Trump Flops

I watched far too much of the RNC this week. I don't know why, It was a slow week, and around prime time, i'd just get drawn in to see the spectacle - There were plenty of boring speeches along with some true loons, but the prevailing thought I had was, "shit, they have their shit together." there was a positive and joyful atmosphere. No one made complete fools of themselves, there were not too many major technical malfunctions but most importantly, The Party felt fully united under Trump. Yes, in a sick, sycophantic "dear leader" kind of way, but it was impressive from a pure political strategy perspective to see how all these former Trump critics were up on the stage raving about him. There was a notable amount of racial diversity through the week, and the segment with the Gold Star Families who lost their children in the Afghanistan debacle (Even though it you look under the hood of that one, it was Trump who set the pieces in motion for that to unravel) was truly moving and an effective indictment of Biden.

Naturally, I'm not too stupid to know that the content of most of the speeches was abhorrent. Even when the party seemed to cast away 40 years of Republican Orthodoxy, with Teamster's President and JD Vance talking like Huey Long, I know well enough they are just cynically spewing shit to get the "workin man" middle class, midwest, rust belters voting for their side. I don't take any of it seriously. But at the very least, the Party's message had a vision (albeit a dark one) and of course any student of politics knows that's a key piece for victory.

There was talk through the week of Trump being a changed man, and plenty of testimony from employees and family members describing Trump as a good man, a great dad and grandpa... baloney of course, but I could see how effective it could be.

Contrasting with the total collapse happening on the Democratic side, it felt like the Republicans were in the catbird seat.

Then Thursday night happened.

I ended up skipping prime time, to watch The Natural with the family. i thought the kids might like it, but a lot of it went over their heads. (Much like Roy Hobb's homers) I maintain it's a classic.

I went up to see the reactions and watch the highlights to the final night and couldn't believe it. Dumb ole Trump had fumbled the ball on the 5 yard line.

After a trifecta of comically shitty men, confirmed racist Hulk Hogan, lip smackin'/wife smackin' Dana White and Kid ( i don't need any additional descriptors other than "Kid Rock") Rock, Trump came out in front of tacky Broadway style marquee lights like he was the lead in A Chorus Line. The first chunk was a stiff telling of his attempted assassination, full of plain lies and exaggerations but delivered with such lack of enthusiasm and emotion, it was like he was reading about it on the teleprompter for the first time. A Jack Decker style cold read about his brush with death that made you doubt what you all saw with your own eyes happened at all. The assassination bit also featured a sick, theatrical prop of the slain firefighter's uniform wheeled out as a prop for Trump to hug and kiss. Deranged by any measure.

Trump sprinkled in a little focus tested bit of "unity" but quickly bored of it and drifted into his long and winding, unhinged incoherent and sweaty standard issue, middle of the week stump speech with all his shitty "greatest hits" bad stand up (Hannibal Lecter et al)

It went on and on, leading some delegates to tune out - cheeseheads checking their phones and yawning as the clock struck midnight.

Instead of sitting in the main hall every night, basking in the praise of the speakers, like the pope, head hunched over, looking like a turtle, and occasionally nodding off, he could have maybe used that time to READ his speech a few times? He could have huddled with his advisers and game planned and committed to keeping his time on stage focused and presidential. But he's too lazy and self consumed and set in his ways for any of that. He'd wing it and shoot from the hip.

Of course none of will change the minds of anyone in the hall that night and the millions out there watching who are all in on the guy, but I can't imagine it sat well with the strange and mysterious "undecided voter." They must have watched and thought, "oh no. It's THAT guy. I remember him. He's just too... weird."

THAT guy we can beat. I had mixed emotions because I worried the speech was SO bad that it may inject a sense of hope in the Biden Campaign to soldier on and reject calls to drop out. With Biden cooped up with Covid and more high level party members coming out publicly to ask him to step down, I don't think there's any way to stop that momentum now.

And so I think if the party can work through this very painful and messy transition from Biden to ANYone else in the coming weeks, we have a shot to offer a marked contrast to the sweaty, deranged cult leader and maybe stave off the march towards a Theocratic, Crypto Fascist HellAmerica in November. Maybe?

 Peace and Love and a sprinkle of hope, T