MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Former President Donald Trump named his election opponent only once. “I’m not going to let you down,” President Joe Biden said during his nomination acceptance speech Thursday night.In fact, President Joe Biden barely appeared in any of the more than a dozen speeches delivered on the final night of the Republican National Convention.
The decision makes sense on its surface: Trump may not even have a shot at facing Biden in November. Hours before Trump spoke, rumors of the president’s imminent withdrawal had been swirling, with the Biden and Obama campaigns issuing anonymous statements and “confirming” the plans through reporters.
It is easy for the opposition party to make the same mistake, but it is a serious mistake for the ruling party to do so.
But the decision also reveals something deeper. Can you imagine Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, or Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) giving a speech lasting over an hour without even mentioning Donald Trump? Or even a six-minute speech? In case you missed it, Biden canceled a speech on Monday marking the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act out of respect for the deadly assassination attempt on Trump. If we can’t use this opportunity to bash Donald Trump, then it’s not even worth the event. Anniversary at that.
Not only will Joe Biden find it hard to avoid mentioning Trump’s name, he will also struggle to articulate any policies or plans for the next four years that don’t focus on dealing with the opposition. It’s easy for the opposition to fall into this trap, but it’s a grave mistake for the ruling party, which currently has little to offer beyond attack.
Compare that to the Republican Party. I watched the 2012 and 2016 Republican National Conventions with Tucker Carlson and other Daily Caller staffers, hiding in the shadows in the auditorium. I heard the occasional applause or laughter, but he never accepted an offer to speak on the main stage. And nothing changed for Tucker; he somehow became even less willing to do the things he didn’t want to do in the years that followed.
A change is happening in the Republican Party, as evidenced by the elevation of one of the few senators who actually believes in (and enacts) populist conservative policies. The party of old has become the party of ideas. And that’s a good thing.
But that doesn’t mean it will last. Governor Ronald Reagan forced a conservative takeover of the party in 1980. The day his vice president took over as governor was called the “Night of the Long Knives” because many conservative staffers were fired. For the next 34 years, the party hung on to power by banking on the conservative vote and using Reagan’s name in every speech, but on very different policies.
The election of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) is a strong defense against this, but it’s not a sure thing. The battle ahead is a battle of ideas. Trump and Vance’s Republicans are winning so far. But the battle ahead will be tough.
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