The 2016 Republican National Convention, kicking off Monday, will be like no other.
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Whether this year’s confab meets that benchmark remains to be seen. With many Republicans deeply reluctant to nominate the billionaire reality TV star, GOP organizers have struggled to attract the star power that typically graces the stage, and there were more questions than answers about what, exactly, is on the schedule once the convention is gaveled in.
Rep. Steve Pearce had some simple advice for Republicans hoping to dump Donald Trump as the party’s presidential nominee at their national convention in Cleveland this week. The top figures in the party gather to showcase their nominees, and the prime-time speeches given by the candidates and other prominent politicians garner some of the largest television audiences of the campaign. While Bush, John Kasich and some other vanquished hopefuls will avoid the convention hall, those who do show up will face the somewhat awkward task of completing their transformation from anti-Trumps to cheerleaders.
GOP platform committee members this week approved language that opposed same-sex marriage and transgender rights.
However, the decision to add the protective barriers around the Quicken Loans Arena was taken before the attack.
Larry Gallo, 75, and Lori Reeder, 37, are both going to their first convention, and going as alternate delegates. Well, I claim no inside information, no whispers from secret conference call meetings of veteran Republican National Convention operatives conspiring with “open convention” advocates to change rules requiring delegate fealty on the first ballot. Others were on slates put together by the presidential campaigns. Members of the RNC are automatic delegates.
Not so anymore. Many Republican grandees are sitting at home. “That they would take the draconian step to silence the delegates and ensure that Donald Trump was the nominee”, he said. John McCain of Arizona.
Maine’s delegation to the RNC is composed nearly entirely of Cruz supporters elected by party faithful during the state party’s convention in June.
If delegates are allowed to vote their conscience, some from Wisconsin say they would switch from Cruz to Trump, illustrating the unlikelihood that Trump won’t be the nominee. Although some high-ranking Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Sen.
Myers said Trump’s selection of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a strong conservative and evangelical, as a running mate was a start. With a catchy campaign slogan of “Make America Great Again”, Trump says he wants to bring overseas jobs back to the USA, and build a wall along the border with Mexico.
Novak: Trump comes into this convention with momentum, and he could be in the lead in all of the polls when it is over – not just the battleground polls but in the national polls. Ivanka Trump’s rabbi, scheduled to deliver the opening prayer, also backed out. They include Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle mission; Antonio Sabato Jr., a former Calvin Klein underwear model and soap-opera actor; pro golfer Natalie Gulbis; and Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Democrats, in contrast, have nabbed entertainers like Snoop Dogg, Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz and Cyndi Lauper for their convention the following week in Philadelphia.
Clint Pate, Jackson County commissioner and delegate going to his second convention in a row, expects more excitement than four years ago, along with more controversy and more protesters.
The dissidents are outnumbered and are up against party leaders who control the gavel and are intent on a smoothly run event.
Even so, not all of the Nebraska and Iowa delegates are enthusiastic Trump backers. California’s delegation might represent the Republican party’s best access to the biggest electoral prize in November (55 Electoral College votes), but it’s a bit player in the national GOP.
Trump arrives with 1,543 delegates, according to the Associated Press count. “We know that. I hope they’re done peacefully”, he said. As the field narrowed and Donald Trump’s surprising string of wins grew, there was talk of a contested convention.
Among the thousands of law-enforcement officials from outside of Cleveland working at the convention are seven Youngstown police officers and two Mahoning County deputy sheriffs. A protest area has been established just outside the convention site.
Security concerns are particularly high this year due to racial tensions and civilian-police violence across the United States, plus recent mass casualty events including a nightclub shooting in Orlando and Islamic State group-linked attacks outside the U.S. The dissidents may make a last-ditch effort to get the full convention to revisit that idea.
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