Trump redefined the race and other commentary – New York Post

RNC journal: Trump Redefined the Race

Democrats strategy doesnt involve Joe Biden winning, argues Daniel McCarthy at Spectator USA. He just has to accept office when the coronavirus and the media have defeated President Trump. Yet the GOP convention tore up the narrative and wrote a new script, one focusing on the violence raging in cities run by Democrats, redefining the race. For the left, its still about COVID, racism and the personality of the candidates. But for Trump, its about what hes accomplished and whats happening in US cities. Biden says little about the flames, riots and killing in the cities because theres nothing he can say without either admitting his party is controlled by cultural pyromaniacs or that hes become a firebug himself. Will Trumps gambit work? Reality is on the presidents side, and its a hell of an equalizer.

President Trumps acceptance speech Thursday drew clear and arguably persuasive contrasts between himself and former Vice President Joe Biden in many areas, including their broad-based visions for America, the economy and law enforcement, Doug Schoen contends at Fox News. The RNC also made clear strides to emphasize diversity within the Republican Party, with noteworthy speeches by the likes of Sen. Tim Scott and ex-Gov. Nikki Haley. So while much will turn on how the economy, the pandemic and urban unrest play out in coming weeks its very likely that after the four-day Republican convention, the race will tighten. In all, it seems the race for the White House will be much closer than most people are predicting.

Because the media have been so hysterically anti-Trump, the RNC was the first time in four years that non-leftist Americans have seen other Americans reflect positive views about President Trump, observes Mollie Hemingway at The Federalist. On foreign affairs, they saw a return to realism, with multiple speakers spelling out policies based on the national interest. There was substantive outreach to black voters: Everyone seemed ready to fight the slurs from the media about Trump and Republicans being racist. True, the press still lashed out against the Republican convention, sometimes ridiculously so even after gushing about the Dems shindig. But watching Americans speak positively about Trump was emboldening for Republican and independent voters, as they prepare for a fall campaign sure to include surprises.

Few flavors of abuse are more ugly than the scorn showered by many overwhelmingly Democratic Indian Americans on Nikki Haley, declares Tunku Varadarajan at The Wall Street Journal. Specifically, his praise of her RNC speech prompted criticism that Haley, ne Nimrata Randhawa, anglicized her name to run for office. And if America isnt racist, as Haley claimed, then why did she change her name to Nikki? Yet that reflects a belief that its fitting for America to accommodate immigrants but not for immigrants to have to accommodate America. Besides, Nikki, a Punjabi word for little one, is actually on Haleys birth certificate as her middle name. To suggest she is trying to pass for white and bury her own identity is not only desperately overheated. It is racist.

Chaos in the streets, such as in Kenosha and Portland, laments Reasons J.D. Tuccille, is a sight with which well become very familiar if the situation in this country continues to spiral out of control. BLM hard-liners, antifa, alt-right Proud Boys and other groups are increasingly mixing it up, endangering ordinary people and property. Talk of Civil War 2.0 might be overblown, but countries dont have to collapse for chaos to reign. We could see a scenario like Northern Irelands Troubles: simmering tensions, occasional flashpoints, two irreconcilable communities of left and right inhabiting the same geographic space. To avoid the spread of that conflict, were going to have to find a way to live with each other, or to leave each other alone.

Compiled by the The Post Editorial Board