Republican Midterm Convention Framed as Risky 'Trumpist Pageantry'

Republican midterm convention will be ‘Trumpist pageantry’ - at the party’s own risk

A historically unpopular president will take centre stage as the party seeks to sway voters with an unprecedented event It seemed like a good idea at the time. In December 1978, Jimmy Carter, a US president besieged by inflation and energy crises, watched as thousands of Democrats descended on Memphis, Tennessee, for a rare midterm convention. “It was wild,” recalls Elaine Kamarck, who attended as a 28-year-old working for the Democratic National Committee. “It became a forum for Ted Kennedy ...

By David Smith in Washington