Democrats use convention to preempt Trump challenges

There is an underlying theme to the Democratic National Convention, but it’s not “Uniting America.” Rather, it is: The best defense is a good offense.

Imagine, for instance, highlighting New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on the first night of your convention, and allowing him to tout his singularly horrific management of the coronavirus. Or, in this #MeToo era, welcoming Jeffrey Epstein pal and former president Bill Clinton to the big (virtual) stage. Even better – in the wake of President Trump’s breakthrough in the Middle East, bringing the UAE and Israel together – featuring former Sec. of State John Kerry, author of the disastrous Iran nuke deal.

Having Michelle Obama bash President Trump for overseeing a border policy in which “children are torn from their families and thrown into cages” was another low point, when her husband actually initiated that approach. Even the media felt compelled to fact-check that one.

Even better — titling your convention “Uniting America” when you are visibly struggling to bring Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and other fractious members of your own party aboard.    

Or, how about pretending that millions are out of work because of President Trump’s failed economic plan, rather than because of the coronavirus.   

That’s called chutzpah.

Make no mistake. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is leading President Trump in the polls, but the race is tight. Democrats are undoubtedly vulnerable on certain topics, like the spiking violence in cities they govern. Gallup reports that 5 percent of Americans identify crime and violence as their top concern now; just a couple of months ago it did not even register as an issue. That could get worse.

Democrats, who spent the past three years promoting a fictitious narrative about the Trump campaign colluding with Russia, will use the convention to spin yet another storyline — this one about President Trump “sabotaging” the postal service in order to suppress mail-in voting and “steal” the election.

Former Vice President Al Gore, a featured speaker at the convention, recently said in an interview, “By tampering with the Postal Service, [President Trump] is in effect putting his knee on the neck of American democracy.” Shame on him. He knows better. 

Efforts to cut costs at the near-bankrupt agency have been underway for decades, including under Obama. Some Democrats have pointed to the elimination of overtime and of some postal boxes as evidence of “sabotage.” But 12,000 post office collection boxes were removed during the last five years of the Obama presidency, and thousands were laid off, to save money. Such measures, which continue, have nothing to do with whether the agency can manage increased mail-in-voting.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have piled on, saying in a joint statement, “Alarmingly, the Postmaster General — a Trump mega-donor — has acted as an accomplice in the president’s campaign to cheat in the election…’” 

In reality, Trump does not manage the postal service. It is run by a bipartisan Board of Governors, as the Democrats know. The head of that Board is Republican Robert Duncan. He was reappointed in 2019 by a unanimous vote in the Senate; that’s how controversial he is.

Moreover, policy on mail rates and service levels is set by the Postal Regulatory Commission, which is run by an Obama appointee, Robert Taub. 

Raising suspicions about the integrity of our elections is dangerous for the nation. Democrats don’t seem to care. They are eager to boost turnout by alarming their supporters; the fiction will also allow them to argue foul play should Joe Biden lose in November.

That’s what all the fuss is about, and that’s why Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), former First Lady Michelle Obama and so many others have already sounded the alarm. 

Democrats also apparently don’t care very much about the seniors who died unnecessarily because of bad decisions made by media darling Andrew Cuomo. Shockingly, the New York governor was awarded a prime-time spot on opening night, during which he lauded his own performance in tackling COVID-19, saying, “Our way worked, and it was beautiful.” 

Was it really “beautiful” that, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported, New York recorded 361 deaths per 100,000 people, more than twice the number of the second-worst state, New Jersey?      

Despite the media’s accounts of virus “surges” in Texas, Florida and other red states, New York stands out. In Texas, as of this week there have been 35 deaths per 100,000 residents, and in Florida, there have been 44.

Some 6,600 people died in nursing homes in New York thanks to Cuomo’s decision to send infected patients into those vulnerable locations. The true number may be much higher. The AP recently reported that the number of cases in New York may have been substantially undercounted, since only residents who died in the homes were included in the totals.

Biden tweeted to Cuomo: “Thank you for your leadership and the example you’ve set for all Americans during this pandemic.”

That’s Joe Biden’s view of leadership — overseeing a botched response in which record numbers of people unnecessarily died and then deep-sixing a bipartisan call for an investigation into the tragedy.

Also remarkable on opening night were the comments from numerous speakers of color expressing concern over the safety of their children. They suggested that minority children could be victims of racially biased policing. But for sure those children are more at risk from the rising gunplay on the streets of our cities than from the police. 

In Chicago so far this year there have been 464 murders, compared to 329 for all of last year. Some 321 of those killed were young African American men. There was no mention of this atrocity.

President Trump will hit Democrats hard next week on their mismanagement of our big cities, their inability to articulate a convincing plan for creating jobs and their willingness to weaken our economy through extreme “green” policies, higher taxes and increased regulation. Those who remember the buoyant pre-virus jobs market will think twice about voting for an agenda that will scuttle hopes of rebuilding that success.

Democrats laud Joe Biden for his empathy. Empathy is lovely, but it doesn’t put bread on the table.

 Liz Peek is a former partner of major bracket Wall Street firm Wertheim & Company. Follow her on Twitter @lizpeek