DAILY LEDES

Daily Reads for July 27

Sam R. Hall
Clarion Ledger

History was made Tuesday in Philly as Hillary Clinton became the first woman nominated as a presidential candidate by a major party. The fractious nature of Monday’s opening night was far less noticeable as Day 2 at the DNC largely resembled most other party conventions in recent years.

In a Philadelphia much closer to home — this the site of the Neshoba County Fair — presidential politics came to Mississippi. Donald Trump Jr. got some red dust on his shoes as he worked the crowds at Mississippi’s Largest House Party.

And, as always, there’s plenty of local news to go around — such as a growing no-call list for cell phones, JATRAN troubles Jackson, an MSU player found guilty of simple assault and charges filed after an infant is left in a hot van.

But first, let’s get to Neshoba…

Donald Trump Jr. comes to the fair

Political editor Geoff Pender was on hand as a loud, boisterous crowd of thousands welcomed Donald Trump Jr. to the Neshoba County Fair:

Donald Trump Jr. said he was somewhat taken aback by the crowd at the Neshoba County Fair on Tuesday.

It was, as his father the presidential candidate would say, “yuuge,” and boisterous and welcoming and waving Trump signs and clad largely in Trumpware.

“This is not a campaign any more,” Trump said to a crowd of more than 2,000 at the fair’s racetrack. “It’s a movement. I see more Trump shirts and signs out here. I don’t see anything from the other side.”

“It’s awesome to have this kind of welcome,” Trump Jr. said. “I don’t even have to tell you what to do in November. You’re already there.”

Trump Jr. is arguably more well liked by the GOP stalwarts than is his father. The son’s speech at the RNC was well received and praised by many. His comfortable demeanor and easy manner won rave reviews at Neshoba, even from those who are uncomfortable with the Republican Party under his father.

Sid Salter on Trump’s visit vs. that of Reagan: “Make no mistake, there are places in Mississippi where a Trump would face a tougher crowd than at Neshoba, a place one national magazine dubbed “Republican Woodstock.” But any reasonable assessment of Trump’s visit here in 2016 has to include a look back to Reagan’s speech here in 1980 and the last presidential campaign speech here in 1988 by Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis. Against that measure, young Trump didn’t do quite as well as Reagan, but he certainly surpassed the mark set by Dukakis. This was the second largest presidential campaign speech in the history of the campground fair. Unlike Reagan, Trump also stayed on the fairgrounds after his speech to headline a fundraiser for his father. Now 36 years after Reagan’s Neshoba speech, that's perhaps the most significant difference in the two events.” (Link)

More news from ClarionLedger.com

MS cellphone users taking advantage of no-call registry: “More than 62,000 people have signed up for the Mississippi No Call Registry for cellphones in less than a month. Yes, it seems what was once considered a problem only for landline phone users — calls from telemarketers — has now drawn the ire of cellphone users.” (Link)

JATRAN troubles reveal multiple city issues: “Jackson bus riders have been dealing with inconsistent, unreliable and, at times, non-existent transportation for months. Some officials say the breakdown occurred when the city hired National Express Transit to completely run JATRAN. Others say issues have compounded over the years from a lack of investment into the bus system. Either way, the current issues with JATRAN illustrate troubles within the city on a number of levels, including the injection of politics into governing.” (Link)

MSU's Simmons found guilty on one charge: “Mississippi State freshman defensive end Jeffery Simmons was found guilty Tuesday of malicious mischief and pleaded no contest to a simple assault charge related to a March 24 fight in Macon where he was caught on video standing over a woman and repeatedly punching her. The woman, Sophia Taylor, was found guilty of disturbing the peace and fined $225. Simmons, a five-star prospect, also had been charged with disturbing the peace, but it was dismissed.” (Link)

Woman arrested for leaving child in hot van: “A spokesman for the city of Clinton says police have arrested the woman accused of leaving her child in a hot van at Walmart, kicking off a dramatic rescue by several private citizens. Clinton public information officer Mark Jones said Sherika Green, 32, of Arizona, … is facing child endangerment charges after her explanation about why the child was in the van unattended changed.” (Link)

Bill Clinton highlights Night 2 of DNC

It wasn’t to the level of the speech he gave for then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2008, but former President Bill Clinton did a solid job of humanizing his wife, casting himself as second fiddle in “their story,” and trying to remind middle class, blue collar America of what economic life in the 90s was like.

Clinton surprised many with his opening line.

“In the spring of 1971, I met a girl,” Clinton said to open his speech.

It was a curious way to start for a president whose extramarital affair was at the center of his eventual impeachment. Afterward, though, Clinton set out on a near year-by-year recounting of their courtship and her public service during their college and law school years. (He conveniently skipped over the late 90s, though he did appear to reference the affair when he spoke of heartbreak and hard times in their life.) It was a meandering and sometimes slow walk down memory lane, but it hit the most personal notes about Hillary Clinton that have been provided in likely her entire political career.

When Clinton finally moved to the policy portion of his speech, he became more of the Bill Clinton that is generally known as one of the best communicators in our nation’s history. He was surprisingly light with attacks on Donald Trump — sticking to the mostly positive, pro-Hillary themes that have been the hallmark of the highest profile speakers thus far at the DNC.

What they said about what he said

  • Bill Clinton's emotional ode to his wife after her historic nomination (USA TODAY)
  • Bill Clinton on Hillary: ‘She’s the best darn change-maker I ever met in my entire life’ (Washington Post)
  • Bill Clinton: Hillary is the ‘Real One’ (POLITICO)

Bernie puts Hillary over the top

Standing in stark contrast to Sen. Ted Cruz taking the stage at the RNC to essentially give Donald Trump the finger, Bernie Sanders made the motion to officially nominate Hillary Clinton. Many of his supporters, however, were not happy.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, in a bid to bridge the Democratic Party's divide between his backers and supporters of Hillary Clinton, moved Tuesday to give Clinton the party's presidential nomination by acclamation.

His motion at the Democratic National Convention came after the roll call of states and was greeted with chants of "Bernie! Bernie!"

As they'd signaled from the start of the convention on Monday, many Sanders delegates weren't ready for unity.

Angered by a nomination process they felt was rigged, they swarmed out of the Wells Fargo Center after Clinton's official nomination and congregated outside -- and inside -- a nearby media tent as at least two-dozen law enforcement officers stood guard.

Mississippians in Philly

DuPree says superdelegate system will change:

The Democratic Party's system for selecting superdelegates may change by the next presidential election to treat presidential candidates more fairly, Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree said Tuesday at the party's national convention here.

“It may even give more opportunities for more people,’’ DuPree said. “I think it helps to open up the field of people who might attempt to do something on a national level. Hopefully, it’s proportional (and) it’s pledged so you come here with a better feel for where you are.’’

DuPree was among 25 people appointed to the Democratic National Committee’s Rules Committee by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schutlz, the DNC's outgoing chairwoman. The standing committee has 187 members, most of whom are not appointed.

Hillary Clinton’s Historic Moment Divides Generations of Women

From the Wall Street Journal:

Hillary Clinton will make history this week as the first woman to win a major party nomination for U.S. president, a milestone in the fight for equality in postwar America that illustrates the strides made by women since the former first lady was born in 1947.

The irony—and the problem for Mrs. Clinton—is that such progress has become so widespread that some women voters appear indifferent to another glass ceiling shattered. More women graduate from college than men. They are the main breadwinners in four of 10 U.S. households. They run General Motors Co., PepsiCo Inc. and IBM Corp.

Mrs. Clinton, who was formally picked Tuesday evening as the Democratic Party nominee, has struggled to lock down support from middle-aged white women. And some younger women see little urgency to crash barriers they haven’t encountered.

Party of Clinton looks different than in 1992

Bill Clinton moved the Democratic Party to the center and was able to build bipartisan coalitions on major issues. Today, the Democratic Party looks much different than under him. USA TODAY took a look at this change:

Bill Clinton is, in many ways, the face of some of the most controversial policies now being debated within the party. They include the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement as well as crime legislation he signed into law that many African Americans blame for skyrocketing youth incarceration rates.

In his 1992 address in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Clinton sounded populist notes similar to what is being espoused today, such as declaring access to health care a right. He also shared, for the first time for many, his personal story about growing up poor in Arkansas.

Yet his broader theme, in which he touted "a New Covenant based on responsibility,” included a number of more conservative social and economic ideals, such as pledges to end welfare “as we know it,” balance the budget and to expand school choice.

That more fiscally conservative approach stands in contrast to some of Hillary Clinton’s goals, such as a proposed debt-free college tuition plan for public university students.

It’s not hard to see why Donald Trump, the billionaire real estate mogul, may be appealing to some of Bill Clinton’s voters in old coal-mining towns across Appalachia and in the Rust Belt.

Democrats have moved more to the left, just as the GOP of Reagan was more moderate than the one we see today. It’s these groups in the middle that seem to be most attracted to Trump, despite his crazy pronouncements — of which there are many.

If she wins, what do do with Bill? “If Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, Bill Clinton will not become a regular at cabinet meetings, his wife’s advisers say. He will not be invited into the Situation Room. He will step away from his family’s foundation work and may not even have an office in the West Wing, given the undesirable optics of a former president and husband looking over the shoulder of the first female commander in chief. But the steps that Clinton aides are planning to shape his new life do little to address a potentially thornier problem: Historically, when Mr. Clinton does not have a job to do, he gets into trouble.” (NY Times)

More national news: