Trump's campaign has spent more time knocking down controversies than unifying the party.

[DonViejo]

Exposing the Fractures

Donald Trump's campaign has spent more time knocking down controversies than unifying the party.

By Susan Milligan | Staff Writer
July 22, 2016, at 6:00 a.m.

CLEVELAND — It's meant to be the party that heals all wounds, the way a lovely wedding reception makes people forget about the fact that the bride had been engaged before and the groom made his in-laws' eyes roll with an inappropriate toast at the engagement announcement. A national political convention may not be officially needed to determine a party's presidential nominee, but the gathering of thousands of delegates, elected officials, activists and donors from all over the country has, in theory, a uniting effect.

Few have needed that marriage ceremony (even if it's arranged) more than Donald Trump, whose stunning rise to the Republican presidential nomination followed a tumultuous and often nasty primary battle that ended with several of his primary foes saying they would not endorse him. But as the Republican convention neared an end this week, all was clearly still not forgiven. And Trump's campaign, far from displaying its readiness for the general election, managed to underscore its very weaknesses.

Each day of the convention has its own prepared message, and each day's message was overshadowed by some mishap or other. On Monday, "Never Trump" delegates tried to upend the nominating process by forcing a roll call vote on the rules. That night, Melania Trump's speech, initially well-reviewed, turned into a mini-scandal after it became clear that passages of her address were plagiarized from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention speech. Tuesday, the Trump campaign managed to extend its own bad press by first denying the plagiarism, then accusing presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton of exposing it because she was "threatened by a woman."

Wednesday, the plagiarism story continued to interfere with the actual convention, with a former ballet dancer and Trump Organization employee acknowledging her role in the cribbing, then offering to resign (an offer Trump, the man who made famous the words "you're fired!", refused).

Wednesday night should have brought the convention hall together, with the acceptance speech by vice presidential nominee Mike Pence, the Indiana governor. Instead, the evening took a divisive and nasty turn, as the crowd openly booed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for refusing to endorse Trump, saying voters should vote their conscience. Cruz's shaken wife had to be escorted out as the crowd heckled the couple.

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http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-07-22/the-convention-exposed-fractures-in-the-gop

[liberal N proud]

1. If the Clinton camp can keep that momentum going

They will spend the entire campaign doing just that.