Donald Trump roared out of his unprecedented national convention, demagogically blaming Joe Biden for the deadly street violence that has erupted amid anti-racism protests in a bid to
redefine the election from a referendum about his own bungling of the pandemic.
"Trump wants you to fear Black Lives Matter more than Covid-19," said political analyst Phil Trounstine, who checked in with Newsmakers for a weekly update on the state of play in the presidential race.
With more than 180,000 Americans dead of coronavrius and tens of millions out of work in the subsequently battered economy, the 46 percent 45th President is using all the powers and taxpayer-financed resources of the White House on his behalf of his campaign, as he seeks to distract attention from his own failings by bellowing that street killings, arson and looting that have accompanied Black Lives Matter protests against police misconduct in some Democrat-led cities are a harbinger of widespread disorder if Biden wins.
The desperate argument elides that riots are raging on his watch as the nation's chief executive and that Biden is not, you know, the president.
The Democrat in his convention stressed themes of civility, decency and national unity as he promised to be a president for the entire country - in contrast to the chaotic Trump Administration and his determined, four year effort to be President of Red State America.
With the nation locked in an alarming and chilling state of hostile and toxic polarization, neither candidate received much of a traditional polling bump from his convention, although Trump slightly closed the gap by which he trails Biden.
The latest Real Clear Politics poll average of polls shows the Democrat leading the incumbent 49.6-to-43.4 percent in the national popular vote; this is 2.3 percent greater than the margin by which 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton led Trump after the conventions four years ago.
However, in an average of the polling from key battleground states where the decisive Electoral College Vote will be decided, Biden enjoys just a tiny 2.6 percent lead over Trump, even less than the 3.3 percent lead in such states that Clinton held at a similar point four years ago.
Sixty-two days to go.
In their conversation about the current political landscape, Phil and Jerry discuss the crucial significance of Negative Partisanship -- loathing for the opposite party outweighing the importance of positive feelings for one's own; the role of political information siloes and the service provided by Fox News as a propaganda organ for Trump; the urgency of Democratic attempts to take back the Senate and, perhaps most importantly, the way that online betting markets currently view the race.
It's all here, right now on Newsmakers TV and...the podcast version is here.
JR
Image: Quora.com.
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