Despite Media, A Good Week for Trump
Let’s just do this the way I do book reviews: Good, Bad, Ugly.
The Good
Trump’s Family — young, healthy, energetic, well-spoken. His kids gave great speeches without any major (or really, minor) glitches or trip-ups. Despite the media focus on Melania Trump’s “plagiarism”, the speech itself was good and well received — and most people don’t care a whit about the plagiarism claim. It also opens up the media to having to answer for their own plagiarism issues, and those of Democrats like Joe Biden. Over-all, Trump’s family gave some of the better speeches at the RNC. While I feel it’s too early to make comparisons to the Kennedy family, other people already are. Americans love our “royalty.” And Clinton doesn’t have that — Bill is old and sickly looking, and I’m not sure if Chelsea will speak next week. Remember, the perception of the Trump family is what matters — not any reality, not any media story.
Marcus Luttrell — he hit it out of the park. Easily my favorite speech from the entire week and it was on the first day. Patriotic, hopeful, strong.
“Dark” — the worst thing the media can say about Trump’s speech is a concerted, conspiratorial claim of “dark.” Everyone said it, people (including Obama) criticized him for it. That’s rich given the last eight years have featured a constant klaxon from the media about how we’re all a bunch of racist rapists who shouldn’t get too cocky because of the crusades. (Obama said that last part.) Rape culture, misogyny, xenophobia, we hate black people and don’t care if cops kill them, etc etc. All lies, all pushed by the media and Democrats to shame and cow Americans into their agenda. Yet Trump calling out the actual faults is “dark.” Dystopian. The problem with that: most Americans liked the speech (CNN’s own poll showed it), most Americans do feel less safe and less economically stable, most Americans do worry about the direction of the country.
Peter Thiel — the new hero of the altright since he trolled Gawker into bankruptcy. The man gave a great speech that featured a standing ovation for a proud gay man — by a Republican audience. Yes, a truly dark, divisive, hateful group those Republicans were…
Pence — not quite the star power of Trump, but extremely likable. For days the left has tried to paint him as a hateful goon, a conservative demon out to starve children and beat up gays. But it doesn’t work when people actually see him. He’s just likable, he’s an every-man type.
I’m With You — this was by far the best part of Trump’s message, it’s the perfect answer to the Clinton “I’m With Her” nonsense.
The Bad
Media Coverage & Response — the mainstream media coverage of the RNC was atrocious. CNN, Politico, WaPo, and a host of others on my Google News feed had stupid, misleading, hateful headlines and stories. Their fact checks were stretching, their angles were obvious. This was to be expected but the response from the Trump campaign and Republicans needs to step up through the rest of the campaign.
Missed Opportunities — Trump delivered a good speech, but he emphasized Law & Order a bit much and not enough “I’m with you.” He needs to draw in the three groups Hillary is expected to win with: African Americans, Hispanics, and White Women. Clinton is doing her best to lose White Men and Trump can effectively reach out to the rest of her base without offending the white men. With Thiel speaking on the same night, he could have delivered a win on gays, too — though I think they’ll start to come around with the continued atrocities by ISIS and their ilk against gays. Trump can win with the factions he’s united now, but he can win beyond any ability to steal the election with a few percent more of the groups that Democrats rely on.
The Ugly
Ted Cruz — when you have a reputation as disliked, and you’re called “Lyin’ Ted”… you don’t go out and act like a trollish liar. Ted Cruz gave his word. He signed his name to it. He lied to the American people and the Republican party. And we all watched as he built the gallows and put his own neck in the noose on national television. Then, the next day, he acted like an autistic dweeb when questioned by Texas delegates. He didn’t hurt Trump at all — he hurt Ted Cruz. It was stupid, it was ugly — it helped Trump, and it put Ted Cruz’s words in the mouth of Hillary Clinton.
Yikes.
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