Jul. 28, 2016, 1:23 p.m.
GOP vice presidential nominee Mike Pence on Thursday predicted Roe vs. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, would be overturned if Donald Trump is elected president.
“I’m pro-life and I don’t apologize for it,” he said during a town hall meeting here. “We’ll see Roe vs. Wade consigned to the ash heap of history where it belongs.”
The comments — made in a conservative stronghold that strongly supported Texas Sen. Ted Cruz over Trump in the Michigan primary — were part of a broader argument Pence has been making on the stakes of the election: Voters need to consider that the next president will likely select multiple Supreme Court justices.
Jul. 29, 2016, 2:29 a.m.
Thanks for sticking with us for the last two weeks. From the first balloons being hoisted to the arena ceiling in Cleveland to the last being dropped on cheering delegates in Philadelphia, we've had a blast.
We hope you join us on the rest of the journey, as our politics team covers every twist and turn on the campaign trail over the next 101 days.
You can find our coverage every day on Trail Guide.
Jul. 28, 2016, 11:52 p.m.
Jul. 28, 2016, 11:19 p.m.
Jul. 28, 2016, 10:18 p.m.
Jul. 28, 2016, 10:16 p.m.
Jan Brown, 67, of Roseville, a retired U.S. Air Force captain whose children are veterans and active duty military officers:
On Hillary Clinton's qualifications: “I am so proud that Hillary Clinton is going to be commander and chief. I know that she’ll take care of my kids,” Brown said. “She is beyond a doubt the most qualified person I’ve ever seen for this job and I can hardly wait for the next 102 days to work every single day to make sure we get the votes to make sure that she wins.”
On Clinton's historic nomination: “When she walked out it was like all the dreams of all the little girls who want to do everything and for too often were told what they can’t do, instead of what they can. Just seeing her come out and when she accepted the nomination it was like, finally, finally we made it."
Jul. 28, 2016, 10:04 p.m.
Former Democratic National Committee secretary Alice Germond, 73, of West Hollywood:
On the speech: “I thought it was warm, I thought it was caring, I thought it was smart and I thought it just hit all the right buttons. It wasn’t negative, it wasn’t angry, it wasn’t bitter. It had humor, it had laughter. I just thought she did a great job.”
On the experience: “There’s just been sort of those poignant moments, where you look up, somebody says something up on the stage or sitting next to you or you see a little glimmer or a kid and you go, 'Oh God, we just nominated the first woman of a major party,'” Germond said. “It’s sort of breathtaking. It hits you in waves.
Jul. 28, 2016, 10:04 p.m.
Words like "our," "America" and "your" consistently rank among the most-used words in the speeches made by the major party candidates at their conventions. To see how similar, or different, this year’s candidates were from the past, we compared Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's acceptance speeches to all Republican and Democratic presidential candidates since 1980. Check out how they rank among their peers.
Jul. 28, 2016, 9:51 p.m.
Cathleen Decker, who analyzes politics for The Times, took to Twitter tonight for an instant analysis of the Republican and Democratic conventions. Here's what she had to say, in 21 tweets:
- Conventions have a specific purpose: to sell or redefine.
- To the extent that people watched, there was tons of testimony from people about HRC's good deeds/warmth, that helps redefinition.
- Tons of time was spent emphasizing Donald Trump, and what speakers from Obama on down see as the threat he poses to America.
- That went beyond the usual criticism to ground-floor level impact he would have on democracy, in their view, imperiling it.
- The question now is whether Trump and Clinton are so well known that no further definition, for good or bad, will stick.
- Hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent on ads. Will we still have at the end two highly unpopular candidates, a coin flip?
- Or will one candidate have dramatically reshaped his/her image over the course of the four days each spent in convention hoo-haw.
- Some observations: This was Clinton's best big speech. Well written and delivered well. Akin to challenge/execution by GHW Bush in 1988.
- Both Bush and Clinton were seeking office after two terms of a popular same-party president who'd overshadowed them. Both delivered.
- In Bush's case, his success at the convention speech improved his future speechmaking/communication. Will this do the same for Clinton?
- Other observations: Staging of Clinton's convention speech was lush. Flags of different sizes, signs, color scheme all worked together.
- People can laugh at things like that but they translate in voters' minds. Staging at GOP convention felt more haphazard; speakers too.
- The theatrics of it all won't matter in a blow-out. But they can matter in a close race. After this year, is anyone betting against that?
- Viewers of all convention hours saw tons of people testifying for Clinton or against Trump. You can bet the ads have already been cut.
- That brings up another Clinton advantage: A team that has done this before. Crispness, efficiency, knowing where to get voters, helps.
- Tonight also was something of a Sista Soulja night for Dems: Army general/military endorsing HRC, gun control a big part of her speech.
- Also worth noting: Chelsea Clinton + other speakers offered reams of personal anecdotes about Hillary. Not even Trump's kids did much.
- Personal anecdotes may not matter; the combo of anti-Clinton and economy woes may negate. Just like no minds may change on Trump.
- But re the conventions, Clinton helped herself on a personal level. On a policy level, too little talk of the economy, seems to me.
- And Trump had a rocky convention and has worked to obliterate any gains with his talk about Russia and continued belligerence.
- As to what it all adds up to, voters will decide in November. That's why they call it "democracy." A bipartisan suggestion: Vote.
Jul. 28, 2016, 9:45 p.m.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's former U.S. Senate colleague, California Sen. Barbara Boxer, was effusive about Thursday night's acceptance speech.
“This is the Hillary I know. She has that sense of humor, that dry sense of humor. She’s so smart, she’s so strong, so resilient," Boxer said. "She really showed the American people what kind of leader she’ll be.
“She’s been hit so hard, I’m sure she thinks, what else can they do? I’m going to be myself,” Boxer added.
Jul. 28, 2016, 9:33 p.m.
Nic McCarthy, a 27-year-old delegate from Virginia, wasn't planning to vote for Hillary Clinton before she started her acceptance speech. He even shouted at her during the speech, telling her to "walk the walk."
But by the time she finished speaking, the Bernie Sanders supporter had a change of heart.
"I don't like her. I don't trust her," McCarthy said. "But we have got to push for some of these issues we have to make sure she walks the walk, even if we have to lift her feet every step of the way."