Republican Convention

Poll: Trump got convention bounce with Blacks

Featured image Last week, a Morning Consult poll found that President Trump received a bounce from the GOP Convention, but that his standing among black voters declined somewhat. I found the latter result surprising, given the relentlessness with which Republicans appealed to Blacks during the convention. Now, a Hill-HarrisX poll finds that Trump’s support among black voters was up by 9 percentage points after the first two days of the Republican Convention. »

Early polling finds Trump getting a convention bounce

Featured image A poll by Morning Consult finds President Trump in better shape after the GOP Convention than before it. According to this poll, Trump now trails Biden by 50-44 among likely voters. Before the Convention, he trailed 52-42. This “bounce” seems to be a function of respondents viewing Biden less favorably than before, rather than viewing Trump more favorably. Morning Consult found that Biden’s favorability numbers have weakened while the president’s »

The Alice Marie Johnson fraud

Featured image Alice Marie Johnson is the poster grandma for criminal justice leniency legislation. She spoke last night at the GOP Convention, getting a prime time slot on the final night. Her speech was powerful and, from what I’ve seen, received good reviews. But the speech was a fraud, and so, to a considerable degree, was Johnson. It’s fraudulent at several levels to present Johnson as the face of the leniency-legislation-for-criminals movement. »

Mixed reviews of the final night

Featured image I agree 100 percent with John’s comments about the speeches last night of Ann Dorn, widow of a murdered retired African-American police officer, and President Trump. America should be grieving the senseless murder of Dave Dorn, not the shooting of a criminal and domestic abuser who resisted arrest. Yet, you’ll be hard pressed to hear about Dorn’s slaying from the mainstream media, and it’s doubtful that our poorly informed social »

And on the fourth day

Featured image The Republican National Convention ended with a bang yesterday, in more ways than one. Ann Dorn provided the devastating Big Bang that spoke to the moment as she addressed the murder of her husband earlier this year in St. Louis (video below). Mrs. Dorn is the widow of the late David Dorn, retired St. Louis Police Department captain, who was killed during the “protests” this past June, according to the »

And on the third day

Featured image Franklin Roosevelt projected the image of his victory over polio. There may be all of three photographs of him in a wheelchair. For a nation laid low by the Great Depression, he sought to instill the conviction that we could rise again and get off the mat. Likely soon to be the youngest citizen elected to Congress in the past 200 years, Madison Cawthorn had something of the same idea »

The First Lady’s speech

Featured image From what I’ve read, Melania Trump is getting good reviews for her speech to the GOP Convention, delivered in the Rose Garden last night. I thought the speech was too long and, at times, boring, but I was not part of the target audience. The target audience was voters who are into empathy and haven’t detected enough of it from the president. Can an empathetic First Lady fill the gap? »

Nikki Haley’s speech

Featured image I watched three of the speeches delivered at the Republican Convention last night — those of Nikki Haley, Donald Trump Jr., and Tim Scott. Based on what I heard, I agree with my Power Line colleagues that the Republicans got off to a fine start. Haley and Scott embody the American dream and its relevance for minority group members and immigrants. They are walking proof that America doesn’t need an »

Clinton seems to have gotten a bounce

Featured image It’s too early to say for sure, but recent polling suggests that Hillary Clinton received a bounce from the Democratic convention. The magnitude of her bounce is unclear but looks to be of about the same magnitude as the one Donald Trump probably received from the Republican convention. As I discussed here, heading into the Republican event, Clinton had in led four of the five most recent polls on the »

More watched Dems than Repubs, but more watched Trump than Clinton

Featured image We’re still waiting to see how much bounce, if any, the Democrats gained from their convention. But the television ratings are in. The Democrats had larger audiences the first three nights; the Republicans received a larger share for the finale. The degree of the Democrats’ edge varied over the first three nights. On Monday, apparently it was about half a million viewers. On Tuesday, the Dems had approximately 5 million »

Trump gets a bounce

Featured image The Republican convention may have been “dark” and “disunited,” to use the MSM’s favorite descriptions, but its nominee appears to have gotten a “bounce” from the event. Heading into the convention, Clinton had led in four of the five latest polls in the RCP list. In polls taken since the convention began, Clinton has led only once. In the four most recently completed surveys, Trump leads by 1, 2, 3, »

At the Washington Post, it’s unanimous: Trump’s speech was dark

Featured image On Friday morning, the Washington Post (paper edition) sang in unison about Donald Trump’s speech to the GOP convention. The lead headline read: “Trump portrays a nation in peril.” Below that Philip Rucker and David Farenthold began their story: “Donald Trump painted a dire portrait of a lawless terrorized nation as he accepted the Republican presidential nomination. . . .” The front page also contained this headline by gussied up »

Back to the Future?

Featured image From the Republican convention: Republican tariffs and immigration restrictions account largely for American wages being more than in any other country. Not only are our wages higher than in any other land, but American standards of living are far higher, hours of labor shorter and working conditions better than in any other nation. The object of a tariff is to benefit and protect our workingmen, from the lower wages, longer »

The Convention, Night Four — Trump’s speech

Featured image Donald Trump pushed all the right buttons tonight. And pushed them, and pushed them, and pushed them. His address was too long and too loud. It was a sledgehammer of a speech, in keeping with Trump’s sledgehammer of a campaign. It gave me a headache. I don’t mean to say the speech was ineffective. Actually, I believe it probably worked, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump moved the needle »

How Trump should handle the “lock her up” chant

Featured image After Night Two of the GOP convention, I wrote: During [Chris] Christie’s speech, the crowd frequently chanted “lock her up” — “her” being Hillary Clinton, of course. It was jarring to hear such a rallying cry, however justified, at a major party convention. How did this play to the audience outside the convention hall? Did the delegates sound bloodthirsty? Maybe. But remember that a clear majority of Americans believe Hillary »

Watch Tonight’s Convention Climax on Power Line Live

Featured image Who knows what will happen tonight? Will Trump deliver the greatest speech ever? Will he stick to his script? Will he say anything outrageous? What other surprises will happen? No one knows, but so far the GOP convention has been more interesting, more entertaining and more controversial than anyone expected. So, what better way to enjoy the final evening than in the company of hundreds (or thousands, if both pro-Trump »

Did Cruz miscalculate?

Featured image Ted Cruz seems to me an unusually calculating politician. He has been planning to run for president at least since he was sworn in as a senator in 2012. Among conservative Republicans, he has sought (and seeks) to occupy the Ivory Soap niche. He’s the purest of them all. Last night we saw Cruz’s calculating the aftereffects of the Trump Train Wreck that is scheduled for November 8. Cruz wants »