiped out”. The commander of US Central
Command said this week the terror group has not been completely defeated.
Legal
observers warned the segments appeared to violate the Hatch Act, which bans
federal employees from taking part in political activity while on duty.
“Feels like
the whole using the White House as a backdrop for a political campaign has been
completely normalized already,” tweeted the former SDNY prosecutor Mimi Rocah.
“It’s never been done before for a reason. It’s a violation of the Hatch Act,
it’s a misuse of government resources & an abuse of power.”
Melania
Trump gave the most sympathetic speech of the evening in front of an audience
in the Rose Garden of the White House. She touched on the country’s ongoing
opioid epidemic and alluded to the high death toll from the coronavirus
pandemic.
“My deepest
sympathy goes to everyone who has lost a loved one and my prayers are with
those who are ill and suffering,” the first lady said. On the ongoing racial unrest
in the country the first lady refrained from blaming it on anarchists as other
speakers have throughout the convention.
“Like all
of you, I have reflected on the racial unrest in our country,” the first lady
said. “It’s a harsh reality. We are not proud of parts of our history.”
The
four-day convention is also including Republicans who embrace the QAnon
conspiracy theory. Mary Ann Mendoza, who was set to speak on Tuesday, urged her
Twitter followers to look into an antisemitic QAnon conspiracy. She was
reportedly taken off the list of scheduled speakers shortly before Tuesday
night’s program began.
On Tuesday,
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican presidential candidate in Georgia with a
long record of engaging in QAnon circles, was invited to attend Trump’s
nomination acceptance speech on Thursday.
Tuesday’s
speakers also railed against “cancel culture”, and the pro-choice movement, and
argued that Biden and his family have enjoyed unfair advantages because of the
Democratic nominee’s former position as vice-president, despite many members of
the Trump family holding influential positions as White House advisers and
Trump campaign surrogates.
The former
Florida attorney general Pam Bondi directly attacked Biden’s son Hunter during
her speech.
“A corrupt
Ukrainian oligarch put Hunter on the board of his gas company, even though he
had no experience in the country – or in the energy sector. None. Yet he was
paid millions to do nothing,” Bondi claimed in her speech. “He only had one
qualification that mattered: he was the son of the man in charge of distributing
US aid to Ukraine.”
There is no
evidence the Bidens broke the law. Trump’s attempt to pressure the Ukrainian
government to investigate them prompted the impeachment process against him. He
became the third president in US history to be impeached.
Bondi’s
speech bashing nepotism was immediately followed by a speech from Tiffany
Trump, the president’s 26-year-old daughter who recently graduated law school.
The daughter of the billionaire American president said Trump was the candidate
of criminal justice reform and the economy, which is struggling, with more than
30 million Americans unemployed as the country fails to control the coronavirus
pandemic.
“As a
recent graduate, I can relate to so many of you who might be looking for a
job,” Tiffany Trump said. “My father built a thriving economy once, and believe
me, he will do it again.”
Many of the
minority or African American speakers addressed race during their speeches.
Daniel Cameron, the African American attorney general of Kentucky pegged as a
rising star in the Republican party, used a portion of his speech to bash past
comments Biden made on race.
“I think
often about my ancestors who struggled for freedom. And as I think of those
giants and their broad shoulders, I also think about Joe Biden, who says: ‘If
you aren’t voting for me, you ain’t black,’ Cameron said.
The Trump
campaign described Tuesday’s events as focused on honoring “the opportunities
all Americans now have, thanks to President Trump’s policies and his leadership
empowering all Americans to achieve their full potential”.
2020
CONVENTIONS
Political stunts, missed opportunities, and
compassionate conservatism
Insights and takeaways from Night 2 of the Republican
National Convention.
By TIM
ALBERTA
08/25/2020
06:09 PM EDT
Updated:
08/25/2020 11:58 PM EDT
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/25/rnc-convention-tuesday-what-to-watch-401782
After two
nights of unusual programming — a blend of obsequious Trump tributes,
apocalyptic warnings and inspired testimonials from average Americans — first
lady Melania Trump restored a sense of normalcy Tuesday night, closing the GOP
convention’s second act with a speech that was remarkable for its restraint and
deliberate adherence to etiquette.
"I
don't want to use this precious time attacking the other side, because as we saw
last week that kind of talk only serves to divide the country further,” she
said. "I’m here because we need my husband to be our president and
commander in chief for four more years.”
The first
lady showed self-awareness in presenting herself as the calm, soothing
counterpart to her famously (but, she stressed, not dangerously) volatile
husband. Perhaps sensing that the country is desperate for a break from the
gusher of bad news, for a reprieve from the polarization and tribal politics
that invited her relocation to Washington four years ago, Melania Trump
embraced the role of stateswoman on Tuesday, offering a pacifying commentary
that could have easily been spoken by any former First Lady.
"I'd
like to call on the citizens of this country to take a moment, pause, and look
at things from all perspectives. I urge people to come together in a civil
manner so we can work and live up to our standard American ideals,” she said.
“I have reflected on the racial unrest in our country. It is a harsh reality that
we are not proud of parts of our history. … Stop the violence and looting being
done in the name of justice, and never make assumptions based on the color of a
person’s skin.”
Perhaps
recognizing how inconsistent such ideals are with her husband’s own record of
conduct and rhetoric, the First Lady noted, "We all know Donald Trump
makes no secret about how he feels about things. Total honesty is what we as
citizens deserve as president; whether you like it or not, you always know what
he’s thinking, and that is because he’s an authentic person who loves this
country and its people.”
These are
tough times to sell a product like Donald Trump, an incumbent president
struggling to handle multiple overlapping crises. What Melania Trump showed
Tuesday night was that, for all the doubts of her political acumen, she can
make lemonade better than anyone—using the perch of the president’s office to
preach the sort of unity her husband struggles with, explaining that the words
on her lips are really a reflection of his heart.
Here are
some other takeaways from Tuesday night:
A Star is
Born
I’m pretty
sure nobody outside of Kentucky had heard the name Daniel Cameron prior to
Tuesday night.
They’ve
heard it now — and they won’t soon forget it.
It was fair
to wonder, when Tuesday’s lineup was announced, why Republicans rewarded the
virtually unknown Kentucky attorney general with a coveted speaking slot teeing
up Mike Pompeo and Melania Trump. But it quickly became apparent when Cameron
stepped to the lectern.
His
presence was immediate. His cadence was impeccable. His innate abilities as an
orator were evident from the jump. Political phenoms don’t come around often —
but you know them when you see them. There could be no doubt on Tuesday night:
Daniel Cameron is a political phenom.
Cameron has
obvious gifts that would make him a star-in-making under any circumstance. A
native of Louisville, Cameron worked as legal counsel to Senate Majority Leader
(and fellow Kentuckian) Mitch McConnell after graduating from the Louis D.
Brandeis School of Law.
That’s an
impressive resume for a guy who's just 34 years old. But even more impressive
was his cool under the bright lights of primetime on Tuesday. Far smaller
stages have thrown far more practiced politicians for a loop. But Cameron
looked right at home.
Cameron is
just 34 years old. It’s overkill to compare his breakout performance to that of
Barack Obama at the 2004 convention, an obvious parallel but one that is
fundamentally unfair. (Obama brought tens of thousands of people to their feet;
Cameron was speaking to an empty auditorium.) Still, when the story of the 2020
Republican convention is written, Cameron will be a starring character.
This much
seems certain: We haven’t seen the last of Daniel Cameron in primetime.
A Missed
Opportunity
Five years
of opinion polls say that President Trump is not well liked. He is not seen as
honest. He is not viewed as trustworthy. He is not widely considered to be an
ethical person.
One would
think, then, that Republicans would be eager to challenge the popular
portrayals of him and show a different side of the president. Jim Jordan and
Steve Scalise, two of the president’s loyalists on Capitol Hill, took a whack
at this on Monday night, telling stories of the president’s compassion and
friendship and lending human dimension to his character.
But on
Tuesday night, there was virtually nothing offered on this front — which was
made all the more surprising by the fact that two of Trump’s children gave
lengthy speeches.
Tiffany
Trump, the president’s youngest daughter, made repeated references to “my
father.” But it was always to tout his political chops — “My father built a
thriving economy once,” “My father was the only person to challenge the
establishment” — and never to shed any light on him as a person, as a dad. If
you took out the references to “My father,” the substance of Tiffany Trump’s
speech could have been delivered by anyone else this week. She offered no
intimate insights into a man she knows better than almost any other person
alive.
Eric Trump,
the president’s middle son, didn’t do much more in this regard.
Late in his
speech, Eric Trump said, "In closing, I’d like to speak directly to my
father. I miss working alongside you every day but I’m damn proud to be on the
front lines of this fight.” Then, nodding toward the recent death of the
president’s brother, he added, "Dad, let’s make Uncle Robert proud: Let’s
go get another 4 years. I love you very much.”
This brief
personal note was the most memorable line of the speech. And it made all the
more conspicuous the lack of attempts Tuesday night to humanize the president.
Trump adds
to the ‘American Family'
Here’s
another convention first, and a visual masterstroke from Team Trump: Tuesday’s
program showed the president overseeing the naturalization ceremony of five
immigrants, congratulating them on becoming U.S. citizens during a primetime
broadcast.
To be
clear: This was a naked political stunt, meant to show voters that Trump, who
has used harsh and demeaning rhetoric about immigrants, is really quite
accepting of and accommodating to new Americans of color.
Not all
political stunts are smart or well-executed. This one was both.
With the
acting secretary of Homeland Security serving as emcee — raising questions, no
doubt, about the legality of a government official working on behalf of a
campaign — Trump went down the line of the five new citizens, telling their
stories. All five were people of color. One of the women wore a head scarf;
another wore a sari.
It was,
acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf said, a “patriotic celebration.” Trump
concurred, welcoming the five people to “our great American family” and telling
them, “It’s an honor to be your president.”
Just as
with Trump’s earlier surprise — bestowing a presidential pardon on a black
ex-felon — this scene will serve two purposes. In the short term, it will grab
headlines and prompt conversation about a softer side of the president. In the
longer term, the sharply-produced videos will be of enormous value on social
media and in TV commercials as Trump’s campaign seeks to make inroads with the
voters most likely to be moved: the college-educated white suburbanites who
want a diverse America and an empathetic president.
All about
that base: social conservatives
If the
target demographic of Monday night’s program was a mystery, Tuesday night’s
programming felt aimed squarely at one group of voters: social conservatives.
The night
began with a prayer from Norma Urrabazo, a Las Vegas pastor, who asked for
"healing and comfort to Jacob Blake and his family,” referring to the
unarmed black man who was shot this week by a white police officer in
Wisconsin.
Next came
an emotional scene in which Trump offered a presidential pardon to an ex-felon
who gave his life to Jesus while in prison and started a ministry for
ex-prisoners when he got out.
Little
noticed was Rand Paul’s mention of "medical mission” trips to Guatemala
and Haiti and how Trump supported them. That language, to church-going
evangelicals, will sound familiar.
A short
while later, Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of famed evangelist Billy
Graham, delivered a forceful endorsement of Trump and described him as a
“fierce advocate” for Christian conservative values. She rattled off the ways
in which he has fought for them: "He appointed judges who respect the
First Amendment. He supported religious beliefs in court. He ensured religious
ministries would not be forced to violate their beliefs. He withdrew the
policies that placed our little girls at risk.” She then closed by quoting her
grandfather, and declared, "I hope and pray you will join me in voting to
re-elect President Trump."
The most
visceral appeal came from Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee
who is now an outspoken anti-abortion activist. Describing the “racist roots”
of her former employer — music to the ears of the religious right — Johnson
detailed the alleged horrors she saw, heard and smelled inside of abortion
clinics. She concluded that, "I support President Trump because he’s done
more for the unborn than any other President,” and added, "This election
is a choice between two radical, anti-life activists, and the most pro-life
President we’ve ever had. That’s something that should compel you to
action."
Piggybacking
on the theme of abortion, the next speaker, Nick Sandmann, explained that what
brought him to Washington in the first place—before his infamous viral episode
on the National Mall—was the March for Life, "where I demonstrated in
defense of the unborn.” Tying the mission of that demonstration to his support
for Trump, Sandmann explained, "I bought a 'Make America Great Again' hat
because our President, Donald Trump, has distinguished himself as the most
pro-life Presidents in the history of our country and I wanted to express my
support for him too.” Then, speaking implicitly to the narrative among social
conservatives that they are under siege for their beliefs, Sandmann said,
"Looking back now, how could I possibly have imagined that the simple act
of putting on that red hat would unleash the hate from the left and make myself
the target of network and cable news networks, nationwide?”
All this,
in the first hour of programming.
Politics is
about building a coalition—and the cornerstone of any coalition is a base.
Trump can’t think about expanding his coalition this fall until he’s secured
the support of his base. In that sense, the consistent, coordinated messaging
Tuesday night made perfect sense.
When the
pandemic is a thing of the past
White House
chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow has been known to put his foot in his
mouth, particularly over the past six months as the Trump administration has
struggled to thwart the Covid-19 pandemic, but Tuesday night's performance was
a uniquely questionable.
Consider
the following statements:
— "We
still have a lot of hardship, and we have a lot of heartbreak in many areas.
But we’ve hit a turning point. And now the recovery has begun."
—
"There's a big change in attitude happening. The American Spirit is
picking up."
— “Get
ready for a big third and fourth quarter, folks."
—
"Biden is backing over $3 trillion in tax hikes. You're coming out of a
pandemic, and he wants to raise taxes? That's crazy.”
What do
they have in common? All of these statements from Kudlow assume that Covid-19
has come and gone; that the threat is behind us; that America is out of the
woods and needs to focus on rebuilding.
In fact,
we’re not out of the woods — there is no sign of a significant, sustained
downturn in the spread of Covid-19. And the reality is, when Americans are
polled, majorities don’t believe we’re in the rebuilding stage. Rather, they
want the government to focus on—and do much better with—efforts to slow the
virus.
The
administration was dealt a brutal election-year hand with Covid-19. Trump can
be excused for wanting to shift the country’s attention from 180,000 deaths to
signs of economic recovery. But the truth is, there can be no real recovery
without first containing the virus. And every time someone like Kudlow pretends
that we’ve turned the corner — when we clearly have not — he’s doing a
disservice not only to his boss but to the American public.
An Ode to
Compassionate Conservativism
Here’s some
catnip for the white evangelical Christians who overwhelmingly supported the
president in 2016 (81 percent, per exit polls) and have remained his most
steadfast bloc of support: Trump pardoning a convicted felon during the GOP
convention after a story of how the man became “born again" and turned his
life around.
"Not
so long ago, my life was running from the police, fearing the police, and
avoiding the police,” said Jon Ponder, a middle-aged black man, introducing
himself to a national audience. "I had allowed animosity to grow inside of
me, making me believe that they were my enemy. But today, I’m filled with hope.
I have been given a second chance. My transformation began in a prison cell. I
gave my life to Jesus."
Rich
Beasley, a retired white FBI agent, shared the screen with Ponder, telling the
story of arresting him for a bank robbery 15 years ago. When Ponder was
released, Beasley said, the ex-con “was a different man. He talked about
starting a re-entry program for men and women coming out of prison. He knew he
could make a difference in the lives of ex-offenders.”
Standing
with the president, he two men touted legislation Trump signed to reform parts
of the criminal justice system. Then, in an apparent surprise, Trump announced
his pardon of Ponder, leaving the man in tears.
It was a
highly effective moment. Not only did the segment serve as a reminder of
Trump’s lone bipartisan achievement; it also hearkened back to the days of
“compassionate conservatism” under George W. Bush, when the 43rd president made
prisoner re-entry programs a staple of his domestic agenda.
Nobody will
confuse Trump with Bush as far as their attitudes toward minorities and
policymaking priorities. Still, Trump was smart to deliver a feel-good,
made-for-social-media-sharing moment for a Christian conservative base that
needs some energizing at the moment.
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