The Republican National Convention begins this week, and the Clinton campaign has planned accordingly. With social media as their primary weapon, Clinton’s staffers have enlisted politicians, organizations, and celebrities to troll Republicans and issue counterattacks whenever criticisms are lobbed at Clinton and the Democratic Party.
According to ABC News, the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee have organized a “counter-convention” that they’re calling “Better Than This.” Working out of Cleveland, they will hold press conferences, press calls, and provide running commentary on the convention, particularly regarding insults to Clinton and to Democrats in general. All involved—celebrities, elected officials, and staffers alike—will tweet with the hashtag #BetterThanThis. Some have even gotten the ball rolling early.
Among those who will be on the ground in Cleveland are DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and a number of elected officials, including Senator Al Franken, Representative Tim Ryan, Representative Marcia Fudge, and former Ohio governor Ted Strickland. Their office is less than a mile from the RNC’s venue, the Quickens Loan Arena.
Clinton herself will not be present, but her schedule this week is quite full. She will speak at the NAACP conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, meet with teachers in Minnesota, and then with union workers in Las Vegas.