Voter Survival Guide

Republican National Convention, Day 2. It can only get better?

Compiled by Karen Johnson

kjohnson@mcclatchydc.com

July 19, 2016 12:20 AM

The opening night at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland focused on the theme 'Making America Safe Again.' Presumptive GOP candidate Donald Trump introduced his wife Melania as "the next First Lady."

Beneath the Texas delegates’ cowboy hats and the Hawaii delegates’ floral leis, there’s some bare-naked disdain for the presumptive Republican nominee. “He’s a bad person,” says one delegate.

That disdain, standing in close quarters with ardent Donald Trump supporters and win-at-any-cost Republicans, fueled the tension on the opening day of the convention, with delegates screaming at each other – and at least one delegation storming out in protest. All this came just one day before a majority was to vote to give the New York real-estate mogul the party’s nomination. That’s set to happen today, on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

Welcome back to the Voter Guide. The polls open nationally in 111 days. Let’s get on with it.

July 19, 2016
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From the convention

▪  Melania Trump delivered a seemingly heartfelt speech about her husband on convention night No. 1. Trouble was, the speech was found to bear a striking resemblance to Michelle Obama’s speech about her husband, delivered at the 2008 Democratic convention. And a quiz: What other famous people were accused of copycatting?

▪  Ted Cruz’s 2016 presidential hopes – and his path for a future White House bid – have fallen with a chaotic thud, and now the party’s attention is shifting to Indiana’s not-entirely-popular governor, Mike Pence, who might just be the party’s rising star. “He just vaulted to the top of the list,” one delegate said.

▪  So much for unity. The Bushes are “part of the past,” Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort says.

▪  Colorado was the delegation that stormed out Monday. I think they have possibly the worst spot on the convention floor of any swing state.

July 18, 2016
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▪  The Republican Party did agree on this: Its new platform. It calls for a restoration of the Glass-Steagall law that prevented commercial banks from dabbling in the investment business, in a move that aligns GOP with popular calls from liberal senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. | More convention coverage

He'd have to change everything that he says. We can't be attacking Muslims and Hispanics, and trying to shut down trade, and not caring about the debt. Those are all problems for me.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, on what it would take for him to speak at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland

A couple of other good stories

▪  Donald Trump's ghostwriter calls the presumptive Republican nominee a “sociopath,” who, if elected, could “lead to the end of civilization.”

▪  Just days before Hillary Clinton is expected to unveil her pick for running mate, likely shortlister Julian Castro is found to have violated the Hatch Act.

What’s next in the Clinton email investigations?

▪  Google, with its parent company Alphabet Inc., is harnessing a trove of data aimed at getting you to vote. Here’s what it’s doing.

From social media

July 18, 2016