A dirty fight for the u. S. Presidency that is our title and. Welcome to to the point it is a pleasure to introduce our guests sudha david is Deputy Director of the Berlin Office of the transatlantic think tank the German Marshall Fund and she says American Elections are always full of dirty Campaign Tricks but this year the rhetoric will be harsher than ever. And its a pleasure to welcome ralph frind he is a political lobbyist with republicans over seas and his opinion the track record of both counter dates doesnt wash and in the long run quality always succeeds therefore trump will prevail. And great to have with us once again Soraya Sarhaddi nelson she is. Program director of the English Speaking Radio Station k c r w berlin and she says the Republican National convention this week shows how damaged the Trump Presidency is many prominent republicans didnt even take part. So let me ask you suter you say American Election campaigns are always dirty so was there anything about these 2 Party Conventions that actually surprised you know i think its to be expected given the you know how strong polarization is in the United States at the moment certainly theres always dirty Campaign Tricks over you know in u. S. Election history but i think this time its 2 parties pitted against each other framing each other as sort of enemies for the United States or an existential threat for the United States and thats why its especially harsh and that mood of darkness that we heard particularly on the 1st night of the Republican Convention nothing there that really stood out for you particularly. Harsh well i think you know President Trump in 2016 we saw this and also during the 2018 midterm elections his montra for winning elections like lets play the fear lets use fear as a way of winning and the question is whether a work in 2020. Well for him to the republicans have promised an upbeat convention but in fact they will largely delivered the opposite whats the message behind that well the message behind the convention was that he has a strong team he has a Strong Family he hands a message we transport and hes a track record of course the track record is a cut phenomenally until carona quite successful i think hes going to play the card that hes the leader that hes a good ican economical leader and i think well see in the future in the next 8 to 10 weeks whether we get a more a a a campaign towards more economically issue was or more little right sort of mentioned the fear element in fact weve heard a lot of speakers at the convention saying the president is the only one who can really protect americans and keep them secure but the fact is that the chaos were seeing right now in the United States has occurred on his watch well the point but the question is who is possible for parts of the chaos i mean he did manage to mimic from corona for instance its not within his responsibility its on the individual states the point is hes responsible for it for the economy yes but hes not responsible for this little rights discussion i think i think its been very very have to be very cautious who is responsible for such problems maybe weve weve talked about this for more than 1020 years now that there are problems and we have that at the Obama Biden Administration and they havent been doing much against that as well soraya you talked about prominent republicans not taking part in the Republican Convention in fact a number of them took part in the democratic one warning voters and not to vote for donald trump once again my question to you would be though how many people are really getting that message will it change support for donald trump because if you look at the numbers it seems. That at most 30 percent of American Voters have been watching these conventions thats true but on the other hand and theres no doubt that theres youre talking about a base thats going to stay with donald trump and its going to be very difficult to move them but there is also that large i mean there are republicans who perhaps youre in for a different time or a party i mean this party has been redefined at this point to be a Trump Loyalist Party i mean and in the people who are not showing up you know that that thats because they just refuse to follow that line and so i think that there are a large number of voters out there that could deviate i mean that could go in another direction to somebody like joe biden and come along harris because its just its more moderate and so there is a there is a large component there that is not being addressed by this very narrow definition that weve seen or that were seeing roughly ask you say about this trump a Loyalist Party in fact to this convention the Republican Convention has been absolutely dominated by the president s family the party for good for went having a program a platform thats a historic 1st it seems like the platform is donald trump has the Republican Party become in fact a personality cult well of personally cold but finally now compared to last and has a perfect record you know dont forget he was not a politician before he went into office and he was a he was a businessman now he has a 4 years you know track record and now he can claim what i have been doing the last 4 years and basically ive kept a lot of promises and hes playing that card very well i mean lets hear from the president himself and come right back to us or i i see you want to respond but let me let 1st hear from the president himself he has been claiming for some time now that the only way he could lose would be if the election is rigged and as the Republican Convention got under way he spelled out how he thought that might happen. We caught them doing some really bad things. In 2016 lets see what happens we caught them doing some really bad things we have to be very careful because theyre trying it again with this whole 80000000 mail in ballots that theyre working on. Sending them out to people that didnt ask for it in a state you just gave them the only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election were going to win this election right. So soraya no you wanted to respond just now to ralph that perhaps you can also tell us whats the president doing there. Well hes doing what he does and does very well which is sort of elevate the fear factor and basically say this is the trump reality theres no way he could lose unless this is a rigged election and there are a lot of people who believe that so that is a card hes playing even though it may come back to haunt him you know well have to see how that goes i was just going to say though about the loyalists thing i mean i think its what trump is all it has established is not just a record but he really has been much more about who says what i mean hes fired people for not being 100 percent loyal to him anybody who questions him or questions and his policy is gone i mean the people who are left the white house right now are diehard Trump Supporters and loyalists who will even to the point of the medical people who are advising him in the pandemic you know its my way or the highway so to me i dont know i dont i find that to be new i dont think this is just an incumbent president having you know his supporters sort of rallying around him for a 2nd term so what do you make of the fact that the president is saying he cant lose the election unless its rigged what are the implications about well it sounds like hes setting things up so that if he is to lose he can say point the vicar and say look its unfair and he can still sort of hold clout outside of office so he. And still sort of be an agitator outside the white house but the irony actually is that you know recently there was a bipartisan report released from the u. S. Senate both republicans and democrats said that in 2016 the russians did it to figure in the us elections and thats kind of ironic actually that hes saying that because there is there has been a bipartisan report saying there was russian interference and there was collusion but there was no evidence to convict wealth in a climate as polarized and heated as the one that we have in the u. S. Right now are 2 words like that that essentially throw doubt skepticism on the entire democratic process the very core of that process and election are they playing with fire absolutely and point i have a different opinion i think is inappropriate for a president to say that like stuff like that also he claimed 4 years ago hes hes going to throw Hillary Clinton into prison i thought that was an appropriate either so i think theres a red line and the president shouldnt pass this line was not too often do you think theres a real chance that if the results of the election are indeterminate those mail in ballots they may take weeks to count is there a real chance that he would contest an election result. Of no ideas the 1st time in history that that would happen i at this point i dont have the fantasy to go therefore i dont think thats going to happen sariah talked about playing with fire we have seen President Trump discredit Democratic Institutions again and again what are the systemic consequences that well i mean he still is playing to a populous that wants to see things shaken up i think that the lines become so blurred as to what perhaps could use reform institutions that we stand by that i think this is something thats going to be very hard for whoever is the next president to kind. Hell i think that people are going to continue to react with emotion and with you know to defend their positions without facts necessarily and thats thats still sort of i think the mantra that sort of has become in america and its very dangerous i think its dangerous as you mentioned for Democratic Institutions you know we have yet to see what will happen with with the election you know Postal Service you name it there are just things that are there are crumbling and that people dont really understand what the damage could be if that continues lets perhaps dig a bit deeper on that dark mood to that we have seen at the Republican Convention and maybe also tied to some of the events it can also wisconsin this week numerous speakers have stoked fear and anger at the republican meeting with predictions of mob violence in the streets and one of those who found the flames was the president s son Donald Trump Jr in a speech that many observers saw as a launching pad for his own political ambitions people of faith are under attack youre not allowed to go to church but mass chaos in the streets gets a pass its almost like this election is shaping up to be church work in school versus writing looting and vandalism. So let us know go to a suit and pseudo on the same evening that Donald Trump Jr spoke we heard a very striking appearance by a couple named mccloskey mccluskeys have been charged with a felony for pointing their weapons at black protesters who were going through their streets. Are the republicans with a Statement Like that with statements like we just heard from Donald Trump Jr are they indirectly if not directly exploiting racism well i think its become sort of a party of grievance and you know there are of course in 2016 i think donald trump was very smart to see that there were parts of the u. S. Electorate that were still suffering and people feeling left behind the question now is where does the lines cross as weve often talked about how dollar trump breaks norms and crosses certain lines where it becomes taking advantage of people with fear and also actually harming them because theyre stoking division and what. Is describing in a world according to biden is actually happening now under Donald Trumps watch so i hope getting back to your question also about the results of the election i hope that there is a resoundingly win for either side because then i think that the country can sort of move on and not have this sort of neck and Neck Division of you know polarization we need to have some constructive work moving forward from republicans abroad sorry i think i got that name wrong at the outset of the show in wisconsin those divisions have been on display this week on tuesday night we saw armed civilians get into a scuffle with protesters while they were trying whether armed civilians were trying to guard a car dealership 2 people were killed isnt your party the Republican Party playing with fire when its instrumental izing race show resentment and fear of mob violence in a way like what we have seen this week well the point is im a man of law and order and the president is as well the point is how far do you go right i think if we have it at this point we dont get. Peace on the streets you need to strong a Strong Administration i believe but theres a certain point a red line where this is crossed and where war where there also racism is involved so i believe we should really as you say we should really like like come down a little bit and watch it from up as after perspective after i have to say i asked myself yes when i saw the events in kosovo on tuesday night to what degree the appearance of charged people charged with a felony on the 1st night of the convention incites people like these armed civilians in can osha to take to the streets. So me as a german the whole situation is awkward i mean absolutely i mean we were talking about gun laws are we talking about. Scenarios which we will never have in this country this point im im im very modest person i would never agree to that i mean President Trump we have to say has certainly played you know hes very hes sort of stoking the flames of White Nationalism in the United States and his own assistant secretary for counterterrorism and Homeland Security just came out with a video shes a former official and said that President Trump is doing bad and you saw what happened with the synagogue in 2018 you saw the white nationalists and charlottesville and the Republican Party and also donald trump have to vehemently reject those ideas of having any place in the Republican Party soraya much of this is aimed at white suburban voters theres been a lot of talk about the suburbs and the mccloskey is of course. The incarnation of those white suburban dwellers not coincidentally because it is precisely white suburban residents who have been discerning the republicans for the democrats particularly in the midterm elections in 2018 do you think that this kind of talk that were seeing would win them back to the Republican Party i dont think so and i dont think im a clock mccluskeys really represent white suburban voters or at least the white suburban vote going to. Associate with i mean i honestly do think that people are you know they want to tone down i dont think that this. I dont think it helps when you have downtowns on fire and you know if for the people who are violently protesting i think that unfortunately negates you know all to a large extent the peaceful protests that you see and that is a danger but i just i dont see that message or those sorts of people. Somehow swaying the suburban voters unless and theres if we can last if the fear factor somehow takes hold together if the discuss and the frustration and its time for something new is replaced by that fear factor again lets just give a quick listen to Donald Trump Space all of you have pointed out that he seems to be playing to his base and they seem prepared to stick by him. I think hes doing his best i know he knows its going to be my. Biggest best investment because ive been so happy with him from day one. What is it that you like about. Just the fact that hes. Trying to. Live a christian life. But democrats up become socialists communists. And all they want is the struction and prefer. The blackboards not our movement a terrorist organization very much similar to it was bred im sure. Souter as the democrats have repeatedly pointed out at their Party Convention the Trump Administration has perhaps the worst record on cologne a management of any country and certainly of any industrialized country why would that matter to trump space i think the Republican Party is just a split of the Democratic Party and the voices that we just heard from are you know certainly one extreme wing of the party but theyre also interested in social issues so you know the question of abortion the question of sort of religious freedom for christians those thing play a larger role and they ignore the distasteful tweets they ignore the fact that President Trump has cut taxes for the you know one percent in the United States and not necessarily help working class white people in the United States and is also trying to strip away obamacare right and also that hurts people with preexisting conditions so theres a lot of. Pocker say but i think that they believe that hes delivered for them on the social issues on the socalled culture wars rougher and can President Trump win by appealing to his base alone well he did it last time. And as i said a couple times before. Dawn comes also the outcome of the Administration Obama and biden and a lot of democrats are dissatisfied with was there. What they claimed and finally fulfilled so yes it worked last time and probably the mobilization of the Republican Party is usually higher than of the Democratic Party but the Democratic Party has probably been the somewhat voters so its going to be very interesting to to see if if if president tom does able to mobilize his voters what do you think soraya a Campaign Based on fear and anger on indirect if not direct racism really think it can can win i think maybe well see some Republican Voters staying home this time if they cant stomach voting for the for the democrats but i i also think that the democrats dont have it in the bag with their own voters i mean there is. What who is a democratic voter these days you know the progressive certainly are feeling left out of this particular race and i there wasnt much outreach during or at least didnt feel like there was much outreach during the Democratic Convention so that has to change in the coming weeks a super quick listen to one of the speeches at the Democratic Convention namely bidens acceptance speech. Ill be an ally of the light not the darkness. Joe biden promises the usa a better future. His words were underscored by big emotions despite the fact that the democratic National Convention took place on line. The current president is called american darkness for much too long. George genger too much fear too much division. Here and now i give you my word if you entrust me with the presidency i will draw on the best of us not the worst ill be an ally of the light not the darkness. As a man of the people and crisis manager joe biden wants to heal the usa which has been hit hard by economic and societal turmoil at his side is common to harris and as his Vice President she intends to help him win the white house we must elect a president who will bring Something Different Something Better and do the important work a president who will bring all of us together black white latino asian indigenous to achieve the future we collectively werent. We must elect joe biden. But the democrats havent offered many concrete strategies about how they plan to overhaul the country is not being donald trump enough for them to win. Sort of can the democrats really go high when the republicans go low or do they have to resort to dirty tricks as well to win well i mean i think that never trampers are being dirty for. You know the Lincoln Project for. Golo for the democrats but at the end of the day i actually dont think Vice President biden is a necessarily a different candidate but hes back to some sort of normalcy back to you know an america that had stability but that may not be enough in the long run and thats why i do think that Vice President biden if he does win is sort of an interim solution for the democrats sariah unlike the republicans the democrats do have a Party Program and it actually does incorporate some pretty progressive issues and suggestions including strengthening unions for example is that enough to get the kind of broad mobilization the democrats are going to need i think that he and or also common law they all need to reach out more they have especially because the primary showed you know where the divisions lie and i think that there needs to be more outreach i mean that to me is what are your from younger people like my son kids segment of the voters will be black americans rougher on both parties are striving to mobilize them weve seen a very powerful speech by a black senator at the Republican Convention whos more likely to garner their votes will be towards the democrats but that is the argument 4 years ago was what do you as a black voter have to lose if you voted republican i mean the track record towards the black voters 8 years ago on them 4 years ago and more was that successful either so so what do they have to lose let me ask of you to say in one word where you agree or disagree with Michelle Obama when she said believe me things can and will get worse if donald trump is elected let me ask you this and im going to get worse in the next 2 months so no i mean i agree simply one word i agree or do i can i elaborate i mean the adults in the room are gone its a different type and itll be a donald Trump Administration unplugged soraya now and after the election get worse yeah i think thats the direction its headed. Ill say were going to. Versus us fully comic along. Ok many thanks to all of you for those brief last answers and for this very very interesting discussion and thanks to everybody out there for turning out to say he sent. To. The border. The bottom of a. Sofa optimizing city. That minimizes emissions separates waste and in the best case recycles a. Cammies visions become reality there urgently needed. This sitting in the living space of the future which ran for everyone. Global 3000. And 30 minutes w. Their the latest craze for a billionaire. Luxury yacht star and. Whether its sailing on the high seas. Chilling on a 5 star cruiser. Or of partying on a megadeth theyve got to be glamorous and extraordinary. In 75 minutes from t. W. Beethoven is for me. Is for. Beethoven is for help. And beethoven is for. Beethoven is for covering on. Beethoven 2020 vision of the 50th anniversary here on d w. Ws crime fighters are back ever goes most successful radio drama series continue. This season the stories focus on hate speech color of prevention and sustainable charcoal production. All of the sos are Available Online and of course you can share and discuss on africas Facebook Page and other social media. Platforms. Crime fighters tune in now. Ok. This is d w news coming to you live from berlin double trouble takes aim at his democratic rival in a fierce acceptance speech. Joe biden is not a savior of americans so he is the destroyer of americas jobs and if given the chance he will be the destroyer of american greatness. Presents himself as the
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