Inside the Beltway: Republicans for Biden get a warning

NEWS AND OPINION:

Some very vocal, high-profile Republicans have turned against President Trump in favor of Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden. They have organized and branded themselves; they issue slick press releases and make public comments; their numbers include former lawmakers, governors and national security officials.

But wait. Some say these Trump-adverse Republicans may be clueless. Their newfound hero may not turn out to be who — or what — they have envisioned. Beware.

“How do these Republicans know Biden will ’reach across the aisle’? They don’t. Their gullibility and naivete are a wonder to behold. The truth is, there’s absolutely no reason whatsoever to believe Biden would stay in the center,” advises an Issues & Insights editorial.

“A Biden win will surely bring with it a Democratic-controlled House and Senate. We already know what will happen next, since it’s happened before. After Bill Clinton ran as a moderate, he immediately veered left upon taking office, raised taxes he’d promised to cut and tried to impose HillaryCare on the nation. After Barack Obama wooed Republicans with his calm demeanor, his seemingly sensible positions, and the sharp crease in his pants, he spent the first two years imposing ObamaCare and the economy-crushing Dodd-Frank on the nation,” the editorial continues.

“One of the worst features of the Republicans for Biden contingent, however, is the fact that they are excusing the Democrats’ behavior over the past four years. Trump may be boorish — the country knew that when it elected him four years ago. But that’s not why Democrats refused to acknowledge his presidency, tried to railroad him on bogus Russia conspiracy charges, and condoned violence against Trump supporters,” Issues & Insight claims.

TRUMP’S 37 COALITIONS

President Trump’s nimble campaign continues to organize voter coalitions which reflect an emerging and unique diversity among Trump fans. The campaign already boasts 24 organizations for military vets, pro-lifers, Hindus, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, mothers, Muslims, Greek Americans, lawyers, Indian Americans, ranchers and Catholics — to name a few. A bunch more have arrived.

The campaign has added another 13 special outreach organizations, and here they are: Albanian Americans for Trump, Assyrians for Trump, Chaldeans for Trump, Firefighters for Trump, German Americans for Trump, Gun Owners for Trump, Italian Americans for Trump, Medical Professionals for Trump, Polish Americans for Trump, Serbian Americans for Trump, Truckers for Trump, Ukrainian Americans for Trump and Trump Pride — which has a 20-person advisory board that includes Richard Grenell, former acting Director of National Intelligence.

“Diverse groups are coming together to support President Trump and his promise of economic empowerment, personal liberty, and the American Dream,” says Ashley Hayek, the campaign’s director of coalitions.

’ONE WITH THE HEART’

Liberal and progressive pundits, activists and media figures are fond of calling President Trump as “racist,” and have become particularly vocal about it in an era where race relations in U.S. dominates headlines.

Sen. Tim Scott completely rejects the idea that Mr. Trump is racist. The Black Republican from South Carolina has some specific thoughts about Mr. Trump.

“A racist president does not provide the highest funding for historically Black colleges and universities in the history of the country, and he certainly does not make that funding permanent. A racist president does not take opportunity zones and provide up to $75 billion of private-sector dollars for the most distressed people in the country,” Mr. Scott tells Fox News.

“A racist president simply does not create seven million jobs and make sure two-thirds of those jobs go to African Americans, Hispanics, and women,” the lawmaker said.

Then he recalled Mr. Trump’s behavior when the president was consoling families who had lost a family member during a police action.

“Watching the president be patient and listen, and hear what they were saying — to feel their pain, and empathize with them — was one of the most remarkable experiences I’ve had in a lifetime. Our president sat there for over an hour and listened to the victim’s families. This kind of president — one with the heart — is what takes to be a good president,” Mr. Scott said.

FOXIFIED AND C-SPANNED

The Republican National Convention and Fox News Channel appeared to be a perfect match Monday evening, the opening night for the GOP event. Fox News marked the “highest-rated delivery of the first night of the Republican National Convention in cable news history, outpacing all broadcast and cable networks,” the network said Monday.

According to early Nielsen Media Research numbers, prime-time coverage with anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum attracted 7.1 million viewers.

The network outpaced ABC, CBS and NBC combined, as well as the total viewers who tuned in to CNN and MSNBC combined, according to Nielsen. CNN attracted 2 million, followed by ABC (1.9 million), NBC (1.7 million), MSNBC (1.5 million), and CBS (1.4 Million).

Fox News host Sean Hannity, who appeared on his show at 8 p.m. Monday, enjoyed his second highest-rated program ever, with 6.8 million viewers.

Meanwhile, C-SPAN’s livestream of the first night of the Republican National Convention has attracted nearly 440,000 views, marking a substantial increase over the start of the Democratic National Convention, which drew 76,000 views, according to Joe Concha, media analyst for The Hill.

POLL DU JOUR

• 73% of U.S. adults say health care workers should receive priority in getting a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

• 71% say seniors over age 55 should get priority, 68% cite those with compromised immune systems.

• 60% say essential workers, 56% “fire/rescue/police,” 44% teachers, 34% cite those living in states with the worst infection rates.

• 28% say children under 17, 16% say adults age 18-39.

Source: A Harris/Axios poll of 1,399 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 14-16 and released Monday; respondents were give a list of demographics, from which they could make multiple choices.

• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.