It’s been another busy day for Republicans in Cleveland, and another busy day for WKSU’s M.L. Schultze who began her day on the second day of the RNC at the breakfast for the Ohio delegation before moving on to other RNC-related events around the city.
The breakfast was an opportunity to sit and watch some of the top names in the Republican Party. The reason Ohio is important, according to Schultze is “Ohio really matters when it comes to Republicans winning the White House.”
Today’s guest was Frank Luntz. He’s helped shape the GOP message for most of the last 20 years. Schultze says he told some very funny jokes but his message was very sobering. “When it comes to younger voters, they may be lost, if not to the Republican message itself, at least to the way that message is delivered.” He told the delegation that if Republicans want to when the White House, they’ve got to reach that audience.
When you talk to people at the convention, they mention the word socialism and almost shudder. They found it a very scary idea for America. Luntz says for someone in their 20’s, that’s not necessarily scary. In fact, it’s more appealing than capitalism.
A call to action
The 66 delegates are all still committed to Governor Kasich. He hasn’t released them, and a lot of people are trying to figure out when, and if, he’ll do that. Luntz tried to impress upon the delegation that the idea of them leaving the convention without endorsing Donald Trump or at least saying “we’re better with him than Hillary Clinton so what we’ll do what we can” is critical. The bottom line is that Republicans need Ohio in order to win this election.
The GOP and immigration
The Cuyahoga County Republican Party hosted a panel discussion later in the day on immigration. Schultze says It had a completely different tone and feel from the rhetoric that’s been part of the presidential campaign since last summer. There was more of a focus on finding common ground than the points where there’s disagreement, and one of the most interesting things about this conversation is that there will be a similar discussion in Philadelphia next week at the Democratic National Convention.
It often happens that way. The political rhetoric, the extremes voiced during the conventions is not where most people are, in the middle. For example, in today’s discussion, no one in the audience had any problem with saying immigration is good for America. “Then you get into the nuance, and that’s where things get a little stickier.”
