President Trump accepted his party’s renomination to be president on the White House lawn, despite rules about not using government property for political purposes. He says he wants to unify the country and that Joe Biden is a Trojan horse for socialism who will demolish the suburbs and govern in thrall to Bernie Sanders.
Josh Barro says that seems a little over the top. He recaps the GOP convention, President Trump’s nomination acceptance speech and the party’s overall message with new Right and Left panelists Michael Brendan Dougherty of National Review and Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times
Tim Alberta says the GOP’s “we’re not that evil” message was directed at one class of persuadable voters the party cannot afford to lose en masse: college educated suburban voters, i.e. voters who aren’t running away from the Republican Party so much as they are sprinting away.
According to public opinion, Americans say the most important issue facing the country is the coronavirus, so is it a good strategy for the Republican Party to talk about the coronavirus like it’s in the past? Michael Brendan Dougherty says it might work out that by November, voters will be more ready for President Trump’s outlook and tone. Jamelle Bouie says that will be a tough sell if the virus spikes in the fall, people are still out of work with their children attending school from home, and moreover, the theme of this race has been the steadiness of Biden’s lead over Trump. What was the GOP’s closing argument to voters? And is triggering the libs enough of a policy platform for Republican voters?
Kenosha, Wisconsin has been rocked by protests and riots over another police shooting of a black man, plus counterprotesters, some of whom were essentially militia. One person shot and killed two demonstrators and wounded another. What will this mean for police reform and a 2020 campaign in which both parties have made policing a key issue?