The Machon Minute: Sunday, 8/23
The Democratic Convention Wraps
The Democatic National Convention wrapped this past week with Joe Biden officially accepting the party’s nomination. The Convention was marked by high profile speakers, including former Presidents Obama and Clinton, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and former Ohio governor John Kasich, a republican who faced off against Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican Primary. One of the prominent young faces of the progressive branch of the party, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also spoke, formally nominating Bernie Sanders, a procedural action required for any candidate who acquired a certain threshold of the primary delegates and never formally withdrew from the campaign, with Sanders suspending his campaign but never withdrawing in March.
While the virtual Convention has been considered a success for the Democrats as they maintained a strong message touting Joe Biden as a return to governance and normalcy in America, conservative media outlets picked up a story detailing two daytime caucuses reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and omitting the phrase “Under God”. Snopes is reporting that there were no orders from the DNC to omit the words, and the Pledge was read in full during the national broadcasts of the convention. Here is the Snopes fact-check covering the story.
Why does it matter?
It was important for the Democrats to pull off a successful virtual convention in contrast to the Republican party’s plan for an in-person convention in order to keep building enthusiasm behind Joe Biden. President Trump criticized the convention for using some pre-recorded speeches, but in general the public has responded well to the event and its ability to include more speakers than ever before. The event also raised $70 million for the Biden campaign, and while he still trails Trump’s overall funding, the numbers have grown competitive at slightly above $300 million for Trump compared to $294 million for Biden. We’ll see where the numbers stand after the Republican convention this coming week.
While the Democrats ran a successful convention, there are worries that their message preaching a return to normalcy may affect the enthusiasm of the parties more progressive voters, a voting bloc that had already been hesitant voting for Biden. Many progressives planned to vote for Biden simply because he isn’t Donald Trump, and as the progressive wing of the party continues to grow and build a following, their voices will become an essential part of the Democratic vote. The Biden campaign will rely on progressive leaders like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, AOC and Julian Castro to mobilize their supporters.
Click here for The New York Times’s 7 big takeaways from the event
Schedule for Republican National Convention Announced
The schedule for the four day Republican National Convention has been announced, with the themes focusing on Trump’s slogan “Keep America Great”. The President is expected to speak each day of the convention, with communications advisor Jason Miller telling Chuck Todd of Meet the Press that “One of the things you’re going to see this week is a complete change in the perception that I believe that the media tries to tell about what a Trump supporter looks like or who a Trump supporter is we’re going to talk about the American story.”
Monday will include a variety of voices, including House Republicans Steve Scalise, Matt Gaetz and Jim Jordan, former Ambassador Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, Jr. The speaker to most look forward to however is Senator Tim Scott, the Republican party’s only black Senator, who rose to prominence in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent unrest across the country.
Tuesday’s lineup features First Lady Melania Trump, long-time Republican Senator Rand Paul, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump’s children Eric and Tiffany.
Wednesday will be headlined by Vice President Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence, and will also include five Congressional Republicans, including prominent gun rights advocate and veteran Dan Crenshaw of Texas and two female Senators, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Joni Ernst of Iowa.
Finally, Thursday will feature Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy, Secretary of Urban and Housing development Ben Carson, White House adviser Ivanka Trump and Rudy Guiliani, among others. The night will be capped by Donald Trump’s nomination acceptance speech from the White House’s South Lawn, with the goal being to set the tone and solidify his base ahead of this final stretch of campaigning.
Why does it matter?
The lineup announced shows a commitment by the Trump campaign to humanize Donald Trump and to reach groups that have been leaning towards Biden, including black and female voters. Whereas four years ago the Trump campaign focused on building a coalition of blue collar workers and people upset by the previous 8 years under Obama, this convention lineup appears to attempt and broaden his reach while also securing his base through traditional Trump supporters and leading congressional republicans Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and Steve Scalise.
For the Trump campaign, a successful convention will emphasize family and security values while also focusing on the success of the economy under the Trump presidency prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The strong return of the Dow Jones and other similar indexes used to gauge the stock market will also be a major point, as their success indicates confidence in the President’s ability to correct the economy.
House Votes to Block Postal Reforms
House Democrats passed the Delivering for America Act on Saturday to block Donald Trump’s proposed Postal Service reforms, in an attempt to protect mail in voting for the upcoming election. The House bill provides the postal service with $25 billion in emergency funding in order to ensure the USPS has the resources necessary to accommodate an unprecedented volume of mail in ballots and other stresses that have been placed on the Service due to COVID-19. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell stated that the Senate has no intention to pass this bill, and the White House has already stated that they will recommend the President veto the bill if it does make its way to his desk.
The House bill comes after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy stated he would suspend cost-cutting measures until after the election, but House Democrats argue that the damage had already been done in previous decisions to reduce funding. DeJoy had previously reduced funding and began withdrawing mail-sorting machines across the country.
Donald Trump has been adamant that mail-in voting will create an avenue for fraud in the electoral system, while leading Democrats have asserted that the President is handicapping the Postal Service in order to gain an electoral advantage. The Democrats also argue that interfering with the Postal Service threatens a fundamental service that many older Americans rely on for things like medication, social security checks
Why does it matter?
With the COVID-19 pandemic still surging as we approach Election Day, the election may ultimately be decided by mail-in votes, and while Trump supporters have been outspoken of their intent to vote in person, supporters of Joe Biden are much more likely to vote by mail. If the Postal Service is not funded adequately, Democrats will be vocal about voter suppression, and if mail in voting is pushed strongly, Republicans will be vocal about voter fraud. While historically voter fraud via mail in voting is rare, there has also never been a demand for mail-in voting at this level.
It is also worth noting, over two dozen House Republicans broke from the party lines to vote in support of the Democrats bill, approximately 1 in 10 House Republicans. While this bill will most likely not make it past the Senate or anywhere near the President’s desk, this could mark a potential distancing from Trump by House Republicans as their re-election nears.
Read More Here: Reuters, The Hill
Kanye West struggles to get his name on the ballot
Rapper Kanye West, who’s presidential bid has been called anything from a public mental breakdown to a Republican conspiracy to secure the election for Donald Trump, has officially qualified to have his name on the ballot in five states, and has applications pending in four more. He has missed the deadline in 25 states, and has failed to turn in enough valid signatures in four other states, including his home state of Illinois, where less than half of his signatures were deemed legitimate, with signatures from “Bernie Sanders” and “Mickey Mouse”. West is currently polling at about 2% nationally, with his highest poll support at 6% with Gen Z voters
Why does it matter?
While West has no feasible shot at the Presidency, his candidacy can potentially hurt Joe Biden and the Democrats. Some millennial and black voters who feel the Democrats have not been representing them properly, but also would not vote for Donald Trump, are planning on casting their vote for West, and there may be enough defection from the Democratic Party that Trump may compete in certain states that Biden’s campaign initially considered pretty strongly blue.
If the Democrats have learned anything from the Clinton campaign in 2016 however, it is to never take votes for granted. The threat by West to steal some fringe Biden supporters may be enough to mobilize the Biden campaign to address their issues more directly, but only time will tell. The nomination of Kamala Harris as his Vice President may help stem some of the bl, but her background as a prosecutor who had fought to uphold some life convictions even after contrary evidence was provided can also further drive certain voters away.
Read more here: The Hill
Something to smile about
As the election cycle begins to heat up, the country is going to feel more divided than ever. In these times, it’s important to remember that there are still some choices made without focusing on the politics. This past week, reports have been emerging that the President plans to block the Pebble Mine project in Alaska, a mining project that threatens the world’s largest commercial stock-eye salmon region. This is a win for environmentalists and the residents of nearby Bristol Bay.
The reports, which have been denied by Pebble’s CEO Tom Collier to The Hill as “categorically false,” appear to come on the heels of a vocal opposition by Democrats in the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and the President’s son Donald Jr. has come out publicly in support of blocking the proposal.
Here is the original article from Politico, along with the subsequent article from The Hill
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