Dems ready for attack in Cleveland

CLEVELAND — Huddled in a law office on the top floor of a building in the city’s historic Warehouse District on the outskirts of the Republican Party hubbub this week, Democrats are crafting their counter-messaging to Donald J. Trump. 

The Republican National Convention may be the quadrennial Super Bowl for the GOP and may be attracting thousands of Republicans to the downtown Cleveland this week, but political opponents aren’t very far away, taking note of absent GOP leaders and defending the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

{mosads}Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee; Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), an Iraq War veteran; and former Gov. Ted Strickland, a U.S. Senate candidate, are expected to speak Monday morning to kick off the week of Democrats running opposition to Trump from from inside the rock ‘n’ roll city.

This year’s GOP convention has a daily topic themed around Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Monday, for example, is dubbed “Make America Safe Again” and includes speeches focused on the 2012 Benghazi attacks, during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of State, and illegal immigration.

An aide said Democrats would take a similar focus, with party leaders on Monday addressing national security topics ahead of convention speeches Monday from retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), a House Armed Services Committee member.

“Americans deserve better than Trump and Pence’s shared support of torture, Trump’s ban on Muslims, his disregard for the threat of nuclear weapons, his secret plan to destroy ISIS that he won’t tell anybody, his praise of dictators and his abandonment of our allies like NATO,” Clinton’s campaign said in advisory for a press conference Monday morning, mentioning Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Trump’s running mate.

Democrats will also track other topics expected to be addressed this week at the GOP convention: Tuesday is dubbed “Make America Work Again” and focuses on the economy; Wednesday is “Make America First Again,” focused on domestic issues; and Thursday is “Make America One Again,” focused on party unity.

The DNC distributed a mock newspaper to reporters Monday featuring some of Trump’s comments during the campaign, including calling to “bomb the shit“ out of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Democrats called Trump dangerous and reckless on foreign policy, labeling him the “scammer-in-chief” by focusing on his business record and now-defunct Trump University and arguing the economic downturn in Atlantic City, N.J., is “an exclusive preview of Trump’s America.”

Democratic opposition research groups will also be on hand this week, including American Bridge, which has fashioned a nearby “Trump Museum” focusing on Trump’s “failed business ventures, corporate outsourcing, and poor treatment of workers over the years,” according to the group.

Democrats will hold their convention next week in Philadelphia.