Last week, the Republican National Convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio. There were many noteworthy moments as the nations top political figures took the stage to talk about their newly-appointed nominee, Donald Trump. Here is a quick re-cap of the weeks most memorable speeches:
Melania Trump
Melania’s speech came under fire for closely following portions of Michelle Obama’s remarks at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
I personally don't think this is a huge deal, but it's certainly not a good look. The last person you want to be caught plagarizing if you're Melania Trump is Michelle Obama. She is the first lady you are trying to replace, representing the party you are trying to defeat. Michelle has a prime-time speaking slot tonight at the DNC, and she'll likely have a sharp bit prepared in regards to Melania. As I watched her speak I couldn't help but wonder-- is this gold-digging super model really about to fill the same shoes as Nancy Reagan? I think Melania gets more hate than she deserves from the liberal media, but her decision to marry a fat orange man 24 years her senior leads me to question her intentions. Is she in this for America or the fame and publicity? I guess Donald didn't really give her a choice, but her legacy as a candidate for first lady remains to be seen.
Mike Pence
Mike Pence made his debut as Trump’s running mate. He seems like a fairly generic politician— upright, polite and well-spoken. He joked Trump picked him to help “balance” his oversized personality on the ticket (and he's probably right). I think Pence was the right pick, as the mannerisms of other contenders like Christie and Newt Gingrich are too trump-ish and don't allow him to connect with voters skeptical of his brash, off-the-cuff style. With Pence, Trump attracts evangelical christians (Pence noted he's “a christian, conservative and a republican, in that order”) and social conservatives. Pence seems to be a genuinely good guy and I look forward to watching him in the vice-presidential debate.
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz stole the show at the RNC by becoming the villain, refusing to endorse Donald Trump and telling the crowd of ravenous Trump supporters to "stick to their morals" and “vote their conscience”. Cruz’ speech drew criticism for being selfish and divisive to the party, with many accusing him of being a sore loser. At an event designed to promote Trump, Cruz essentially spits in his face and gives a middle finger to the entire party, signaling to voters they have made a giant mistake in electing Trump. Cruz refused to fall in line, which only causes more chaos and divisiveness for the Republican Party. Fans booed and chanted for Cruz to "endorse Trump".
It seems like an absurd move, but honestly, I think Cruz might have pulled the most brilliant maneuver of the presidential cycle. Cruz promotes himself as a “courageous conservative”, and that speech certainly took some courage. By refusing to endorse Trump, Cruz gave himself a talking point that could bolster his campaign in 2020; he was the only republican to go to the convention and stand up against Trump. Not endorsing Trump is one thing (Kasich and all three Bushes haven't) but going to the convention and openly disavowing him is on another level. None of the other major contenders for 2020 that spoke (Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie) had the grapes to do what Cruz did. Cruz is banking on the fact that Trump’s run will end in a landslide defeat, and the GOP will emerge wondering what the hell they were thinking. And that is certainly a possibility given all major polls to this point (**see below**) have Clinton ahead by comfortable margins. If Trump fails to improve his standing with latinos and women, he will almost certainly lose come November. Cruz’ maneuver last Wednesday could give him some major favorability points and a huge head start going into 2020.
Donald Trump
Most major media outlets labeled Trump’s speech as “dark”, but honestly, can you blame the guy? Look at the world right now. Terrorist attacks in Brussels, Orlando and Nice with another shooting in Germany the other day. Police officers gunned down in Dallas and Baton Rouge. Racial tensions through the roof. Harambe. This isn’t the worlds finest hour, and it isn’t any secret. Trump's tone was a little rough and his message could have been more hopeful, but like Cruz, he knew exactly what he was doing. Trump plays on peoples fears because he knows it works. When people see news coverage of the terrorist attacks in Nice, mass shootings in Germany, a military coup in Turkey for Christ's sake-- I didn't think those were a thing in the modern era-- they get scared and want to be told that everything will be alright. They want to be told that terrorists will be kept from our shores. And they want to be told in the most basic, simple terms possible. That is why "Make America Great Again", "Make America Safe Again" and "Build That Wall" have been the mantras propelling Trump's campaign to victory.
It's not that the American people are uneducated, they just don't want to hear some long, detailed policy proposal when they turn on their TV after a long day at work. They want entertainment, drama, controversy. If they watch the RNC, they will be much more captivated by a speech about recent terror events and our nations lack of security than some detailed statement regarding the budgetary limitations of our national defense system. This thinking seems to have worked for Donald Trump, as a **groundbreaking new poll** released today shows Trump has pulled ahead of Hillary Clinton for the first time.
Clearly, voters responded well to Trump's speech. And this isn't some obscure poll pulled from a Tea Party website-- this is a poll from CNN. The Clinton News Network. This is a major achievement for Trump's campaign, and we'll see if he can continue this momentum going forward.
-Beats