The GOP convention will be no summer of love

The Republican Party’s task this week will be to turn Joe Biden into something he’s not and transform President Trump’s failures into successes.

If a political consultants’ Olympics gave marks for degrees of difficulty, this event would set a record. No wonder several Republican senators are taking a pass on the whole thing.

But Democrats are nonetheless wary about what will come their way.

The 2016 Trump Convention was a crude production, lacking in star power and uplift. A lot of big-time Republicans also stayed away. Yet it turned out to be a messaging triumph. One of the most vulgar moments was also one of the most effective: Michael Flynn, the soon-to-be-disgraced Trump loyalist, led the crowd in chanting “Lock her up!” about Hillary Clinton.