Remember when (disgraced) former CNN host Chris Matthews talked about the "thrill up my leg" he felt after watching a speech by Barack Obama in the leadup to the 2008 election? Although that Barry speech was before the Democrat National Convention that year, it sums up the sense of excitement for the candidate (and future Divider-in-Chief) at the time.
On Thursday evening, CNN's Van Jones admitted that since then, he hadn’t felt anything like the energy of the 2008 DNC—until now. Jones, famous for his furious “whitelash” comments after Trump won it all in 2016, admitted that the momentum is all with the GOP as the spirit in the RNC convention hall was buoyant throughout the week.
[Tons of crosstalk] ...I want to say something, this spirit, [referring to legal analyst Scott Jennings], that this guy has, you guys think that because this guy is drunk. He's not.
This whole thing is like this. And hey, look. Hey guys. The last time I was in a convention that felt like this was Obama 2008. There's something happening."You just wrote a headline, by the way," a co-anchor interrupted.
Yes, you certainly did, Mr. Jones.
CNN's Van Jones "The last time I was at a convention that felt like this was Obama 2008. There's something happening..."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 19, 2024
"You just wrote a headline, by the way! You just wrote a headline!" pic.twitter.com/VYeLHdTNMb
Jennings jumped in: "Just like Obama. And just like Obama, Trump is showing in this convention, he has the capacity to alter the composition of the electorate, that is [inaudible] like the difference."
Former Obama strategist David Axelrod took his turn at interrupting, opining that the difference between "2008 [and] now is that Obama was actually popular outside of his own party."
Look at the polls, Axelrod.
After Trump’s speech, Jones, of course, quickly backtracked because he could only face the truth for so long. But the reality is that Biden’s campaign is an absolute trainwreck, and the RNC Convention has been a phenomenal success, with speaker after speaker delivering terrific remarks that spoke to a broad swath of the American people.
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Jones noticed that there was "something happening" earlier in the week as well, posting on Wednesday that the Republicans are coalescing around their nominee:
VAN JONES: “A bullet couldn't stop Trump. A virus just stopped Biden.”
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 18, 2024
“The Democrats are coming apart. The Republicans are coming together.” pic.twitter.com/QDfCXaIVty
But Van wasn’t a fan of Trump’s nomination speech, and along with a clearly aggrieved co-host Jake Tapper, heavily criticised him for his lengthy remarks. The cat is out of the bag, though: momentum has notably shifted toward the Republicans after Biden’s disastrous debate performance and the despicable assassination attempt against Trump.
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They can moan and groan all they want, but Jones had it right the first time: there’s a feeling in the air. Biden is no longer a viable candidate, and Trump is ascendant. Poll after poll shows the writing on the wall. While I don’t have a thrill running up my leg, I am nevertheless very encouraged by the stunning events of just the last month alone, which have completely changed the trajectory of this race (although things were already moving Trump’s way before the debate and the Butler, Pennsylvania shooting).
It’s unclear whether Joe Biden’s reelection bid will even survive the weekend, but Van Jones for once got it right: we haven’t seen this kind of energy in the Republican Party for a long time. Let’s hope it carries through until November.
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