RNC vs. DNC Ratings: Kamala Harris Draws 5.7 Million More Viewers Than Mike Pence

Someone start playing the Rocky theme music because the DNC’s ratings might have just delivered the knockout punch to the RNC score. Viewership for the Republican National Convention fell on its third night, in sharp contrast to the gains the DNC saw last week for Night 3. 

According to early Nielsen numbers, about 15.7 million viewers watched the Republican National Convention during the 10 p.m. hour across six networks: Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, and CBS. That’s down about 2.3 million viewers from the previous night, which featured a speech from First Lady Melania Trump. By comparison, the Democratic National Convention pulled 21.4 million viewers across those same six networks on Night 3, which was up 2.2 million from its previous night’s viewership numbers.

The RNC’s big Night 3 speaker was President Donald Trump‘s running mate and Vice President Mike Pence. Pence spoke about the administration’s support of the families in the path of hurricane Laura and its dedication to the American armed forces and veterans, and he praised Trump’s response to the outbreak of COVID-19. Continue reading.

Biden speaks from a place Trump doesn’t know — the heart

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President Trump has tried every dirty trick in the book — and a few new ones — to cast doubts about the workings of Joe Biden’s brain. But Trump has been focusing on entirely the wrong organ. Biden’s appeal is from the heart.

The Democratic presidential nominee, in the most crucial speech of his long career in public service, had no problem clearing the low bar Trump had set. The evening began with a clip of Biden quoting Kierkegaard and ended with him quoting the Irish poet Seamus Heaney.

But the power of Biden’s acceptance speech — and the power of his candidacy — was in its basic, honest simplicity. The rhetoric wasn’t soaring. The delivery was workmanlike (he botched an Ella Baker quote in his opening line). But it was warm and decent, a soothing, fireside chat for this pandemic era, as we battle twin crises of disease and economic collapse and we only see each other disembodied in boxes on a screen. Biden spoke not to his political base but to those who have lost loved ones to the virus. Continue reading.

Biden vows to lead America out of ‘season of darkness’

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Former Vice President Joe Biden said he’d lead the country out of what he called a “season of darkness” and vowed to “draw on the best” of what America has to offer as he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday night, setting up a general election battle with President Trump in November.

In his speech, Biden blasted Trump as a president who has sowed chaos and division. He cast himself as the candidate who would unite Republicans and Democrats, while leading the country out of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn and racial turmoil.

“The current president has cloaked American anger for far too long. Too much anger, too much division. Here and now, I give you my word – if you entrust me with the presidency, I’ll draw on the best of us, not the worst,” Biden said. “I’ll draw on the light, not the darkness. It’s time for us, for we the people to come together. And make no mistake, we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America. We’ll choose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege.” Continue reading.

Widespread horror as Trump cabinet member mocks domestic violence survivors with GIF of Lisa Simpson crying

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was blasted on Wednesday for tweeting a picture of “The Simpsons” character Lisa Simpson crying while the Democratic National Committee Convention was broadcasting a segment featuring domestic violence survivors.

The segment highlighted former Vice President Joe Biden’s leadership in passing the Violence Against Women’s Act.

Pompeo was harshly criticized for his tweet, here’s some of what people were saying: Continue reading.