The Republican national convention was designed around presidential nominee Donald Trump's campaign theme, "Make America Great Again," with different subtitles such as Make America Safe Again, Make America Work Again and so on. ISU politics and government professor Tom McClure said during Sound Ideas, podium speakers at the Cleveland event have done a poor job of sticking to the theme.
"I don't think there was really too much about that theme last night and the night before when it was 'Make America Work' there was very little we heard about that theme," said McClure. "I think that theme of this convention is 'help America know Hillary Clinton.'"
McClure says, at the beginning of the convention, the unity centered around opposition to the likely Democratic nominee. And he thinks the lack of focus on the themes will have little impact. McClure also said, the theme's basically been hijacked by factions that existed before the convention.
"When everything is said and done it's whether you like trump or you don't," said McClure.
McClure also says the anti-Hillary Clinton narrative has remained very strong throughout the four-day gathering. McClure is a politics and government professor who is leading a group of ISU students at the Cleveland event. As they prepare to depart Cleveland another group will head for Philadelphia and the Democratic convention this weekend.