Cleveland
Latinos and New Jersey governor Chris Christie, two groups of people disrespected by Donald Trump, found their way to a venue out by the Greater Cleveland Aquarium Wednesday. It’s about a mile from the heart of the Republican National Convention action, well out of the walkability range in which better-attended daytime events have taken place.
In the words of a prominent Latino community leader and corporate organizer who asked me to withhold his name but couldn’t withhold his quippy commentary, “They don’t want too many minorities inside the border.” Of the convention, that is.
Speakers focused first on Latino small businesses’ suffering under liberal hyper-regulation and polling data showing Trump’s stunted popularity among Hispanic conservatives—and Donald Trump’s slurry stance on illegal immigration from Mexico. That “elephant in the room” inspired the title of the event, “Is it the Best of Times or the Worst of Times?” Daniel Garza, director of the center-right Latino advocacy group Libre, served as Hispanic press secretary in the second Bush administration and looks like a tall, dark Billy Crudup. Disrespectful rhetoric, their “messaging,” in his words, has hurt Trump with Hispanics—and it shouldn’t have to be that way.
Governor Christie seconded that emotion: “Hey, Donald Trump wasn’t my first choice either,” he told a friendly crowd over lunch, “I was.” Christie even disowned “Lock her up!” when a rowdy attendee tried to get Monday’s convention chant going again, saying, “I didn’t start that part.”
This campaign should be more focused on the facts of Hillary’s failures, said Christie, reflecting on his candidacy. “I didn’t make it based on hyperbole. I didn’t make it based on yelling and screaming.”
Yeah, but look how that turned out. Still, the deflated Christie seemed to win back some of his former puffiness in this one room where he’d doubtless clear a roll call vote. A mile past the perimeter of the RNC circus seems just right.
