This is a Civic Media News special report.
Everything you need to know live from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Now your hosts Todd Alba and Civic Media News director Terry Bell.
Good evening and welcome once again from downtown Milwaukee on this the final night of the Republican National Convention and the final night of our special coverage on civic media.
We thank you for joining us all week long.
I'm Terry Bell.
Todd Abba is with me as well at Wisconsin Media Row.
at the Panther Arena.
Over the next hour, we're going to give you the facts and the flavor of what happened at the convention today and some perspective from our analysts in a few minutes.
But first, once again, let's welcome Todd Albaugh, the host of the Todd Albaugh Show.
Hey, Todd.
Hey Terry, great to be with you once again and all the folks listening across the state of Wisconsin and around the world streaming on the Civic Media app.
I am coming to you live from Wisconsin Media Row where it's been another busy day here at Panther Arena.
Several Wisconsin Republican politicians made their way through the arena, including former Governor Tommy Thompson and Wisconsin's senior US Senator Ron Johnson.
But Terry, the biggest political news may not be coming out of Pfizer Forum next door tonight, which is getting very busy, by the way, already.
Some of the news organizations here in Panther, where a lot of the media has been located, are already breaking down.
Everything tonight, all the excitement, all the attention moves over to Pfizer Forum tonight.
But the big news tonight may be coming out of Delaware, where President Biden is self isolating after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
And we have new news, new reporting tonight, Terry.
And again, this may well overshadow what's happening across the way at Pfizer form.
You're absolutely right, Todd.
And one wonders how this might overshadow what is supposed to be President Trump's big night.
I think one thing you're going to hear tonight is the president, the former president, I should say, comparing him and his situation with his situation with that of the current president.
I think you're going to hear him say that he has overcome a difficult situation where the current president is
maybe being overwhelmed by his current situation.
I think you're going to hear a lot of contrasts coming up in the days and weeks to head.
So it's been much of the talk here today, even though this is the Republican convention.
It's the Democratic president that's on the minds of a lot of people.
And not only are Republicans in town, but so are many top Democrats, including some top officials.
from the Biden campaign who were in Milwaukee and held a press conference earlier today.
We're going to hear from Quinton folks, Biden deputary Biden deputy campaign manager and California Senator Alex Padilla.
He's the campaign advisory board member for the Biden Harris campaign.
And here are just a few moments from that press conference earlier today about the situation with the president.
Thank you.
I have a question for Quentin and one for the senator.
Quentin, first how is the president doing today?
And then also there are reports that he's more receptive to conversations about leaving the race.
And I see you smiling.
Is that true?
And is the campaign working on scenarios where Vice President Harris would take the...
take the lead.
And then also for Senator Padilla, your future colleague in the Senate, Adam Schiff, put out a statement calling on President Biden to pass the torch.
He seems very concerned, as do many of your colleagues, that the president is going to bring the whole party down with him.
Do you believe that it is sustainable for the president to stay in the race?
So on the first question, the president is feeling fine.
He is self-isolating in Delaware.
He's continuing to make calls and do work.
He has some official meetings today.
A lot of campaign calls that he's getting through.
I think some Zoom calls that he's hopping on potentially.
And as for the second question, look, the vice president is a part of the Biden-Harris ticket.
Our campaign is not working through any scenarios where President Biden is not the top of the ticket.
He is and will be the Democratic nominee.
I think when it comes to if he is open or being receptive to any of that, look, the president has said it several times.
He's staying in this race.
I talk to the president every single day in some form of Zoom or phone call.
He's usually fact checking me on a statistic that I got wrong.
15 and a half million jobs is very different than 16 million.
But the president is in this race.
He is going to and we look forward to him accepting the delegates in Chicago and continue with this race to talk about what's at stake.
And I'll just add, yes, I know President Biden well.
He's not skipping a beat.
He may have to ice a little bit because of COVID.
And that shouldn't surprise anybody.
Look, I represent California, COVID numbers are up.
It's part of our new reality.
But Paxlova, yes, bleach, no.
I'll say that again in case you didn't get it.
Paxlova, yes, bleach, no.
And so he's going to continue to work, even if it's via phone, via Zoom.
He's got a tremendous day job.
Let's not forget about that.
And he's continuing to aggressively campaign.
That's your question about my colleague to be Adam Schiff, who I've known for many years, respect your menace, but couldn't disagree more on this issue.
I mean, for anybody wondering whether President Biden is committed, members of Congress got a letter last week, a week and a half ago.
He's thought about it, he's been approached, and he's the site.
I know, having spoken to him personally, he's committed to the campaign, he's committed to winning in November, because we want to continue the progress we've made on his leadership, and because we know the dangers of Donald Trump.
As far as the campaign goes, nobody's predicting a landslide this November in any direction.
It was a very close race four years ago, and it's going to be a close race this November.
But the numbers that I've seen, the data that I've seen, the polls that I've seen show that we're more than in the ballgame, but we have 109 days left.
And we need everybody in our team working hard, talking to voters, organizing, mobilizing, getting ready to get out the vote.
because there's too much at stake this November to do otherwise.
And that is the situation as it stood a few hours ago.
Todd Abba, what have you learned since then?
Terry, we have been on the phones to our sources and let me begin with this and then I'll follow it up.
This is from Mark Haleprin.
He is breaking this down.
Some breaking news.
We have confirmed several of these points, but let me go through them in order.
And this just shows you how fluid this is.
You talked to you at this press conference this afternoon.
Look, these Democratic representatives are here for a purpose.
They're given orders from on high.
That's not unusual.
But here is what multiple sources are outlined.
at this hour at the seven o'clock hour.
There are plans to announce a withdrawal from the nomination as early as this weekend by Joe Biden, with now looking like Sunday is the most likely date.
John Meacham is reportedly polishing up the remarks.
John Meacham, of course, the Pulitzer Prize winning author, written several autobiographies.
He is a remarkable writer.
He is said to be involved.
It is said that President Biden will not resign the presidency.
In other words, he plans to or intends to finish out his current term.
Also, it is being reported tonight through our sources that President Biden will not repeat, not endorse Vice President Harris for the nomination.
There are reports amongst Democratic officials.
It will be an open convention with Vice President Harris and about three others kind of fighting it out.
Also, the superdelegates will not be allowed to vote on the first ballot.
Perhaps later on we can have Matt Ross Child, a Democrat who's more in tune to Democratic policies than I, but superdelegates are reportedly not being allowed to vote on the first ballot at the convention a month from now in Chicago, which civic media will be at.
Also at this hour, it is being reported that Vice President Cabela Harris is vetting at least four possible running mates, including Andy Bashir, the governor of Kentucky, more on that in a minute, and also possibly the governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro.
Although reports are the governor Shapiro is not warming up to the idea right now of being the vice president presidential nomination nominee under vice president Harris.
This is a very fluid situation.
Here's what we can also tell you.
According to Ouija Zhang at CBS News, two senior House Democrats have told Major Garrett, Major Garrett, the chief White House correspondent for CBS, that they expect the question of Biden's candidacy to be resolved in three to five days.
Each day of indecision will lead to more public calls for him to step aside.
Of course, the caveat is, and has always been,
that the choice is ultimately up to Joe Biden.
And finally from the Hill about an hour ago, according to the Hill, this is a publication in Washington D. C. Well connected Democratic Party insiders say they expect.
President Biden to make a major announcement about his future soon as soon after the Republican National Convention here in Milwaukee concludes and the congressional leaders expect Vice President Harris will become their nominee for president if Biden drops his reelection bid.
Among high-level Democratic strategists and donors now saying that they're turning to Vice Vice President Harris and who will be her running mate.
It's boiled down according to the Hill.
to Mark Kelly, Democratic Senator of Arizona, and also, once again, Andy Bashir, Governor of Democratic Governor of Kentucky, and also being thrown into the mix now at this hour, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
So, and I've been working the phones, Terry, on my sources, both Republican and Democratic.
I've run through this list with them.
I have said, is this real?
Is this actual legit?
My sources tonight, Terry, are telling me that many, if not all the things I just ran down have been confirmed by them and they expect President Biden to withdraw from the race this weekend.
Todd, of all the things you just said, the one that stood out to me is that President Biden at last check was not planning to endorse Kamala Harris.
What do you read into that?
I think it's there's there's a lot of it again.
Perhaps a Matt Ross child can comment better being involved more intimately in Democratic Party politics, but I think there's a sense there that perhaps a coronation if you will.
an anointment, if you will, by Joe Biden wouldn't necessarily serve Kamala Harris well politically, that it may look stronger.
It may unify the Democratic Party if this kind of comes more organically rather than Joe Biden just saying this is who it's going to be.
Remember, we've talked all week, Terry.
You and I, also our panelists, about the fact that this Republican convention here in Milwaukee has solidified at least the delegates, the red meters, if you will,
They are behind Donald Trump 100 percent, lock, stock and barrel.
They are energized.
Can the Democrats do that in Chicago next month at their national convention?
And perhaps the thinking, Terry, is that if it's fought out a little bit, if Kamala Harris, quote, unquote, earns it, that may unify the Democratic base more than a coronation.
What I've heard many Republicans say on media row today, and I think you're going to hear in the days and weeks to come is Exactly what you just said is that the Republican Party is very unified behind Donald Trump and that Democrats, you know are uncertain and debating amongst themselves and in a bit of a position of weakness and I think the Republicans here are
smelling blood, if you will.
I don't know if that's necessarily a good metaphor for this, but they sense a weakness and they're going to be very aggressive about exploiting it.
You're listening to special coverage of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
We'll be right back.
You're listening to a Civic Media News special report, everything you need to know live from the Republican National Convention.
Once again, here's Todd Alba and Terry Bell.
Welcome back to Civic Media's special coverage.
I'm Terry Bell with Todd Alba and we're going to take a listen back at some of the highlights today.
The big story today is the decisions of the discussions that are happening around President Biden's future in this campaign.
but the Republicans and had plenty to do and say t listen to some of our cov Republicans hope J. D. Vans gains with young adults sta representative nick Reddinger he says young adults are in the GOP because
for a
decades older than them.
part to become a younger and y to our advantage and really excited we're taking.
Reading has better solutions to the face.
Whether it's a home o lack of salary developme and trying to start fami all of that.
And I think a massive swing in young
Vance is 39 years old, one of the youngest people ever to run for vice president.
Republican leaders are defending two fake electors who are part of Wisconsin's RNC delegation.
There was a heated exchange between a reporter and state party chair, Brian Shimming, this morning.
Somebody knew what they were doing.
So that that's not that's not my issue right now.
This this.
OK, OK, but that's our issue right now.
And I will tell you that first of all, don't yell at me.
Pam Travis, Bob Spindel and eight other fake electors publicly admitted Donald Trump asked them to try to overturn Joe Biden's victory in Wisconsin in 2020.
Those people who
stepped up and stepped into those roles.
certainly didn't feel and the folks who organized it certainly didn't feel that they were doing anything wrong or they wouldn't have done
it.
The fake electors could still face potential criminal charges.
Attorney General Josh Call says his office is looking into it.
Democrats in the meantime spent the day drawing attention to the Republicans Project 2025 Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
There is something that is horrible right on display here in Milwaukee.
And that is Project 2025.
Trump, JD Vance, and their MAGA allies are gendered to destroy our democracy.
They want to gut checks and balances.
They want to solidify power in the Oval Office, and they want to raise costs for hardworking Wisconsinites while cutting taxes for the rich and powerful.
Now, Trump may be trying to distance himself from this now, but this was not only his, but this was his team's pet project.
He can't hide from this reality, especially right here in Wisconsin.
The people of Wisconsin know exactly how extreme and dangerous Trump really is.
A 98-year-old World War II veteran from Wisconsin is urging support for Donald Trump.
William Packrell has two bronze stars and a silver star.
People say, people in America is an idea, but I believe America is much more than that.
America is our home.
And President Trump, back in Commander-in-Chief, I would go back to the re-enlist today.
And I would storm whatever beach
my country wanted me to.
William Peckrow has two bronze stars and a silver star.
An aircraft on its way to Oshkosh flew into restricted airspace around the RNC yesterday afternoon.
An F-35 fighter jet found the craft in question and safely escorted it out of the area.
And Todd, those are just a few of the highlights of what happened today at the Republican National Convention, the last day of the convention, which of course culminates in President Trump's nomination acceptance speech that will happen later tonight.
Yes, it will happen later tonight and it's gonna be very interesting Terry Bell to see how this speech if there any last-minute changes of course President Trump has a former president Trump has said that he wanted to take to borrow a phrase from George HW Bush a kinder gentler tone tonight in his nomination accepted speech as opposed to kind of the more rough and tumble aggressive Tony's had in most of his speeches since even before he became president We'll see if that happens
Also, this news that we talked about at the top of the show here of the reports of sitting President Joe Biden may withdraw sometime this weekend or shortly thereafter, certainly the Trump people have this same knowledge.
do they adjust the speech to make it not so much a speech attacking someone they might not end up even running against, but do they put in more kind of digs and takes on Kamala Harris or the Democratic agenda, the platform in general?
How does Trump and his team adjust to this new news tonight and do they work it into the speech or do they go with what he already has written and most likely has practiced?
So we'll be looking for that as well tonight as long as well as the other people going to the
I mean you have Diane Hendrickson going out on the stage tonight from Wisconsin.
The Jeansville area Republican who has the ABC builders a hundred to millions of dollars that give it all kinds of money to the Trump campaign the course Republican causes over the years Republicans are billing Diane Hendricks as an everyday American Well, I don't know Terry last time I checked not every day Americans had you know several hundred million dollars in the bank here is everyday American They call Diane Hendricks.
She's supposed to see I think she may have already spoken later on
You're also gonna have Hulk Hogan on the on the dais tonight.
Here's a guy who in 2007 used the n-word and got into a lot of trouble over his feelings and comments over black Americans He's gonna be out there tonight as well and as long with the UFC president data white is actually the person that's going to be Introducing Trump on the stage.
We know this
Trump is a showman.
He loves a spectacle.
He loves a show.
And viewers and listeners tonight can expect exactly that.
It'll also be interesting to see how he invokes Saturday's assassination attempt, whether he'll make anything of it, and if he does what he'll make of it, I would suspect he probably will.
I think that he will be eager to show his surviving that assassinated attempt as a show of strength as compared to the situation that President Biden finds himself right in and out.
So I don't think he'll shy away from that.
And I'm sure there are last-minute tweaks being made to his speech, but...
Donald Trump is known to stray from the script and the teleprompter and he likes to speak extemporaneously.
So we'll see how much of that he does tonight.
Yeah, I mean, we've been talking all week as well that there is a bit of Orwellian out here atmosphere of this theocracy.
I mean, I was part of the Republican Party for 30 years until I left in 2011.
I can tell you there's always been this kind of religious part of the Republican Party, but it was always kind of a sideshow for lack of a better term.
As Trevi Olsen, who's been with us most of the week from the Lincoln Project himself, a former Wisconsin Republican said this week here at the RNC Milwaukee is a capitulation.
from the old Republican party of Reagan and Tommy Thompson and Dwight Eisenhower to the mega Trump Republican party, which mixes in this theocracy in it as well.
Does he does he claim this is a sign from God tonight on the on the podium tonight and we're kind of working more this theocracy Franklin Graham.
the son of long time that he was called the pastor to the president's Billy Graham.
His son Franklin is going to be on the stage tonight, literally and figuratively anointing Donald Trump in the name of God to be president.
This is a very different overtone from the days of Ronald Reagan and certainly either George H W or George W Bush.
Oh, absolutely.
It'll be interesting also tonight to hear what he talks about policy as well as tone.
He's laid out a series of policy proposals for a second term, tariffs on all imports, mass deportations of immigrants living in the country without permission, an increase in domestic drilling for fuel and pulling back support for Ukraine.
There's much more to come.
We hope you'll stay with us.
You're listening to special coverage of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Don't go away.
You're listening to a Civic Media News special report, everything you need to know live from the Republican National Convention.
Once again, here's Todd Alba and Terry Bell.
Welcome back to Civic Media's special coverage of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last night of the convention and the last night of coverage later tonight President Trump will formally accept to the Republican Party nomination for president and what's going to be the beginning of a very interesting Few days and weeks in the presidential campaign as you may have heard earlier in the broadcast and in case you haven't
Talks seem to be intensifying about the possibility of President Biden dropping out of the race and another Democrat would take up the mantle for the party in the campaign against Donald Trump.
Tommy Thompson, the former governor of Wisconsin, one of the many Republican luminaries here in Milwaukee for the convention, had some thoughts on the matter.
As a Republican, would you rather run against President Biden or someone
else?
I've never thought that Joe Biden was going to be the candidate.
I just don't, you know, I think you're going to see sometime next week or within the next 10 days, Joe Biden's going to resign.
He's going to resign from office
or step aside from the
state?
Step aside.
And that jibes with your reporting from earlier in the broadcast, Todd, that
President Biden, if he were to make a decision would not be to leave office, but rather merely leave the reelection campaign.
Correct.
And many thanks to CBS 58 here in Milwaukee is AJ Biaport for for that sound that we're able to use with former Governor Thompson, who made his way again.
through Wisconsin Media Row.
And, you know, those who know Tommy, he was being Tommy.
He works everybody in the room, including the security guard and the high school and college volunteers stopping to shake hands and say hi to everybody.
So he was in rare form today here at Panther Arena.
But to that point, Terry, again, the reporting that we're hearing is this could come possible withdrawal by President Biden as the nominee or the candidate for the Democrats as soon as this weekend, but certainly within the next three to five.
days is what we're hearing or being told.
And it was interesting now that the limelight may shift even more to Vice President Kamala Harris, obviously, if she is either endorsed by President Biden, should he step aside or if there's some sort of a mini kind of go at it against each other in politically speaking in Chicago coming up next week.
But focus is going to her.
These are about a two minute cut here.
I want to take this and we'll get our panel's reaction to it.
This is
the campaign trail today, the vice president responding to now the Republican nominee for vice president J.D.
Vance's speech last night.
Here is vice president Harris.
There is so much at stake.
Last night was the latest example.
So some of you may have heard Donald Trump's running mate deliver remarks at the Republican National Convention.
He talked about his life story about growing up in Southwest Ohio, and it was compelling.
It's a compelling story.
And it was not the full story.
Frankly, what is very telling is what he did not talk about on that stage.
He did not talk about Project 2025.
Their 900 page blueprint.
for a second Trump term.
He did not talk about it because their plans are extreme.
And they are divisive.
In recent days, they've been trying to portray themselves as the party of unity.
But here's the thing.
Here's the thing.
If you claim to stand for unity, you need to do more than just use the word.
if you are pushing an agenda that deprives whole groups of Americans of basic freedoms, opportunity, and dignity.
You cannot claim you stand for unity if you are intent on taking reproductive freedoms from the people of America and the women of America.
as they do and restrict access to IVF and contraception as their plan calls for.
You cannot claim to be for unity if you try to overturn a free and fair election and threaten and threaten to terminate the United States Constitution.
And you cannot claim to be for unity when your entire agenda is designed to prioritize billionaires and big corporations over the middle class.
That was Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail after JD Vance's speech last night.
Terry Bell I think it'd be interesting to bring our panel in now get their reactions to that and also the news the day when it comes to the news about President Biden possibly keyword possibly decided to withdraw from the race.
Absolutely Todd Scott Kluge is a former Republican U. S. Congressman from South Central Wisconsin and a longtime broadcast journalist before that and Matt Rothschild formerly of the Wisconsin democracy campaign and the progressive welcome to the show.
Yeah, good evening guys.
Hey, nice to be with you.
Well, you know, someone once said you may you wish in may you live in interesting times, which is a backhanded pleasant thing to say it is we are living in interesting times.
And what is your take on this very interesting day?
Well, I think that maybe more of a curse than a blessing.
And here we are.
But, you know, I think I actually think Biden's toast.
I don't think he can survive politically this weekend.
I think the reports that Todd was giving at the top of the hour are accurate that the pressure just got to be too much.
I mean, that was a fatal debate performance.
He had three weeks ago.
He hasn't been able to recover from it and his allies in the Democratic Party and the powerhouses in the Democratic Party have just relentlessly pushed in public and in private and the polls have been bad.
The money's dried up.
you know, Jamie Raskin from Maryland wrote that letter talking about the pitcher with the sore arm after all is 115 pitches or whatever.
And I was reminded of Ernie Banks in his last year of baseball batting like 190.
I mean, it's just a fact, a demonstrable fact that Biden's over the hill.
And he's not a good candidate.
And I think Democrats recognize that after that horrible debate.
I know I recognized it after a horrible debate.
I was in total panic mode as both of you know when I came into the civic media office the next morning.
And I just I think this is this is for the better for the Democrats.
Scott Kluge.
Well I'm not quite sure how this could come.
There was a shock to everybody.
Not that I'm going to.
Crow on the air with Todd Elba.
But he'll remind how we mind him.
He lost a bet over this that we made some months ago.
You know, if you look at the Wall Street Journal story in early June, that was based in interviews with 44 people who had been in meetings with Biden or been in been briefed on meetings with Biden over the last several months, they raised this very question.
And I think his staff, frankly, should be ashamed of hiding this from the American people.
And apparently from the New York Times, who called the Wall Street Journal.
Republican talking points.
And then three weeks later, suddenly told him he should leave the ticket.
So I think this is Washington's dirty little secret and has been for a long time that he's not been up to the job.
I mean, I'm not sure how you can be President of the United States when you have to take a nap in the afternoon and go to bed at eight o'clock at night.
So I think it's not totally unexpected.
What was interesting to me in the debate performance is when the debate performance ended, I was actually up in St.
Paul with my wife seeing our granddaughter.
And when the debate ended, I went to grab a Coke and some popcorn.
And by the time I walked in the room a minute and a half later, David Axelrod and every Democrat on the panel had completely thrown him under the bus, almost to the point where it looked to me like it was rehearsed.
It didn't look spontaneous.
It was too quick, too fast, and nobody defended Biden.
I agree with Terry and Todd reporting tonight.
I would suspect he'll not want to do it this weekend.
I think he'll find an orderly way to do it the middle of next week.
Scott, always good to know we're on the air together to remind people that I didn't work for you at one time back in the 90s.
And you have a podcast.
We all make mistakes, Todd.
Both you and me.
But
we did make a kind of a bet a wager I think of whatever was a steak dinner that I said that I thought Biden would be the nominee all the way through it and Clug said no I don't think he's gonna make it all the way so so Scott had the insight long before other people did Scott as a as a Republican look you're you're a Republican you're not on board the Trump train you were here pitching the Lost the Middle podcast you were not here as a
delegate, but as someone who knows Republican Party well, what does this do to the race?
If Biden gets out, is this convention kind of, I don't want to say lost, but they've been gone after Biden all week.
Come next week, they might have gone after a guy who's not even on the ticket anymore.
Well, look, so the two big issues in this race and every poll you've seen over the last 90 days, the first one is the economy and the Biden administration, I think, has tried to make the case that the economy is doing great.
But if you look at what.
Americans say in, you know, Partyville and Dodgeville, they're going to tell you a meal with the kids at McDonald's is way up.
And so I don't care what the White House is saying, in people's pocketbooks, it doesn't feel like a great economy.
And then the second issue, and talk about the vice president trying to defend this one.
is the record on immigration.
I mean, it's been horrendous.
And so the idea is that because Biden leads suddenly now the Democrats clean the slate, you know, like as Todd said, I am not on the Trump train.
But what's going to define is the record of the Biden administration over the last four years and on the economy and on immigration, not me, the American public thinks they've done a miserable job.
That's
the next reading of
the issues Scott clue, but I'm wondering you know so much of modern campaigning is branding and so many Polls say that people don't like either Trump or Biden Is there a Democrat out there that would be a likeable alternative to Donald Trump?
I'll defer to Matt on this one.
He knows his gang better than I do
Man
well
I think Kamala Harris is the odds on favor to win the nomination at this point.
But I think Gretchen Whitmer would be a good candidate.
Mark Kelly would be a good candidate.
There are a lot of good candidates out there.
But at this point she's got the inside lane for sure.
And also there's another issue that really drives voter turnout in swing states and that's the abortion issue.
And Kamala Harris can speak to that and has spoken to that over the last many months very effectively.
So I think the Republican party has wasted a lot of ammunition on Biden here.
I do wish that Biden hadn't handed over the immigration portfolio to Kamala Harris because that was an impossible portfolio to handle and to solve as an issue.
But I think she must be prepared for that.
And I'm sure she has her responses down for that.
But women, it's just all perception.
Guys, I'm going to push back on both of you a little bit because, I mean, there is, quote, unquote, illegal immigration is at a record low right now.
It's actually gone down under Biden over the last few months.
And as a matter of fact, there was a deal on the table by partisan deal that Trump killed on immigration that would have been the biggest reform in years.
Scott, when I worked for you in the 90s, I was down here in Milwaukee talking to Roger Lindo, who ran the immigration office.
He said, our problem is, is both people in your party
Republicans and the Democrats, they don't want to put the money in to actually make this thing work anymore.
Don't both sides sort of blame here?
So you're right.
I mean, I think it's disappointing that the House killed the Senate deal this time out and used it as a political issue.
Now, here's the other side of the fact, though, Todd.
There was a deal in 2006 when George Bush was president.
And in that case, the House cut the deal and they sent it to the Senate.
And Chuck Schumer killed it because they wanted it as a campaign issue for Barack Obama.
And then that's why, in my mind, it's sort of a pox on both your houses.
I mean, you get elected to do stuff.
And your first assignment when you get elected is not to try to get reelected again.
So I think both parties have fumbled it.
And I'm not one who's big on political grandstanding.
But I think the whole debate changed when the governor of Texas sent aliens to folks from the border.
sent him to New York City in Chicago and suddenly the sanctuary cities knew what it was like to deal with thousands of people streaming into your neighborhood.
I think Todd, you gave the answer.
Todd gave the answer for Kamala Harris, I think, so maybe she should just play that tape and incorporate it into her next debate performance.
All the news and the discussion about the president stealing some thunder from the Republican nominee who accepts his nomination tonight.
We'll talk more about that right after this.
You're listening to Civic Media special coverage of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
You're listening to a Civic Media News special report, everything you need to know live from the Republican National Convention.
Once again, here's Todd Alba and Terry Bell.
Welcome back, and we're also joined by Scott Kluge and Matt Brochild, our analysts tonight.
Let's look ahead now.
Donald Trump formally accepts the nomination.
In a speech according to Todd Abel's preview may include as much theatrics as policy positions.
The three of you, I'd be interested in hearing what you're expecting.
Todd, we'll start with you.
Well, I think it's been classic Trump.
I mean, I've admitted on the air.
I was a huge fan of the apprentice early on.
I mean, nobody knows how to put on a show like Donald Trump.
It's just the fact.
And I think we're going to see a lot of that.
I mean, you got Dana White, a president of the UFC.
You're going to, I mean, it's going to be a show.
And I think the question is, again, does Trump's team, do they adjust this speech and really go after Biden?
Or is it more after the Democratic platform?
And also does Trump try to be the old George H. Walker Bush?
kinder and gentler.
Kenny, pull that off.
Those are the two things I'm looking for tonight.
First, Matt, then Scott.
Well, I think on the issues, he'll be anti-immigrant.
That's been one of the main themes here.
I think he'll be anti-trans.
And I'm not buying this episode of Extreme Makeover that we've been forced to watch over the last three days.
Turn Trump into the most sensitive man in America, the most selfless man in America, the hardest working...
president of all time.
I mean, give me a break.
I mean, this is put the put the bull in the hyperbole.
Scott, I think you'll hear actually a fairly statesman like a speech tonight.
I think he's smart enough to read the mood in the country and read the room.
It's been I've been to a lot of conventions together.
I'm not a big Trump fan.
I have to say this is the happiest convention I've ever been to.
People are just
And then happy with the way it's gone, happy with the way the campaign seems to be going.
So I think he'll play into that.
I think the gazillion dollar question is, we get one Donald Trump speech tonight.
What's the Donald Trump speech look like?
And the vice president today, clearly whatever.
Lulder was in throwing punches after the shooting on Saturday.
Those gloves came off pretty quickly.
So I think you'll hear a good speech from Trump tonight.
And actually, I remember the best speech I've heard Trump give was right after he was elected president.
And then it didn't take that long that we were back to Donald Trump, the showman, which I am not that much of a fan of.
It's probably notable that the former president's wife and his daughter are going to be in attendance tonight.
They've been keeping their distance from this campaign.
That changes somewhat tonight.
I don't think they're down for speaking roles, but they will be in the former president's family's area at 5 Sir Forum.
Yeah, yeah, it's been.
Go ahead Scott.
I was just going to say it's it's part of the.
Staging that Todd says it would be odd if his wife wasn't there.
And the same thing for his daughter.
I don't think his wife has much passion for a second term.
That's pretty obvious.
But she'll be a good trooper and show up tonight.
Does she have much passion for her husband?
Period.
That's my question.
Todd, even some things Democrats shouldn't shred into.
I'm an independent these days, Matt.
Go ahead.
Well, it's just been a great disappearing act Melania in Ivanka and But they'll be there they couldn't really skip this so they needed to be there
What what do you make guys of this lineup tonight?
I mean the RNC is is you know, somebody from Wisconsin President or head of the ABC building in Jamesville big Republican giver Diane Hendricks worth hundreds of millions of dollars She was billed as quote-unquote an everyday American Speaking from the platform today.
I know a lot of everyday Americans from Richland Center in Toronto and Eau Claire Not too many of them have 200 million dollars in the bank mat
Yeah, a huge donor to the Republican National Committee, a huge donor to Scott Walker.
She's the woman who whispered into Scott Walker's ear before he dropped the bomb and did act 10 saying, you know, when are you going to turn Wisconsin into a red state?
When are you going to turn Wisconsin into a right to work state?
But she's the richest woman in America, I believe, or the richest self-made woman in America.
And not one of my favorite people, but I'm not surprised that she's got a speaking.
a spot here.
Scott, give me your take on this, because this is something I'm curious about.
You know, I've talked about it on our show a little bit.
You know, back when I was involved working for you in Republican politics, there was always a faction of folks that were very religious, and that's fine.
And look, I'm an imperfect Christian myself.
But being here this week,
the theocracy that's been embedded into this party now and the current iteration.
You're having Franklin Graham coming out tonight and literally and figuratively anointing the guy that his dad Billy Graham.
I have to think it's rolling over his grave thinking about what do you take?
What's the current iteration of the Trump Republican Party versus Republican Party you were elected to in the 90s?
Well, the Republican Party has shifted a lot.
There's been a complete realignment since the Clinton Bush days as in Bush senior.
So Bill Clinton would get just destroyed in Arkansas if he tried to run for Congress, much less president.
And George H. Bush, George senior, could not get elected in Maine because he's
far too conservative for today's liberal Democratic voters in Maine.
And as part of that realignment, the Republican Party pretty clearly beginning in the 90s embraced the evangelical side of the Christian church in America and go back to the days of Pat Robertson when he actually, I think he might have won the primary in Iowa somewhere along the way.
So I don't think it's that much a change.
I just think it's sort of a full-throttled embrace, but it's been there for a long time.
It's one of the reasons, you know, ironically,
Republicans now own the South and the Democrats now own New England.
As somebody said on our podcast Lost in the Middle, people are still religious in New Hampshire and they still go to church in New Hampshire on Sundays, but they don't talk about it.
And that's a very different rhythm of Baptist evangelical churches in the South of America.
It's, you know, it's a much more persistent day to day hour embrace of prayer and of worship.
And that's something that Republicans have clearly embraced and have for the last 30 years and it's served them well.
all the way back to Ronald Reagan.
30
seconds, Scott, Tammy Baldwin, and also the Congressional races, Matt Ross Child, and then Scott Klug.
What are your predictions?
I think Tammy's going to win.
I just want to echo what Scott said a second ago.
I think they've turned the Pfizer form into a revival tent over the last few days.
And I do object to all this commentary about God intervening, not only to save Trump's life, but to anoint him as the next president of the United States.
Scott Klug?
Well, my answer to the man is if you don't like it from total for him, we'll see where Republicans in the country are.
But US
Senate race.
Yeah, US Senate race.
You know, the interesting thing is there was an outburst of tickets.
One minute
left.
In 2020, I look at a time Q. Todd, I used to work in TV.
There was a huge outburst of tickets splitting in 2020, right?
So Republican governor in Georgia, Democratic senator here in Wisconsin.
It was a Democratic governor and a Republican senator.
The interesting thing is that in several key battleground states that the Democrats are worried about.
The Democratic senators, Tammy being one of them, Sherrod Brown and Ohio, are actually fairly dramatically out polling Joe Biden at this moment.
We'll see what happens when Biden's out of the picture, but I do think there's a potential for people to split their tickets and vote for Trump and vote for somebody to make sure the Senate stays deadlocked.
Our thanks to our panelists tonight, Matt Rothschild and Scott Kluge.
Also our thanks behind the scenes to Aaron Zomer, Chris Casper and Corey Hartman.
For Todd Abab, I'm Terry Bell and you've been listening to special coverage of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Thank you and good night.
