The Guardian · US news · Original story
Republican midterm convention will be ‘Trumpist pageantry’ - at the party’s own risk
A historically unpopular president will take centre stage as the party seeks to sway voters with an unprecedented event
It seemed like a good idea at the time. In December 1978, Jimmy Carter, a US president besieged by inflation and energy crises, watched as thousands of Democrats descended on Memphis, Tennessee, for a rare midterm convention.
“It was wild,” recalls Elaine Kamarck, who attended as a 28-year-old working for the Democratic National Committee. “It became a forum for Ted Kennedy to informally announce his opposition to president Carter. There was a lot of hostility to the president there. The Democrats have sworn ever since never to do anything this stupid again.”
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David Smith in Washington · Mon, Sep 7, 2026, 3:00 AM
US news | The Guardian
A historically unpopular president will take centre stage as the party seeks to sway voters with an unprecedented event
It seemed like a good idea at the time. In December 1978, Jimmy Carter, a US president besieged by inflation and energy crises, watched as thousands of Democrats descended on Memphis, Tennessee, for a rare midterm convention.
“It was wild,” recalls Elaine Kamarck, who attended as a 28-year-old working for the Democratic National Committee. “It became a forum for Ted Kennedy to informally announce his opposition to president Carter. There was a lot of hostility to the president there. The Democrats have sworn ever since never to do anything this stupid again.”
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