GOP will frame Biden's COVID-19 lockdown as 'Hollywood elitism' -- ignoring Americans scared to die: report

In the words of President Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention in 2016, "Do you really think that a guy who has spent his 70 years on this Earth showing no regard for working people is suddenly going to be your champion? Your voice?"

But that's exactly what the GOP is going to try and claim at the Republican Convention in the coming week.

Speaking to MSNBC on a Sunday panel, the New York Times' White House correspondent, Annie Karni, explained that President Donald Trump and his Republican Party plan to make the case safety comes second to money.

"One thing I was told by people involved in the planning is that watching the convention all week, Democrats last week, the president wants to stage a fierce rebuttal in terms of how they frame his dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, which was the ultimate in failed leadership," said Karni. "He wants to address that and rebut that. There will be a focus on the coronavirus. They also want to paint a completely different picture of -- make their convention more policy-focused than the Democrats, which was about values and empathy."

Republicans have told Karni that they "don't need empathy. We need policies that help working Americans." The Democratic message of "empathy" was about making policies that put people first over politics, business, and corporate consumerism. For example, the Biden lockdown would be an empathetic approach to protecting all Americans, as Trump did in April and May. It isn't surprising that Republicans would tell Karni that Republicans don't feel they need empathy, as a new CBS News/YouGov poll showed that 57% of Republicans found the number of deaths from the coronavirus "acceptable," while 90% of Democrats found it unacceptable.

"One thing I find really interesting in terms of the coronavirus, they are trying to frame -- Joe Biden said if necessary he would lock down the country to stop the spread," Karni explained. "They are trying to frame that as an elitist, lockdowns for Hollywood elite and upper-class that can afford to work from home. For working Americans, they have to have life go on in some fashion. Republicans are going to frame themselves as the party that sees life can go on."

It's unknown how accusing Biden of being "Hollywood" will go over, as Trump actually was part of Hollywood as a TV host for two of his shows. The shocking video of Trump confessing to sexually assaulting women appeared on a show called "Access Hollywood" about Hollywood stars.

It's difficult for working life to continue if someone has COVID-19, or their child has it, or their spouse or parent has it, if they're on a ventilator, if their child's school is virtual, or if they're dead. It is perhaps the most difficult to claim, "life can go on" if you're dead along with 180,000 other Americans.

She noted that it's unknown how the idea that safety is elitist will go over to Americans.

See the discussion below: