In 2008, as the Democratic National Convention approached, eyes were not only on the party's presumptive nominee, but on his top challenger, Hillary Clinton, as many wondered if she would embrace Barack Obama for the good of the party and the nation. NBC News would go on to call it an "epic duel."
She did.
In 2016, having won the Democratic nomination, the focus turned from Clinton, the presumptive nominee, to Bernie Sanders, her main challenger, to see if he would support the her. The Washington Post called it "a bruising primary season."
He did.
At the 2008 convention, Hillary Clinton released her delegates and formally nominated Barack Obama to be the party's nominee, saying, "let’s declare all together with one voice right here and right now that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president.”
At the 2016 convention Hillary Clinton delivered a speech designed to unite the party, telling Sanders supporters, “I’ve heard you. Your cause is our cause.”
Nothing like that will happen next week at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, because those who opposed the party's presumptive nominee have not been invited to speak. Donald Trump has made no attempt to unite the party by embracing his critics within the party – and now he will exclude them.
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As "Republicans happily watch Democratic turmoil over Biden" after the President's poor debate performance nearly two weeks ago, the GOP has many internal battles of its own that threaten party unity.
Nikki Haley, Donald Trump's former UN Ambassador, was the last candidate opposing him to drop out. After having denounced the "chaos" her former boss brings, and after declaring his mental fitness was in "decline," in May she warned: "Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me, and not assume that they’re just going to be with him.”
In January, Trump had warned he would blacklist Haley donors.
On Tuesday she released her delegates and called for "unity," but stopped short of endorsing him.
Haley has not been invited to the Republican National Convention and will neither speak nor attend, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was once considered the best chance Republicans had to defeat Donald Trump, in January dropped out of the race and endorsed the ex-president.
He, too, has not been invited to speak at the convention next week.
"DeSantis will be in Milwaukee, but only on the periphery of the convention," USA Today reports. "The two-term Florida governor is scheduled to participate in a Moms for Liberty panel discussion and a breakfast with his state delegation. But a source familiar with the planning said DeSantis won’t have a spot on the convention stage during the four-day affair."
It's not just on the national stage next week that voters will see how Trump has attempted to stomp out any dissent.
Following the release of the draft Republican Party platform, reportedly in part written by Donald Trump, which "could read like a MAGA rally," The New York Times reported, former Trump Vice President Mike Pence denounced the document.
Claiming it "removed historic pro-life principles that have long been the foundation of the platform," Pence said, "I urge delegates attending next week’s Republican Convention to restore language to our party’s platform recognizing the sanctity of human life and affirming that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed."
Other leaders among the Christian far-right, which is one of the largest portions of Trump's base, have also denounced the RNC platform because it has removed some anti-abortion language, despite it actually paving the way for "fetal personhood."
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In March, Pence announced he would not support Trump's re-election bid.
“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Pence said.
"Pence has joined a faction of conservatives decrying the updated Republican National Committee platform rubber-stamped by former President Donald Trump for its inclusion of softened language on abortion, a marked change from past cycles," ABC News reports. Anti-LGBTQ hate group head Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, is a member of the RNC platform committee, and in an act of defiance submitted a minority report opposing the abortion language.
It's not just GOP leaders. After the Trump-endorsed platform was pushed through the committee with little debate, one platform committee member from Utah told WISN News (video below), "they rolled us."
"It's never happened before," Gail Ruzicka said as she shook her head. "There was no committees, we've always had subcommittees where we can go in and work on a section of the platform."
But leaders "didn't allow any amendments," or discussion, she lamented.
"Everything they told us they were going to do isn't what happened."
"I didn't vote for this," she said, adding, "I've never been treated so badly, to have them force this vote on us."
Ruzicka said they were given the draft language, had time just to glance at it before a motion was made and the committee voted on it. That platform will be voted on at the convention Monday.
"They rolled us. That's what they did."
Gail Ruzicka, RNC platform committee member from Utah, just after today's vote in Milwaukee: "I've never seen this happen before. I don't understand why they did it, and I'm extremely disappointed that we do not have any pro-life language" pic.twitter.com/5DIWoialyP — Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) July 8, 2024
Tony Perkins confirmed Ruzicka's description.
In a statement he blasted the RNC:
"Unfortunately, the choreographed process -- which allowed no amendments to be discussed or voted upon -- was unbecoming of a party that champions free speech and due process. Delegates were given the platform this morning when they entered the convention hall with no time to review, much less the 72 hours that Republican lawmakers call for in the House of Representatives. Delegates were only given a few minutes of discussion before 'debate' was ended and a vote was taken."
And on Capitol Hill, Trump's impact is imploding the far-right House Freedom Caucus.
"The House Freedom Caucus Monday night voted to eject Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) — who supported the victorious Trump-endorsed candidate over the group's own chair Rep. Bob Goode in his failed primary last month — spurring pro-Trump Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) to resign and sources to warn of more departures to come," Raw Story reported Tuesday.
Watch the video above or at this link.
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