Donald Trump’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention was too long — 75 minutes — and too loud. Modulation is the key to good public speaking. One’s voice should rise and fall like the tide, which allows really important points to be made whether the volume is low or high. His adult children are better speakers.
Having said that, Trump hit mostly high notes — the country is on the wrong track. The latest Real Clear Politics data shows 69.3 percent of those surveyed believe we’re on the wrong track. One has to go back to the ‘70s and Jimmy Carter to see similar numbers.
Crime and violence are serious concerns. Trump promised to be a “law and order” president, specifics to come. Many believe race relations have deteriorated since President Obama took office. The police are under attack. Poor children are trapped in failing public schools and Democrats won’t let them escape. Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence, promise school choice. Terrorism is on the rise at home and overseas. Instead of focusing on battle readiness, our depleted military focuses on the inclusion of transgender and women soldiers. Veterans are not being adequately cared for.
Speaking to blue collar “Reagan Democrats,” who haven’t had a significant pay raise in years, or who are unemployed or underemployed, thanks to the policies of the Obama administration, Trump said, “I am your voice.”
Whether Republicans are united enough to win the election remains to be seen, but the left, the establishment and the media are united in their opposition to Trump. They claim Trump is playing on fears, but they have fears of their own; fear of losing control of government and their lucrative positions.
Fear is not a bad emotion to arouse if it is based on genuine threats and there are plenty of those, as anyone paying the slightest attention can attest.
Liberal media coverage and commentary on the convention was mostly the same. Friday’s headlines, editorials and columns in various publications exposed not just bias, but the fear the media have in losing their influence.
Here are just a few samples: “Mr. Trump’s Apocalypse Now” (Washington Post editorial). “A Foreign Policy Wrecking Ball” (second Post editorial). “Seeking Victory by scaring the country to death” (columnist E.J. Dionne Jr.)
The predictable New York Times also had a lead editorial about “Donald Trump’s Campaign of Fear.” Columnist David Brooks wrote about “The Death of the Republican Party.” Online, the column headline read “Make America Hate Again,” just in case readers didn’t get the message. A front-page “news analysis” in the Times speaks of Trump’s alleged “Failed Chance to Humanize Outsize Image.”
A column by Matthew Continetti in the Washington Free Beacon was headlined “The Demagogue Rises.” Batman, call your office.
Like the definition of love in the book and film “Love Story,” being a liberal means never having to say you’re sorry about your failed programs and failed philosophy. That’s because liberalism is not based on results, but on feelings and intentions. Trump is saying the left has failed and liberals don’t like the prospect of being held accountable for the damage they’ve done to America.
That’s why the media will stage a love-in for Hillary Clinton and all things Democrat at their Philadelphia convention. Don’t expect a question like this: “Your party has spent huge amounts of money on the poor and yet there are about as many poor people today as when the War on Poverty began half a century ago. Same with education. Isn’t it time to try something else?”
You won’t hear that question because the left thinks the problem is that government isn’t taxing, spending and regulating enough. That attitude has fueled the rise of Donald Trump and some like me, who were once skeptical of him, would like to see Trump shake up Washington, if only to watch the expressions on the smug faces of the left.
[Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.] ©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
