What Went Down On Night 2 Of The RNC

The opioid epidemic has devastated communities all over this country and there are signs that the COVID-19 pandemic only worsened the problem. A survey of laboratory urine tests in July found a 32 percent increase for nonprescribed fentanyl, 20 percent increase for methamphetamine and 10 percent for cocaine from mid-March through May this year.

One thing that has been a lot more absent (even before the pandemic) is talk about the opioid crisis. Republican candidates Chris Christie and John Kasich spent a lot of time talking about it during the 2016 primary. So, it’s striking that this is popping up here. I’m not sure we heard much about it at the DNC, which was more focused on COVID-19. (Obviously, the RNC hasn’t talked about COVID-19 much at all.)

Last week’s poll from The Economist/YouGov found 50 percent of Americans disapproved of Trump’s handling of health care while 41 percent approved. So not all that different from his overall standing. Maybe one reason why Pence spent so much talking about health care in his segment and we’re hearing more about it now.