NEWS AND OPINION:
Batten down the hatches. The Democratic National Convention begins Monday starring former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Sen. Kamala D. Harris and a proverbial cast of thousands, eagerly chronicled by a mostly affectionate news media. It is a highly branded, carefully marketed event, boasting a different theme each day and a complete online campaign resource for voters. Audience engagement and sense of having a personal “experience” is paramount.
Indeed, the Democratic Party is closely cultivating viewer interest, offering a digital tool kit for one and all that includes official social media graphics and hashtags, printable campaign signs, phone wallpapers and Zoom backgrounds — to “make the most of staying at home,” organizers say.
Things get underway at high noon with caucus and council meetings, followed at 9 p.m. Eastern, when 11 heavy hitters command the microphone, including Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Bernard Sanders, Michelle Obama and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
None of this is live on stage of course, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many will participate, however. Every major broadcast and cable network will devote at least an hour of prime-time to the big doings, most coverage beginning at 10 p.m. Monday.
Fox News programming includes an 18-member team anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum on hand throughout the four-day convention, with additional input from Dana Perino, Chris Wallace, Brit Hume and Juan Williams, among many others.
MSNBC offers the most intense schedule. Their coverage begins at 7 p.m. each night and stretches to 2 a.m. C-SPAN, meanwhile begins their coverage — without endless commentary — at 9 p.m. To catch the live-feed of the convention yourself, simply visit Demconvention.com, which is active 9-11 p.m. each night.
TRUMP’S PLAN
President Trump will not be the big finale for the Republican National Convention when it begins on Aug. 24. Instead, Mr. Trump will appear every single day during the four-day event — an innovative and unprecedented tactic.
PALIN’S ADVICE FOR TRUMP
Former Republican vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin has some straightforward wisdom for President Trump as his campaign continues
“What I would hope President Trump and his team will do is not get into the personal, petty type stuff. Just stay focused on what their record is. It speaks for itself,” Mrs. Palin told Fox News host Jesse Watters in an interview Saturday.
24 TRUMP COALITIONS UP AND RUNNING
President Trump’s nimble campaign continues to organize voter coalitions which reflect an emerging and unique diversity among Trump fans. There are current organizations for military veterans, pro-lifers, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, mothers, Greek Americans, lawyers, ranchers, Catholics — the list goes on.
The campaign has added four more to the roster: Indian Voices for Trump, Hindu Voices for Trump, Sikhs for Trump, and Muslim Voices for Trump. The new coalitions, the campaign says, will reach out to those communities nationwide to counter the Democrats’ socialist agenda and “ensure prosperity and security” through 2024.
“These four campaign coalitions represent groups that strongly support the values of President Trump and the Republican Party: Freedom, democracy, and the American Dream,” says Ashley Hayek, director of coalitions for the Trump campaign.
“As Joe Biden promises to impose high taxes, undermine family values, and make our streets less safe, we stand with President Trump and his mission to Make America Great Again.”
PLEASED OR NOT SO PLEASED
Political preferences are a complicated thing, shaped by the intangible influences of individual tastes and motivations. So far, President Trump is winning the “are you pleased with your candidate” competition.
“Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are more likely than Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents to say they are generally pleased with their party’s candidate. About three-quarters of Republicans/leaners are generally pleased with Trump, while 25% wish someone else were the nominee. In contrast, 48% of Democrats/leaners are pleased with Joe Biden and 52% would prefer another candidate,” reports Megan Brennan, a Gallup poll analyst.
A LIBERTARIAN HAS A SAY
Jo Jorgensen, the Libertarian Party’s 2020 presidential candidate, is not holding back when it comes to the Democratic Party’s White House hopefuls.
Ms. Jorgensen cites in a statement Sen. Kamala Harris’ record as attorney general for California, “when she oversaw the incarceration of over 1,500 people convicted of cannabis violations.”
“She is guilty of prosecutorial brutality, the silent partner of police brutality,” the candidate said — also calling Democratic presidential Joseph R. Biden the “architect” of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
“The president sets the tone for law enforcement in our country, and the vice-president is next in line. If we want to put an end to police brutality, the last thing we need is a champion of prosecutorial brutality one heartbeat away,” she says.
And where does the Libertarian Party stand on such issues?
“We favor the repeal of all laws creating ’crimes’ without victims, such as gambling, the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes, and consensual transactions involving sexual services,” the Party notes in its official platform statement.
POLL DU JOUR
• 36% of U.S., adults agree that “only Joe Biden would be a good president”; 4% of Republicans, 28% of independents and 75% of Democrats agree.
• 33% overall agree that only President Trump would be a good president; 79% of Republicans, 27% of independents and 3% of Democrats agree.
• 25% agree that “neither would be a good president”; 12% of Republicans, 37% of independents and 19% of Democrats agree.
• 5% overall agree that Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden “both would be good presidents”; 5% of Republicans, 6% of independents and 1% of Democrats agree.
Source: A Gallup poll of 1,031 U.S. adults conducted July 30-Aug. 12.
• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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