Concerned about security at the July 18-21 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, 44-year-old Republican National Committee Reince Priebus assures the press that he’s got the security situation in check. With protests breaking out over the country due to recent black shootings by white police officers, Priebus addressed security concerns heading into Cleveland. Black Lives Matter has made GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump a lightening rod for dissent, buying into Democratic presumptive nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton that Trump’s a racist. Slaughtering five Dallas police officers July 8, 25-year-old former Army Reserve Micah Johnson told Dallas police he wanted to kill white people, especially white police officers. Whatever went wrong, Johnson went ballistic the night of peaceful protests over the deaths of two black men at the hands of white police officers.
Priebus worries about more demonstration at the Republican National Convention where Trump’s become a racial totem during a volatile time after the deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La. July 5 and Philando Castile in St. Paul Mn. July 6. Needing a beefed up police presence in Cleveland, Priebus understands the risks, with Black Lives Matter ready to make a point. Black Lives Matter has managed to get President Barack Obama to agree with the narrative that too many black victims die at the hand of racist white police. National police data indicate that more whites die at the hands of white police officers than blacks, regardless of the percentages of whites to blacks in the population. Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield agrees with the faulty narrative that police departments around America, especially in large urban centers, have racist police departments.
Priebus called for “more understanding and police discourse and a feeling of support in communities and with police,” putting Black Lives Matter on notice that the RNC expects the convention to be peaceful. When President Barack Obama expressed frustration with the recent spate of black killings from Warsaw Poland, it gave Black Lives Matter reason to protest loudly. Watching five Dallas police slaughtered at the hands of a deranged mass killer, Obama still talks about inequities in the U.S. criminal justice system. Obama doesn’t bring up the very real alternative explanation that white police involved in officer-involved-shootings aren’t necessarily racist but unfit for duty as peace officers. When 29-year-old Ferguson, Mo. police officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown August 9, 2014, it was clear Wilson acted more like a vigilante than a trained police officer
Obama and Butterfield need to stop blaming officer-involved-shootings on racism when they’re more likely based on bad fitness for duty. Wilson could have easily called for back up to deal with Brown, not taking matters into his own hands. When a Ferguson grand jury decided to not charge Wilson Nov. 24, 2014, the excuse given was “Brown lunged for his gun.” Lunging for guns is a cookie-cutter explanation to excuse police shootings. Wilson’s undisciplined approach in arresting Brown resulted in the altercation causing an unnecessary officer-involved-shooting. Had Wilson called for back-up, Brown would be alive today. If Obama and Butterfield can’t help the African American community understand the moving parts in police work, the RNC should try to set the record straight. No one can possibly justify massacring police officers because of racial speculation.
Heading into Cleveland, Priebus has his work cut out for him controlling a mutiny of GOP delegates against Trump. Circulating various anti-Trump scenarios prompted by Trump’s former rivals and disgruntled delegates, Priebus hopes to slow any stop Trump conspiracies from gaining steam. Fighting on two-fronts, one for security and the other stop-Trump, Priebus showed he’s up to the task. “It’s one thing to be unhappy because your person didn’t win. I get that part. But it’s another step to now say because I don’t like the way this is going, I’m going to take something away from someone who won it fair and square. There’s just no a lot of people that are willing to do that,” said Reince, hoping to push back anti-Trump rebels. Priebus has more concerns about managing frisky protestors than dealing with what’s left of the stop Trump movement, unable to accept it the first ballot.
Fighting two battles, one for security and the other to neutralize the stop Trump movement, Priebus finds himself juggling a lot of balls before the RNC convention. Priebus wants to keep Trump focused on Hillary before the convention not battling the press with controversial remarks. Priebus knows Trump’s biggest rally cry for Republicans, in and out of the convention, is making the case against Hillary. With aggregate polling showing Hillary up by 4.5%, Trump’s the underdog heading into November. Keeping the focus on Hillary helps Priebus rally the GOP behind Trump heading into the July 18 convention. Priebus knows that Democratic operatives planted protesters at most of Trump’s rallies, pushing the narrative that Trump’s a racist. Priebus looks to contain Democratic-driven protests and stop the anti-Trump movement from sabotaging the convention.
