There was a time, not too long ago, when Republicans would be totally stoked to gather together and enjoy some classic Donald Trump rally rants. They’d pop on their MAGA hats, listen to some Lee Greenwood jams, and cheer as the president talked about how great he is and lashed out at the “Dumocrats.”
Now the first-ever Republican midterm convention is imminent. The
party is set to gather at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on
September 9 and 10. President Trump will appear both nights and has promised
this will be “THE GREATEST RALLY OF THEM ALL.”
Yet judging from the
morose and catty comments GOP officials and operatives have made in
recent days, it seems they’re not looking forward to it. Some fear the
whole thing could backfire, making the GOP’s midterm prospects even
dimmer.
Here’s a roundup of the Republicans’ major gripes about the GOP’s midterm convention.
1. It’s largely pointless.
Theoretically, the point of the usual party conventions held every
four years is to nominate a presidential candidate. Some have argued we
should do away with this relic of a bygone era
because the nomination is no longer settled on the convention floor.
But it’s still an opportunity to rally around the nominee and introduce
them to the voters.
The reason for holding an unprecedented midterm convention is even less clear. When the plan was announced a year ago,
it seemed Republicans might have wanted Trump to make a high-profile
pitch to voters since a president’s party almost always loses seats in
the midterms.
Now, Trump is so unpopular that Republicans aren’t sure they want to be parading him before swing voters. But as our own Ed Kilgore explained, things are so bad the party is just worried about mobilizing the MAGA base:
Based on the poor results of the 2018 midterms and
special elections for years now, Republican strategists are convinced
that they need to functionally place Trump on the ballot to turn out his
base. That this will also have a baleful effect on swing voters is
considered beside the point: Without an energized MAGA base, Republicans
won’t even be in the vicinity of victory. And so they are making a
virtue of necessity with the biggest, loudest, most abrasive Trump rally
one could imagine, while hoping that swing voters can be convinced to
climb aboard or at least stay home by a savage crusade of lies about a
Bolshevik takeover of the opposition party.
Still, some worry the convention will hurt more than help. A GOP campaign strategist told
Puck, “Nobody understands why we’re doing a midterm convention. It’s
just another show that Trump is going to put on to remind the voters
that he is sitting there, and maybe they don’t want to be reminded of
that.”
2. It’s poorly timed.
Regardless of how many people tune in, our ratings-obsessed president
can brag that he drew an unprecedented audience for a midterm
convention. But the party hasn’t set itself up for a ratings smash. For
some reason, the convention is taking place opposite the first two NFL
games of the season, “pitting its primetime speakers against the
most-watched sport in the country,” as CNN noted.
The convention is also happening on the two days leading up to the
25th anniversary of 9/11. The schedule the RNC released says there will
be a 9/11 remembrance featuring “the children and families of first
responders” on the night of the 10th. But on September 11, we’ll still
see images of GOP elites partying in Dallas the night before right next
to commemorations of one of the darkest days in United States history.
The optics may not be great.
3. It’s in Dallas.
You can see why the RNC went with Texas. Recent polls
suggest Ken Paxton may need all the help he can get against Democrat
James Talarico in a key U.S. Senate race. But there has been some
grousing about pulling GOP candidates off the campaign trail for several
days so they can make their way to Dallas, as CNN reported:
The sheer logistics of the convention have also muted
enthusiasm among some lawmakers and party operatives, requiring
Republicans to spend two days off the campaign trail to gather in Dallas
in what are likely to be sweltering conditions.
“It’s not easy to get to Dallas,” said one person close to the White
House. “They should’ve done it in Florida, or in D.C.” Dallas was chosen
in large part because it could host such a big event, an RNC official
said.
4. It’s poorly planned.
Maybe the RNC looked at the calendar and potential host cities and
decided making everyone roast in Dallas for a few days in early
September was the least-bad option. Or perhaps this whole thing just
wasn’t that well organized. Puck noted that “invitations were sent in
the last several weeks, way after lawmakers had already committed to
other events.”
5. It’s insanely expensive.
Well, at least everyone will enjoy the free work trip? Nope, very much the opposite. Puck reported that tickets start at $25,000:
For starters, the National Republican Campaign Committee
is asking House members to cough up $25,000 for themselves and a guest
to attend the two-day convention in Dallas, according to three people
who have reviewed the invitation. And that’s the cheap rate, with the highest tier asking for $100,000 from lawmakers.
That doesn’t mean GOP officials and candidates are being asked to
donate $25,000 from their own bank accounts, of course. One Republican
lawmaker told CNN, “It’s not the members themselves; it’s donor money.”
Aside from shaking down individual Republicans and the fat cats who
fund them, the RNC is also taking money from corporate sponsors that “is
being funneled into a nonprofit that doesn’t have to disclose its
donors,” per Puck.
6. It’s a self-described ‘Trumpapalooza.’
The RNC press release on the convention lineup suggests it will focus on GOP candidates and everyday Americans:
Each night will not only showcase the dedicated men and
women running in key races around the country but also the voices of
everyday Americans — who want to fight to continue President Trump’s
common-sense revolution.
But the actual theme is the greatness of Donald J. Trump, and the RNC isn’t really hiding that. Politico reported that RNC chairman Joe Gruters has been referring to the event as “Trumpapalooza.”
Vice-President J.D. Vance is delivering the keynote speech on
Wednesday, with Trump speaking on Thursday starting at 9 p.m. ET
(theoretically). But everyone expects the convention to be extremely
Trumpy throughout, and some GOP insiders told CNN they aren’t hyped
about putting even more attention on his unpopular, ballroom-centric
agenda:
Republicans nevertheless acknowledged that the convention
will inevitably revolve around Trump, who is slated to headline its
second day and be a constant presence throughout the event.
With the White House still consumed by the war in Iran and struggling
to ease consumer costs, some in the GOP cringed at the prospect of
focusing even more attention on Trump’s presidency and record. The
president, they worried, is just as likely to spend his own speech
boasting about his White House ballroom and dismissing affordability
concerns as he is promoting the most popular elements of the party’s
agenda.
Others shrugged this off, saying GOP candidates have already fully
cast their lot with Trump, so it doesn’t matter if the president rambles
about his arch for 15 minutes or serves up another “affordability is a hoax” clip during the convention. In other words, they’re saying, Eh, we’re probably all doomed anyway. That’s the spirit!
