martes, 19 de julio de 2016

Rancor Reigns as Bitterly Divided Republicans Begin Their Convention

SLIDE SHOW|14 Photos

The First Day of the Republican National Convention

The First Day of the Republican National Convention

CreditDoug Mills/The New York Times
CLEVELAND — Rancor and hard-edged attacks dominated the start of theRepublican National Convention on Monday as speakers branded Hillary Clinton as a liar who deserved to be in prison and two African-American Republicans ridiculed the Black Lives Matter movement.
The divisive day even swept up the presumptive nominee, Donald J. Trump. Renegade delegates forced a floor fight in an effort to embarrass him, and his top aide called Ohio’s governor “petulant” for not endorsing Mr. Trump.
The House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, who is the chairman of the convention, also distanced himself from Mr. Trump’s approach to racial unrest and from one of his signature proposals.

The unusual jousting among Republicans at their own convention gave way to more traditional, fiery speeches aimed at Democratic leaders, Mrs. Clinton and President Obama. The most impassioned remarks came from former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York, who described an America plagued by crime and violence and repeatedly praised police officers for keeping families safe without regard to race.
“When they come to save your life, they don’t ask you if you’re black or white — they just come to save you!” Mr. Giuliani yelled.
 
Video

Republican Convention Day 1: Highlights

On the first day of the convention on Monday, a lot of things did not go as anticipated. The Republican Party sought to show that it had unified behind Donald J. Trump. Instead some delegates tried to stage a last-ditch revolt.
 By A.J. CHAVAR and BEN LAFFIN on Publish DateJuly 19, 2016. Photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times.Watch in Times Video »
With the overwhelmingly white audience hearing mostly from white speakers, Mr. Trump and his convention planners tapped two African-Americans to rebuke black protesters across America who have decried the fatal shootings of black men by the police.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make something very clear: Blue lives matter,” said David A. Clarke Jr., the sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wis., playing on the name of the Black Lives Matter protest movement to praise police officers. He accused protesters of contributing to anarchy and added, “So many of the actions of the Occupy movement and Black Lives Matter transcend peaceful protest and violates the code of conduct we rely on,” as the crowd erupted in cheers.
He also rubbed salt in the wounds of critics of the police by referring to the killing of Freddie Gray and saying, “There is some good news out of Baltimore, Md., as Lt. Brian Rice was acquitted on all charges.”
Continue reading the main story
Darryl Glenn, a black Republican from Colorado who is running for the Senate, said, “Someone with a nice tan needs to say too, ‘All lives matter.’ ”
Mr. Trump, never one to bypass the spotlight, broke with tradition twice on Monday night. He interrupted his own convention by calling in to Fox News and bragging about how he defeated John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, in the primary campaign. And later, he showed up at the convention itself, theatrically appearing in silhouette against a misty background and introducing his wife, Melania.
Ms. Trump, a Slovenian immigrant who will celebrate 10 years as an American citizen this month, delivered a glowing testimonial to what she called “the simple goodness” of her husband. Yet while she praised him in broad strokes, her speech was quickly criticized for sharing language from Michelle Obama’s speech at the 2008 Democratic convention.

Republican Convention Day 1: Analysis

Times journalists provided live analysis of the first night of the Republican National Convention as Donald J. Trump aims to unify the party.
The convention ran long, infuriating organizers. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, one of the few prominent elected Republicans speaking Monday, took the stage after 11 p.m. Eastern time, when most of the arena had emptied out.
Earlier in the day, the spectacle of open revolt on the convention floor was not just humiliating for Mr. Trump during a traditionally celebratory week. It also showed that he was struggling to pass his first important test at the convention: presenting a unified party as he begins the general election campaign against Hillary Clinton.
While Mr. Trump’s advisers insisted that Republicans would be united by the time the candidate finished speaking on Thursday night, a rump faction appeared determined to resist him and to send a message that his brand of divisive politics did not represent their party. Some delegates were already threatening to leave before Thursday, when Mr. Trump is scheduled to officially accept the party’s nomination.
He had hoped his choice of Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana as his running matewould unite the party, but affection for Mr. Pence, who drew more applause than Mr. Trump at points, has not translated into solid support for the ticket.
Mr. Trump did receive an assist from prime-time convention speakers like Patricia Smith. Her son, Sean, was killed in the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, and she accused Mrs. Clinton of misleading Americans about that episode, though congressional inquiries have not found her responsible.
“I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son,” Ms. Smith said. “This entire campaign comes down to a single question: If Hillary Clinton can’t give us the truth, why should we give her the presidency?” Noticing a handmade sign in the crowd, she added, “That’s right, ‘Hillary for prison.’ She deserves to be in stripes!”
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Convention attendees during the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Monday. CreditDamon Winter/The New York Times
The convention is shaping up to be the most bitterly divided since 1992, when some Republicans excoriated President George Bush for raising taxes, and Patrick J. Buchanan drew applause from delegates and scowls from Bush campaign officials by declaring that “a religious war” and “cultural war” were underway for the soul of America.
As frustrated as some Republicans were with Mr. Bush, nothing back then compares to the discomfort with Mr. Trump, a brash outsider who waged a brutal primary campaign that involved insulting many of the party officials in the convention hall. Even the imperative of beating Mrs. Clinton has not proven enough for many Republican governors, members of Congress and other leaders to put aside their doubts about Mr. Trump’s temperament and preparedness and rally around him.
Against a video screen projecting “Make America Safe Again,” several speakers spent less time talking about Mr. Trump than about the needs of veterans, soldiers, police officers and Border Patrol agents.
Among the speakers were several women whose relatives were killed by people in the country illegally: killings they attributed to Mr. Obama’s immigration policies. One of them accused Mrs. Clinton of talking more about aiding “illegal aliens” and refugees, and another drew an ovation when she said Mr. Trump “cares more about Americans than illegals.”
Throughout the day, despite their exhilaration, Mr. Trump’s advisers were still focused on settling scores. In the morning, his chief adviser, Paul Manafort, unexpectedly lashed out at Mr. Kasich for refusing to support Mr. Trump after being defeated in the primaries. “He’s embarrassing his party in Ohio,” Mr. Manafort said, blaming Mr. Kasich’s chief political strategist for the lack of an endorsement.
Attacking a prominent and popular governor is unusual, especially in his home state during the party’s convention. But the Kasich camp seemed delighted to wage a battle against Mr. Trump and elevate Mr. Kasich as a cleansing candidate for the party in 2020.
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Gov. John Kasich of Ohio in Cleveland on Monday. Donald J. Trump’s chief adviser, Paul Manafort, said Mr. Kasich had “embarrassed his party” by refusing to endorse Mr. Trump after ending his own campaign for the Republican nomination. CreditStephen Crowley/The New York Times
Inside the hall, delegates opposed to Mr. Trump tried to use a procedural move, a demand for a roll-call vote, to delay the opening speakers and shame Mr. Trump. But they were stymied.
“Some Republicans are going through the five stages of grief over Trump, and the convention is the anger stage,” said Mike Stopa, a delegate from Massachusetts. “But I don’t think it’ll get worse. We’re Republicans. As a party, we’re not too disruptive.”
Party leaders sought to play down the split, but the divisions were palpable. The pastor who gave the afternoon benediction reminded the delegates, “Our enemy is not other Republicans, but is Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party.”
At a lunch sponsored by The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Ryan, the House speaker, implicitly scolded Mr. Trump for his resentment-oriented appeals. “We should all kind of chill, calm down and change our tone going forward,” he said.
Mr. Ryan also revealed how little he thinks of one of Mr. Trump’s signature proposals, his pledge to build a wall along the Mexican border, when asked if he would appropriate money for the project.
“Mexico is going to pay for it, remember?” he said with a smile.

lunes, 18 de julio de 2016

Republican Convention: Floor Fighting on Day 1


By JEREMY W. PETERS and ALAN RAPPEPORTUPDATED 6:35 PM ET
CLEVELAND — Here’s what’s happening at the Republican National Convention, and scroll through our best photos.
Delegates tried to stage a last-ditch revolt against Donald Trump.
The convention floor momentarily turned into a scene of discord and boisterous dissent on Monday. Those who were opposing Donald J. Trump broke into booming jeers and chants of “Roll call vote! Roll call vote!” in an attempt to demand a vote by all 2,472 delegates on a procedural motion that is required before the convention can formally get underway.



A delegate from Virginia during the call for a roll call vote on Monday. CreditEric Thayer for The New York Times

Their hope was that by starting a lengthy process so late in the day — just a few hours before the convention’s prime-time programming was set to begin — they could embarrass Mr. Trump by delaying the convention’s opening speakers.
Delegates who opposed them appeared to have the advantage. And they responded with their own noisy shouts of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”
But after several minutes of confusion, and a couple of musical interludes by the band to kill time, the anti-Trump delegates appeared to have been stymied.
When the chairman called for a voice vote on whether to have a roll-call vote, he ruled that the “no” votes prevailed.
Initially there appeared to be at least nine states that agreed to the roll-call vote, meeting the threshold of seven required under party rules. But faced with the possibility of a runaway start to the convention, the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee staffers working the floor went into overdrive to get delegates to withdraw their support.
In the end, only six states consented. And the crowd broke into chants of “We want Trump!”
Leaders of the rebellion conceded defeat. “It’s disappointing,” said Ken Cuccinelli, a delegate from Virginia who was coordinating the effort. “There’s nowhere to appeal.”
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Cindy Pugh, a state representative from Minnesota at the Quicken Loans Arena on Monday.CreditDamon Winter/The New York Times
There are still hard feelings from the hard-fought primary.
The floor skirmish was further evidence that the party still had a long way to go toward unity.
The Trump campaign lashed out at Gov. John Kasich of Ohio for refusing to support Mr. Trump. “He’s embarrassing his party in Ohio,” Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign chairman, said at a breakfast on Monday morning, calling the decision “dumb.”
John Weaver, a strategist for Mr. Kasich, mocked Mr. Manafort and accused him of being “on the lam” with thugs and autocrats.
Party unity, it seems, will still take some time.
Republicans address the latest deadly shooting?
The shooting deaths of three police officers on Sunday in Baton Rouge, La., have heightened tensions here, posing a challenge of tone and approach for demonstrators.
Many have been drawn to Cleveland to oppose Mr. Trump, whom they see as inflaming racial hostilities, and to speak out against the deaths of black Americans at the hands of the police. Two hundred of his supporters held an “America First” rally in a park around midday. (Watch video we recorded live on Facebook of anti-Trump protesters marching through downtown Cleveland.) Later in the day, a group focused on economic justice will take to the streets.
Donald Trump is gaining ground on Hillary Clinton.
A national poll of registered voters from Monmouth University shows Mr. Trump gaining on Hillary Clinton as he heads into the convention. He now trails her by just three points, narrowing a six-point gap from a month ago.
Can Melania Trump help rehabilitate her husband’s image with women?
Mr. Trump says women love him. Public surveys say otherwise.
And if part of the convention’s purpose is to package Mr. Trump as a more acceptable choice to this skeptical swath of the electorate, Monday’s testimonials could go a long way.
The headliner is Melania Trump, Mr. Trump’s often-seen but rarely heard-from wife originally from Slovenia, who is expected to take the stage in the evening. Mr. Trump’s family has been central to his campaign arc, with his children serving as top advisers and surrogates. But Mrs. Trump’s role has been less conspicuous, so far.
Mr. Trump announced on Twitter Monday morning that he would be in attendance later that evening, to watch his wife deliver her speech.
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An audience member handed Mr. Trump a poster of his wife, Melania, to sign at a rally in March in Fayetteville, N.C.CreditTravis Dove for The New York Times
Can an army of speakers burnish Trump’s self-styled tough-guy image?
Little about the speaking schedule is subtle. But the Trump campaign’s chief aim, it seems, is to present him as a champion of law enforcement and to highlight his hard-line stance on immigration.
Among those invited onstage, organizers say, are the relatives of people killed by immigrants who entered the country illegally. There will also be a discussion of the 2012 Benghazi, Libya, attack, which will surely double as a rolling broadside against Hillary Clinton.
And in a nod to the Northeastern bravado at the top of the Republican ticket this year, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York will lend his voice. Look for Mr. Giuliani, who recently prompted an uproar after calling the Black Lives Matter movement “inherently racist,” to weigh in on the most recent violence against police officers.

Watch a replay of our conversation with Senator Susan Collins.
Carolyn Ryan and Carl Hulse of The New York Times talked with Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, and took reader questions live on Facebook.