THE BATTLE OF THE VIRTUAL CONVENTIONS CONTINUES. GOP GETS ITS TURN ON THE REPUBLICAN
NATIONAL CONVENTION CONVENES
TONIGHT.
PLANNERS ON BOTH A STUDY THAT
THE END SE AND MADE SOME TWEAKS
ALONG THE WAY AND YOU MAY
NOTICE SOME SIMILARITIES BUT
THERE WILL BE SOME MARKED
DIFFERENCES AND MESSAGING AND
TONE. TAKE A CLOSER
LOOK AT THOSE DIFFERENCES, I’M
JOINED HERE ON THE MORNING SHOW
BY CHRIS HAND, FORMER
JACKSONVILLE CHIEF OF STAFF AND
HE’S GOT SOME POLITICAL
ANALYSIS. THIS MORNING.
SO CHRIS, HOW WILL THE
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
BE DIFFERENT FROM THE
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
IN TONE AND TEXTURE.
>> WELL GOOD MORNING, BRUCE AND
NUMBER 2 VERY DIFFERENT
CONVENTIONS, 2 VERY DIFFERENT
GOALS HERE AT THE DEMOCRATIC
CONVENTION VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN’S GOAL WAS TO UNIFY HIS
PARTY DEFINED THE STAKES OF
THE ELECTION CONTRAST HIS
ADMINISTRATION WITH THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION AND
MOST IMPORTANTLY HOLD HIS LEAD
IN THE POLLS THAT HE HAD COMING
INTO THAT CONVENTION. THERE’S A
VERY DIFFERENT SET OF GOALS OF
THE REPUBLICAN
NATIONAL CONVENTION. PRESIDENT
TRUMP ENTERS THIS IN A SOMEWHAT
PRECARIOUS POLITICAL POSITION
DEPENDING ON THE POLL. HE IS
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 8.12 POINTS
BEHIND
RIGHT NOW NEEDS TO MAKE UP SOME
GROUND FAIRLY QUICKLY SO THE
GOAL OF THAT CONVENTION
IS A TRYING TO HELP MAKE UP
SOME OF THAT GROUND IN THE
POLLS AND I THINK YOU’LL SEE
THAT CONVENTION PROBABLY
ORGANIZED AROUND THAT GOAL OF
TRYING TO MAKE THE ELECTION
MORE EVEN THAN IT IS
RIGHT NOW.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: THEY’VE
CHOSEN THE THEME HONORING THE
GREAT AMERICAN STORY. I THINK
THEY’RE GOING TO CHOOSE TO TELL
THAT STORY.
>> WELL ONE THING WE KNOW IS
WHO IS GOING TO TELL THAT STORY
AND SOME WHAT KIND OF OUT
OF TRADITION, DONALD TRUMP IS
SET TO SPEAK NOT ONLY ON
THURSDAY NIGHT WHEN HE WILL
GIVE HIS NOMINATION ACCEPTANCE
SPEECH BUT ALSO EACH OF THE
OTHER 3 NIGHTS
AS WELL. IN ADDITION TO THAT
THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF OTHER
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
FAMILY MEMBERS AND LIKE I SAID
OFFICIALS INCLUDING EVEN THE
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE
MIKE POMPEO THAT IS SOMEWHAT
CONTROVERSIAL BECAUSE TYPICALLY
THE JOB OF SECRETARY OF STATE
IS SEEN AS BEING SORT OF ABOUT
PARTISAN POLITICS.
BUT IN ADDITION TO WHO THE
STORY TELLERS WILL BE PROBABLY
THE STORY ITSELF WILL GRAVITATE
AROUND A COUPLE OF THEMES, ONE
ON THE POSITIVE SIDE THAT WILL
PROBABLY
BE MENTION ECONOMIC ISSUES
THAT’S THE ONE ISSUE WHERE IN
THE POLLS, DONALD TRUMP STILL
HAS SOME RELATIVE STRENGTH.
SO PROBABLY A LOT OF DISCUSSION
ABOUT WHAT THE ECONOMY WAS LIKE
PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC
AND WHAT IT COULD BE LIKE AFTER
THE PANDEMIC AND THEN OF COURSE THERE WILL BE A FAIR AMOUNT OF MESSAGING CONTRASTING WITH THE
DEMOCRATIC TICKET. I SUSPECT
WE’LL HEAR A LOT OF CRITICISM
OF THE TICKET. A LOT
OF FOCUS ON VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN AND SENATOR HARRIS’S
RECORDS WHILE
IN OFFICE.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: LITTLE DOUBT
THE RNC ORGANIZERS STUDY THE
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION N MADE
SOME CHANGES AND DECIDED
INSTEAD OF AFFORDING THE BULK
OF THEIR PROGRAMMING TO PARTY
FIGURES AN ACTIVIST WE’RE GOING
TO FEATURE SOME UNCONVENTIONAL
GAS INCLUDING SUBURBAN MEN AND WOMEN WHOSE LIVES THEY CLAIM WOULD BE DISRUPTED BY
PROGRESSIVE POLICIES
IN VOTERS WHO CAN SHAPE
PERSONAL STORIES RELATED TO
RECENT CULTURAL FLASHPOINTS.
>> WELL TO SOME EXTENT TO SOME
EXTENT I THINK THAT IS AN
ATTEMPT TO TRY AND SHORE UP
THE SUPPORT OF SOME OLDER
VOTERS THEY HAD IN 2016, BUT
THUS FAR HAVE NOT BEEN BACK IN
THE TRUMP COLUMN IN 2020.
I THINK IT’S ALSO AN ATTEMPT TO
APPEAL TO PRESIDENT TRUMP’S
POLITICAL BASE. OF COURSE, THE
ONLY CHALLENGE WITH THAT
STRATEGY IS THAT
HE IS NOT GOING TO WIN
REELECTION ON HIS BASE ALONE
IN ORDER TO GET TO 270
ELECTORAL VOTES, HE’S GOING TO
HAVE TO REACH TO A BROADER
AUDIENCE THAT INCLUDES
PERHAPS EVEN SOME DEMOCRATS
THAT VOTED FOR HIM IN 2016.
SO IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO
SEE HOW THAT PLAYS OUT OVER THE
COURSE OF THE WEEK WHETHER THIS
IS A BASE FOCUSED MESSAGE OR
WHETHER THERE IS AN ATTEMPT
TO REACH OUT BEYOND DONALD
TRUMP’S POLITICAL BASE, SO
USUALLY THE CONVENTION THERE’S
A PLATFORM THAT’S ADOPTED
THERE’S NO CONVENING OF THE
PLATFORM COMMITTEE THIS GO
ROUND.
>> ADOPTING THE SAME PLATFORMS
2016.
WELL IN FACT LAST NIGHT THE
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
ADOPTED
A RESOLUTION WHICH BYPASSED THE
PLATFORM INSTEAD OF JUST MORE
OF A
GENERAL SUPPORT OR THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION’S POLICIES IN A
SECOND TERM
THAT’S OBVIOUSLY UNUSUAL YET
ANOTHER BREAK FROM TRADITION,
TYPICALLY PARTY’S PAST
PLATFORMS OF THEY HAVE A SET OF
GOVERNING IDEAS
REGARDLESS OF WHO THE LEADER OF
THE PARTY IS IN THIS CASE, THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY’S GOING
ALL IN THE LEADER OF THE PARTY
AS OPPOSED TO HAVING THOSE
PLATFORM POINTS.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: SO THE
PRESIDENT IS REPORTEDLY GOING
TO OFFER SOME SORT OF A SPEECH
EVERY NIGHT OF
THE CONVENTION AND TENDER HIS
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE LAWN. THAT’S
PROMPTING SOME CONTROVERSY.
>> WELL I THINK YOU CAN EXPECT
TO HEAR A LOT ABOUT THAT FROM
DEMOCRATS OVER THE COURSE OF
THE NEXT WEEK AS THEIR COUNTER
MESSAGING DURING
THE CONVENTION. OBVIOUSLY
PLACES LIKE THE WHITE HOUSE
WHERE PRESIDENT TRUMP IS GIVING
HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
AND FORT MCHENRY NATIONAL
MONUMENT WHERE VICE PRESIDENT
PENCE IS GIVING HIS ACCEPTANCE
SPEECH. THOSE ARE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT FACILITIES THAT ARE
NOT TYPICALLY USED. FOR
POLITICAL PURPOSES. I THINK
WE’LL HEAR A LOT ABOUT THIS
WEEK, THE FACT THAT.
AGAIN THOSE HAVE BEEN SORT OF
TRANSFORMED FOR POLITICAL USE
AS OPPOSED TO OFFICIAL
GOVERNMENTAL USE.