Alfonse D'Amato

The Grand Old Trump Party

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I have returned from Cleveland safe and sound. Let me tell you, it’s been a long time since the New York delegation had such prime seats for the big show. Our delegation, and the entire crowd, was enthusiastic about a united Republican Party and our presidential candidate.

First and foremost, I would like to commend all levels of law enforcement for the outstanding job they did in maintaining civility throughout Cleveland. To be able to get through four days of a convention with a controversial candidate and a nation on edge with few incidents was no small feat.

It wouldn’t have been a Donald Trump event if there was no controversy, and this convention had plenty, starting with Melania Trump’s speech. It didn’t take long before media outlets began reporting that portions of it were plagiarized from a 2008 speech by Michelle Obama.

It is clear that they were plagiarized. Do I think Mrs. Trump was aware that she was repeating the words of the first lady? No, but her speechwriter should be fired.

Politicians and their speechwriters constantly share ideas. While this is no excuse for such a mistake, there have been times when even President Obama himself has taken lines directly from others’ speeches—like one made by ex-Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. In 2008, bloggers even argued that Michelle Obama’s original words weren’t so original, and instead were taken from a Saul Alinsky address.

That aside, the rest of the Trump family was stellar in their respective speeches. Each of them succeeded in showing a personal side of their father, something the American people sorely need to hear to soften his image.

Donald Trump Jr. stepped out of his father’s shadow and reminded Americans why his father was able to win the Republican nomination. He tapped in to the anger many Americans feel about liberals and the career politicians who have lost the trust of America. This was a critical message to deliver to the largely middle-class audience on hand in Cleveland. The middle class of America feels forgotten, with hardworking people, the backbone of our country, struggling more than ever. Donald Jr. told working-class Americans that his father would not forget about them.

In introducing her father, Ivanka appealed to millennials, women and independents by describing what it’s like, as a woman and a working mother, to work for her father. She promised that he would be the “people’s champion,” and would work to close the gender gap and end pay inequalities.

The Trump children, who all work in some capacity for their father, truly enjoyed supporting him on stage.

Then there was Sen. Ted Cruz.

Earlier in the week, I commended Cruz for agreeing to speak at the convention. The far right of the Republican Party supports him, and his endorsement would have helped Trump.

Instead of helping to unite the party, however, Cruz stopped short of an endorsement. In fact, his speech was self-serving. He mentioned Trump’s name only once, and ended with, “Don’t stay home in November. Stand and speak and vote your conscience.”

He was booed off the stage and escorted out of the arena. Ted, didn’t your mother ever tell you, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all?” The only person he hurt was himself, and he singlehandedly destroyed any future he has with the Republican Party.

The vice presidential nominee, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, assured Republican voters in his speech that “Trump is a doer in a game usually reserved for talkers.” The following night, Trump closed out the convention with the most important speech of his short political career. It was not an eloquent, Obama-type speech; it was a speech strong on all things Trump.

He promised to be a law-and-order president who takes on those who threaten our way of life. He promised to be a good Republican — to cut taxes, reduce the debt and help the middle class.

My favorite line of the speech? When Trump said of Hillary Clinton, “My opponent asks her supporters to recite a three-word loyalty pledge. It reads, ‘I’m with her.’ I choose to recite a different pledge: ‘I’m with you, the American people.’”

What did people think of his speech? Several polls following the convention showed Trump pulling even with or ahead of Clinton.

Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York, is the founder of Park Strategies LLC, a public policy and business development firm. Comments about this column? ADAmato@liherald.com.