NEWS AND OPINION:
“Here’s a safe prediction about this week’s Republican National Convention: TV reporters will paint the GOP as too conservative, hostile to women, anathema to blacks, and an all-around turn-off to voters,” says Rich Noyes, research director for the Media Research Center. “And that’s not just because the ever-controversial Donald Trump is set to be nominated as the party’s presidential candidate.”
Actually, this is a tradition. Broadcasters have been framing the Republican Party and its candidates as rigid, judgmental and ultra-conservative for years, says Mr. Noyes, and he ought to know. The conservative press watchdog has documented liberal rants against the Grand Old Party since 1988, with correspondents acting as “Democratic surrogates, lecturing Republican officials and delegates about how they are too far to the right and intolerant,” the analyst notes.
“It does not matter to the media whether the nominee is a conservative like Ronald Reagan, or a moderate like John McCain. The networks read from virtually the same script each year,” Mr. Noyes continues, adding that his organization again will track the bias and share the now familiar findings.
“So if you watch one of the liberal networks this week and think you’re hearing an echo of previous slams of the GOP — you probably are,” advises Mr. Noyes.
DAYS OF YORE
“No man will ever bring out of the presidency the reputation that carries him into it.”
— Thomas Jefferson, in a 1796 letter to Edward Rutledge, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
2016: THE NATIONAL SECURITY ELECTION
Continued terrorist attacks on innocent civilians here and abroad have prompted more people to take a closer look at Donald Trump’s clear call to tighten up porous borders and lax immigration policies. Polls consistently reveal that more wary voters trust the GOP nominee in matters of national security than his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
“As one who went out on a limb to say the presidency was Trump’s to lose way back in August 2015, I am going to go further out on that limb by saying that not only will Trump win the presidency, he will win in a blowout,” predicts Roger L. Simon, founder of PJ Media.
“I don’t necessarily mean a blowout of Nixon-McGovern proportions, but by a significant margin,” he continues, referring to the 1972 bout between anti-war candidate Sen. George McGovern and incumbent GOP President Richard Nixon.
“The polls are beginning to show this. But now everything is intensifying. The reason should be evident. This is going to be a national security election,” notes Mr. Simon.
SEE ALSO: Marco Rubio will speak at Republican National Convention, officials say
FOR THE LEXICON
“9/11, on the installment plan.”
— David Burge, founder of the Iowa Hawk political blog, reacting to press reports that France has endured seven terrorist attack in the last 18 months.
VOTERS HAVE SERIOUS ELECTION FATIGUE
Six-out-of-10 Americans already are “exhausted” by election coverage, says a new Pew Research Center poll. This is not happy news, given that the election itself is still 113 days off.
“With so many saying they are worn out by the coverage, what is it that Americans think has been getting too much attention? Most Americans say there is too little coverage of issues; candidates’ comments and personal lives seen as most over-covered,” writes senior analyst Jeffrey Gottfried.
“About four-in-10 say there is too much coverage of candidates’ comments on the campaign trail (44 percent) and of their personal lives (43 percent), higher than any other topics asked about. This is followed by coverage of which candidate is leading in the polls (37 percent) and the candidates’ moral character (30 percent),” Mr. Gottfried notes.
The public appears to crave some red meat coverage for a change. The research also found that the majority — 55 percent — say the candidate’s important policy statements on issues are essentially undercovered and ignored by the press.
THE EVANGELICAL FACTOR
Since May, Ben Carson has been mobilizing “silent Christians,” launching a pledge for voters to get to the polls when the time comes. It is a sizable demographic: An estimated 25 million faith and values voters sat out the presidential election in 2012. It appears the reluctant group might be a little more motivated this time around, however.
According to yet another Pew Research Center poll, 78 percent of “white evangelical registered voters” say they support GOP nominee Donald Trump. Though many have mixed feelings about the election, when push comes to shove, evangelicals are there for the Republican: 93 percent would vote for Mr. Trump.
In the meantime, Mr. Carson has launched a 120-day plan “to identify, educate, and active Christian voters,” with the help of popular pastors such as David Jeremiah and Kirk Cameron.
“No longer can we, as believers, afford to be indifferent or assume that, through the actions of others, our nation will be restored,” reads the pledge, launched through a grass-roots organization called My Faith Votes. It also calls upon the signers to “pray faithfully for America.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 37 percent of Libertarians say they know 10 people who are not Libertarian who now may vote for Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson.
• 16 percent know more than 10 people who say they could vote for Mr. Johnson.
• 14 percent know two to four people who may vote for Mr. Johnson.
• 12 percent say the only people they know who would vote for Mr. Johnson are Libertarians.
• 9 percent say they can’t predict how anyone will vote in 2016.
• Source: A Libertarian Party survey of 1,931 Libertarian voters conducted throughout July and released Friday.
• Positive feedback, wary observations to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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