I keep early hours, as the sunrise photo attests, so I can't undertake to live-blog a night-time event. Maybe I'll update this post, and maybe some of you will add comments that cover the doings, but at the very least, I hope to catch up with things in the morning.
July 18, 2024
Here is today's sunrise — at 5:37 — and also a place to write about the last day of the GOP convention (and whatever else you want).
I keep early hours, as the sunrise photo attests, so I can't undertake to live-blog a night-time event. Maybe I'll update this post, and maybe some of you will add comments that cover the doings, but at the very least, I hope to catch up with things in the morning.
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169 comments:
Being a bit fanciful:
Maybe people will look back someday and say Trump was a bit like John the Baptist, and Vance was a but like, you know. (As Biden might say, the Jewish guy, the Christian).
For reasons I've never understood, John the B is a necessary precursor to Jesus. Jesus himself has to be baptized, like Don Quixote becoming a knight. John keeps telling people he is of a much lesser stature than the guy who will come after him. "I couldn't carry his sandals" (we might say jock strap).
Trump is a bit of a blowhard, with a vague and shifting sense of what exactly he is committed to. He is not completely immoral or unpatriotic; he conveys the sense that the progressive drift of our society needs some correction. Anyone who says everything is cool is increasingly revealed as a "let them eat cake" type.
Vance probably has a more significant range or combination of virtues, and probably a clearer sense of what he stands for, and what to do about it. On the other hand, in many ways there probably would have been no Vance without Trump. Of course Trump would never admit that at most he has prepared the way for someone who is more likely to make lasting changes.
New Testament: on the assumption that they will be converting only Jews, at least for a while, there is a need to prepare the Jews for a shock?
Interesting Emerson poll question: If the presidential race was between Donald Trump and a younger Democratic candidate who is well qualified, who would you choose?
The younger Democratic candidate would win all seven battleground states and therefore the election.
I do the same. I am up between 3 and 4 everyday, but I go to bed early...and read. I catch up with news in the early morning.
Pompeo is unrecognizably thin.
“The younger Democratic candidate would win all seven battleground states and therefore the election.”
Weeell you go to war with the army you have, not some imaginary one that does not exist.
“Pompeo is unrecognizably thin.”
Probably Ozympic, you don’t get moral credit for weight loss with that.
Rumor that Joe will step down as a candidate and it will be an open convention between Harris and three others.
Who are the other three? Newsom for sure. Maybe Pete. Can’t figure the third.
Thoughts?
"Weeell you go to war with the army you have, not some imaginary one that does not exist."
Democrats actively oppose efforts to eliminate fraud in elections, so they've got that going for them, which has to help.
Here he comes. The last speaker was praising Jesus for protecting Trump for such a time as these. Interesting times.
Whitmer and Pritzker rumored. No Pete.
Scaly and sluglike
Let's hope Josh Shapiro, PA Governor, chooses not to participate in any mini-Democrat primary. I wonder if Cory Booker would be in the mix.
"Pompeo is unrecognizably thin."
Try as I might, I could not make my brain "see Mike Pompeo" when I looked at his face.
Pompeo has been working hard at losing weight. I hadn't heard if he's sing semaglutides. He looks like he's dropped about 100 lb. We need our resident expert to weigh in.
Rich @6:31pm… you should put your faith in that. It’s gold, take it to the bank!
Tucker is on stage. He’s not really giving a speech - he’s doing a monolog like this is one of his shows!
JSM
When cars don't stop for protestors. This is better than porn.
https://redstate.com/beccalower/2024/07/18/breaking-ninth-circuit-court-delivers-decision-on-citizenship-and-voter-registration-in-arizona-n2177076
“I wonder if Cory Booker would be in the mix.”
The Dems should run a Booker-Buttedgeedge ticket. Rainbow flag that SOB… Americans want to see much more of that!
"Tucker is on stage. He’s not really giving a speech - he’s doing a monolog like this is one of his shows!"
He's talking to people, not giving a speech. It works for me.
Dave Begley said...
Rumor that Joe will step down as a candidate and it will be an open convention between Harris and three others.
Who are the other three? Newsom for sure. Maybe Pete. Can’t figure the third.
Thoughts?
I am not sure how they can legally bypass Kamala.
Can Biden just release his delegates and throw her under the bus?
If he does Kamala is going to freak out and make the usual DEI demands. I don't see how an open convention is good for democrats.
Clayburne is going to run the place. He will be the star that all planets orbit.
How are they going to get the Palestinian wing to play nice?
99 out of 100 scenarios in an open convention are bad for the democrats right now.
Their safest play is to let Kamala take the L.
I'm getting this feeling that Trump's acceptance speech will be one for the ages.
The RNC has been a positive, uplifting, and inspiring event.
The MAGA convention is getting a big dose of Tucker Carlson…UNCENSORED. Maybe God is intervening.
Original Mike - that’s an even better way to describe it. I wasnt being critical. It worked for me, too. Just a contrast to everyone else’s speeches.
Also, Tucker was more analytical about Trump, of that makes sense. His line of logic was more “We need this this and this in a POTUS - only Trump offers all that - so Trump should be POTUS.”
I also liked how he ragged on Congress for not representing the people, woth half of Congress in the hall.
JSM
A lot of the speakers have a golf connection to Trump.
Make America Golf Again!
Headline: "Democrats postpone official nomination of US presidential candidate, NYT"
10 min ago: Democrat Montana Senator Jon Tester: I believe President Biden Should not seek re-election for another term.
Newsmax reports Joe will not seek the nomination. Open convention
A notification from my wife's NYT subscription popped up a while ago about an Opinion feature on the timeline of all the disastrous outcomes in Trump's first term. I hope Ann will take the bait and review it for us or open it up with a link so some of you can, I just can't bring myself to go look at it.
Tucker did a splendid job there! I liked both the tone and the content.
What band is playing because Hulk must be late?
“Interesting Emerson poll question: If the presidential race was between Donald Trump and a younger Democratic candidate who is well qualified, who would you choose?
The younger Democratic candidate would win all seven battleground states and therefore the election.”
The question is designed to elicit the exact answer they got. But you knew that, didn’t you Rich?
Rainbow flag that SOB
Albinophobia has black roots in African societies, but has progressed with hate symbols and rhetoric in parades.
Democrats are in disarray… they are angry, they are fighting!
Be still, my schadenboner.
National Review: "Menendez Pushes Back on Resignation Report, Insists He Won’t Be Forced Out after Bribery Conviction"
Teh Hulkster!
For anyone who knows who Cenk Uyger is this is a shocking interview.
“This brother’s been shot, and here he is standing back up and saying to his crowd, ‘It’s OK, it’s OK, and we fight on,’” Uygur noted. “I think that was his best moment in his life. And so, if you can’t acknowledge that, you just don’t live in the reality-based world.”
But the kill shot is at the end:
“If you actually deliver on protecting average American workers, progressives are open-minded,” he insisted. “Maybe loyalist Democrats who are corporatists and just want to serve their donors, they’re not open-minded. Both corporate Republicans and corporate Democrats will always serve their donors, but progressives are open-minded.”
He dismissed Democratic leadership as “a bunch of chuckleheads.”
The younger Democratic candidate would win all seven battleground states and therefore the election.
The usual caveat about generic candidates is that they ALWAYS do better than real people because those polled can imagine the candidate of their dreams.
Among the "younger Democrats," whom do you favor, Rich? Does that candidate carry any baggage?
Hulk Hogan bringing the Idiocracy vibes.
I love how Democrats call strikebreaker Joe “pro labor.”
Trumphites running wild for 4 years followed by Vanceites running wild for 8 yeats, says the Hulk.
Ok, Hulk Hogan brings down the house - the shirt was hilarious.
Hulk Hogan is final building block in Trump's coalition.
We are all Trumpites!
Stop yer ’batin’, Mark!
Your right palm is probably hairy enough.
Nicole Wallace on MSNBC informed us that the American people don’t like be lied to and grifted. You don’t say!
If Biden drops out...
• Trumps campaign will lose its target, it has attacked Biden on age for ages which will be moot
• The debate performance is moot, and the next debate may be a problem for Trump
• They will not be able to blame inflation, or other issues on a new candidate (biden is getting no credit for his record anyway)
• The accusation of corruption that the Republican party built by prosecuting Hunter will be irrelevant
• Trump will have to spend money and design a new campaign against whoever wins. At first it won't know who to campaign against
• It will re energize democrats and give them the attention
• Vance may become a problem, he is a confidence pick by Trump — pure MAGA, Christian nationalist, anti-abortion, and very loud about all of it
• The GOP know they will be in a more marginal position in many states. Some polling suggests it is • Biden dragging the democrats down, they have a higher level of support with any other candidate
• They could pick a popular governor in a swing state to give an instant advantage there
It may not matter, perhaps Trump wins anyway... But it's a start and Trump would have to think twice.
Hulk Hogan just ripped his shirt off at the RNC, for anyone wondering how much of a clown show tonight is. Better than Kimberly I guess.
I want his granddaughter to fall asleep on his shoulder. This is not my usual reaction to politicians.
Geez, Rich, can't you take a joke?
Ah.... you know, I just knew that Hulk couldn't get up there without ripping his shirt off. He had a better one on, underneath it. I've had it going on in the background, but haven't been watching it closely.
Some here apparently think conventions are sacred, button-down events that are never circus-like or ridiculous. That's a funny, nostalgic way of thinking about them, like they're portrayed in the old Hayes-code movies. So they get all bitter & twisted about it.
I wonder why they're watching something that upsets them so. Is there a word for that?
Secretary of Turnbuckles?
You better believe it Brother!
The RNC convention seems to be where former celebrities come to reinvigorate their fallen celebrity status.
Rich underestimates the Hulkamaniac vote.
I think what Rich may be overlooking is that, unlike in the case of Trump, *Biden* hasn't been the focus of the Republican critiques as much as the Democrats have. Biden has been (correctly) seen as a puppet of... someone, someones, since his 10:30am lids during the 2020 campaign - not by everyone, surely, but by a significant number of Americans. Now, of course, the entire country on both sides knows the truth of the "Biden" administration.
So, yes, it would certainly be easier to run against a pitiful shadow of the former "dumbest man in the Senate," it's not as if the fact of Biden's handlers hasn't been baked into the cake.
Depending on the debater, Trump could suffer from a debate - he's not a great debater. But this convention is certainly making it seem that - this time, anyway - he does have coattails, and he does have support at all levels.
Eric is the heir apparent in the Trump family. Fine speech touching the lodestones of his father's politics.
President Trump doesn't have to say much, it's all been covered.
Melania walking in now.
Looks fantastic as usual.
Let's bring her glamour back to the WH.
The ugly and easily avoidable trap that Democrats created for themselves does not inspire lots of confidence. It does not even inspire a little bit of confidence. The country doesn’t deserve to be stuck with Trump, but the arrogant, dysfunctional, broken Democratic Party deserves to lose. Kind of a conundrum, huh?
Is an open convention like an open marriage?
Did not think it could get any better....
Kid Rock with an altered version of one of his songs...
Say FIGHT, FIGHT..... say TRUMP, TRUMP!
Well I really like Kid Rock but not this song - it’s almost painful to my ears lol
Kid Rock's music seems ... out of place at the convention.
Kid Rock sang such a beautiful hymn.
thankfully Kid opened, closed and encored with one song.
Don’t the wives usually introduce their husbands?
I watch the Republican Convention and I think of the ominous warning:
"When Fascism comes to America, it'll look a lot like a Guy Lombardo New Year's Eve Party".
Man, that's an awful lot of Americans "of a certain age" having waaaaaay too good of a time.
Jamie asked...
"Among the 'younger Democrats', whom do you favor, Rich? Does that candidate carry any baggage?"
Not just baggage. If Hunter decided to run, he would come with baggies.
Hasn't Trump started yet? I can't watch bc my husband is watching some Hallmark dreck.
Kid Rock sang such a beautiful hymn.
Hahahahaha, well done!
My husband and I were imagining the crowd reactions - "Does anybody know what he's saying?" "So, THAT happened..." "This makes us cool, right?" But I loved watching all the old folks (some probably younger than me, truthfully) grinning and trying to dance. So dang cute! Republicans having fun.
With all sincerity, I feel bad for Trump. His wife really should’ve swallowed whatever was stuck in her craw and do this one thing for him, introduce him. Sheesh how hard could that be for her?
Understated entrance, as usual...
Trump's message.... confidence, strength and hope...
... running for all of America
Trump appears almost wistful.
Inga does her doofus, incoherent mind reading bit.
Inga, pretending that you know what another person thinks is… lying. Very serious lying.
Stop doing it. You’ve got enough problems with basic coherence without this. Concentrate.
With all sincerity, I feel bad for Trump. His wife really should’ve swallowed whatever was stuck in her craw and do this one thing for him, introduce him. Sheesh how hard could that be for her?
Well, of course I'd have liked that too. But I support Melania's agency and autonomy, and apparently so does her husband.
We have a friend whose working life is entirely on the phone - he was working remotely decades before Zoom was invented. He is one of our closest friends and we moved away from across the street some years ago - and getting him to get on the phone with us is like pulling a grouchy lion's tooth. Maybe Melania's aversion to the limelight is something like that. I don't know.
Friends, delegates and citizens. Lend me you ears.
I was reading Instapundit drunkblogging comments and I came across this:
"Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer have communicated to senior party leaders that they would not be interested in serving as Harris’s running mate, according to a person familiar with the candidates in the mix to join Harris atop the ticket"
I’m assuming this means they don’t want the VP slot.
So are they trying to make it harder for her to seek the Presidential nomination?
If that’s so then this makes Biden’s position stronger - he may be her best hope to eventually becoming President.
This is beginning to remind me of the show Survivor.
I lost it at the sight of the fireman’s uniform.
Trump says he will recount the events of last Saturday, but only this one time.
Inga said...
“Don’t the wives usually introduce their husbands?”
I think his entrance was much more powerful the way it was done. Melania is not a prop and maybe it would have been to emotional for her as well.
Kissing the fire chief’s helmet was very sweet of Trump, I believe it was sincere and heartfelt.
Melania is not a prop
As usual, much more succinctly put than I can manage.
Maybe her example will encourage other potential first ladies and first gentlemen to decide for themselves, with their spouses' support, how much they want to be involved in an elected administration.
Moving, heart warming speech.
This new version of Trump will take some getting used to.
Loving me some Trump tonight. He is very low key. Almost somber, but uplifting.
He's just riffing, and it's terrific - if only this were the whole job, no one of any party could even argue that he's the guy for it.
Because it's not the whole job, I'm glad he leans toward economic conservatism and - at least now in his golden years, as they say, generally social conservatism, with a big dose of individual liberty.
Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer have communicated to senior party leaders that they would not be interested in serving as Harris’s running mate
She's not interested in them.
It would probably be Roy Cooper, Andy Beshear, or Josh Shapiro. Those are the names I keep hearing.
"This will be the most important election in our nation's history" - fact check: welllll....
But it is important. It's important because - honest to God - after 2020's shenanigans (IYKWIMAIKYD), I was really wondering whether any future election would even matter - whether I was living through an undeclared Soviet Union.
The answer is still Out There, but I am just barely daring to hope. NOTE: I 100% accept the certainty of periodic future electoral losses. But I was very much afraid that the 2020 "shadowy cabal" situation was going to mean the constant certainty of electoral losses.
Let's not get cocky, kids.
Wow. He seriously is promising to do everything we need. Let’s hope the Secret Service protecting Trump is no longer under a Stand Down Order.
I went to the RNC on YouTube to hear Trump's speech. There was some lunatic on the stage called Kid Rock before the speech. I watched for about a minute and a half. I'll catch Trump speech tomorrow. It takes a genuine jackass to blow the opportunity to speak to the American people.
Much better tone, but large stretches of nonsense.
Holy shit, it seems Inga's actually human.
Hulk Hogan just ripped his shirt off at the RNC
Was he sporting fake tits on the White House lawn?
The count is up to 22 Democrats calling on Biden to withdraw. That's the public count. The private count is much higher, with both Pelosi and Schumer trying to convince him to withdraw.
He clearly doesn't want to, and he's angry.
Some Democrats have opted to keep their powder dry on a statement asking Biden to drop out because they don’t think it would make a difference. Others see it as unnecessary at this point.
“I believe [the dam] is breaking now for him to get out,” another Democratic member said. “Members may be feeling that there is no need to pile on at this point.”
But still, several sources have hinted at the possibility of a “bigger push” from House Democratic lawmakers when they return to Washington next week, with some hoping Biden withdraws his name as the Democratic nominee before then and saves them from having to do it.
If not, Monday could be a “big day” in terms of seeing a larger reaction from lawmakers, one source said, adding it may spread across the week depending on the president's posture.
"It would probably be Roy Cooper, Andy Beshear, or Josh Shapiro."
Who? Who? And, who?
Inga at 9:49. Sweet of you to say!
Trump nailed the border numbers ... the Dem's big weak spot.
Rich said...
If Biden drops out...
• Trumps campaign will lose its target, it has attacked Biden on age for ages which will be moot
• The debate performance is moot, and the next debate may be a problem for Trump
• They will not be able to blame inflation, or other issues on a new candidate (biden is getting no credit for his record anyway)
• The accusation of corruption that the Republican party built by prosecuting Hunter will be irrelevant
• Trump will have to spend money and design a new campaign against whoever wins. At first it won't know who to campaign against
• It will re energize democrats and give them the attention
• Vance may become a problem, he is a confidence pick by Trump — pure MAGA, Christian nationalist, anti-abortion, and very loud about all of it
• The GOP know they will be in a more marginal position in many states. Some polling suggests it is • Biden dragging the democrats down, they have a higher level of support with any other candidate
• They could pick a popular governor in a swing state to give an instant advantage there
It may not matter, perhaps Trump wins anyway... But it's a start and Trump would have to think twice.
Is this a wish list or an attempt at playing devil's advocate?
Inga said...
“Kid Rock sang such a beautiful hymn.”
I wonder if they’ll allow ANYONE to mention “God” at the DNC convention? They haven’t for a while. And the way they think and behave now, why should anyone think they would?
Who? Who? And, who?
Governors of North Carolina, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.
Saint Croix said...
She's not interested in them.
Nah, they're smart enough to realize that being Kamala's VEEP would be a political dead end.
I’m used to his rally speeches, so I know he does this, but don’t you expect a convention speech to be more scripted and to come in for a landing? I wonder if this is hard for some people to accept. Or is it great?
It had kept me awake 2 hours past my bedtime.
Ah! He finished.
"It had kept me awake 2 hours past my bedtime."
Sleep in. The sun will still rise.
I heard Trump actually stole that speech from Biden.
Brilliant beginning, first 20 minutes, it was riveting, sincere, heartfelt, dignified. Hopefully everyone clicked off after that and it will be all that people remember.
Or is it great?
Were you engaged and entertained?
I have recently started following a Twitter aka X feed and there are quite a few jokes about length of speech but they seem mostly teasing not mocking. I think that the beginning of it will keep it from being a vote loser certainly. Glad I wasn’t on the floor there. Delegates must be exhausted after 4 days!
I think Harris' most likely veep candidate is Cooper. They've been friends for years, and she's made multiple visits to NC this year. The chairman of the DNC just proposed a Harris-Cooper ticket. Might help them pick up NC.
Another one I'm hearing is Senator Kelly in Arizona.
A lot depends on whether Biden endorses her or not. If yes, she can pick her veep before the convention. It will still be an open convention, and other candidates might try to push her out. But she'll have a funding advantage, plus a name recognition advantage, plus she's on the ticket already.
If Biden doesn't endorse her, that would be a lot more chaotic. All his delegates would be up for grabs. And the lack of a Biden endorsement would damage Harris, and the Democrats overall. (Biden's wife hates Harris, apparently).
Thanks, Saint Croix.
They were rhetorical questions.
But the Governor who is selected over the Kackle will be from the formerly great state of CAca.
At least speech showed that Trump could stay up late and has stamina. Despite being shot.
But the Governor who is selected over the Kackle will be from the formerly great state of CAca.
I doubt it. He's said he's not going to run against Harris. Whitmer is also not running against Harris.
JB Pritzker might make a run for it. Shapiro might. Mark Kelly might.
I definitely saw the letters "NIG" set apart by a fold in the fabric of Trump's bandage.
The Trump shooter is reported to have had three overseas encrypted accounts.
That seems odd for a 20 year old living in rural PA and working at a nursing home.
Drop the crack pipe, muttman.
Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, the President of the Teamsters---this was not your Grandpa's Republican National Convention. And I say that like it's a good thing.
this is great
Roy Cooper has had the benefit of a Republican legislature (sometimes veto-proof) suppressing all his worst instincts. When he was AG, I had respect for him shutting down the Duke Rape Hoax--until I realized he'd let those families twist in the wind as long as he could to avoid losing essential Durham voters.
He won the governorship because of the horrible national reactions to the anti-trans locker/bathroom bill. It disgusts me that NCAA Women's teams! didn't approve.
Trump didn't mention how when he raised his fist, much of the crowd stood and raised theirs.
The Dems have made many terrible policy choices and forced them on the country by executive order so that for once a new President can make a substantial difference. As President, Trump can close the border, can increase the flow of domestic oil and can lift many burdensome restrictions on agriculture. Closing the border means $4.5 billion that NYC will have to spend on its citizens rather than its non-citizens; means a lower gas price for consumers, and a better oil energy price for American manufacturing. And it means less money for Putin and the mullahs so we stop financing their war on us.
It won't be easy getting departments to function on behalf of the people rather than the chosen of DEI. DEI's worst feature is the way it protects incompetence and embedded laziness. The latest example is the Director of the Secret Service explaining that a rooftop with a line of sight to the lectern where a Presidential candidate was speaking was left unguarded because the roof had a slope. The roof did have a very slight slope which was no obstacle to the shooter and as a result a citizen died. So it's too bad that that slope was too dangerous for the Secret Service. And under a leader who makes feeble excuses the Secret Service will allow other attacks. You can picture the intra-agency probe of other attacks from buildings with an unguarded line of sight to the President or whoever: Why did this happen? Well, the agent said the roof was wet from rain and he might slip. (Workmen's Comp or worse, a lawsuit: agents forced into dangerous situations) Well, the agent said he was afraid of heights. (Disability Act) Well, the agent just wasn't into tedious hours up on a roof and and got down. (Only white supremacists think you do the boring bits of a job right.) OK, so the Secret Service concludes that the attacks could not have been deterred and everyone did the job perfectly and gets a medal.
This incompetence is so widespread now that it will be hard to root out. But I expect Trump will have some ideas.
Winner of the thread: Inga
There is a way to win bigly using sweetness and light. Can Trump-Vance do it? Ronald Reagan could. Reign in the DC bureaucrats with a smile and a joke. Focus on the needs and opportunities of typical American families. Bring back the melting pot concept of America. People are living it, as we saw at the GOP convention. The Trumps. The Vances. The Abbey Gate marine families. Amber Rose. They all are part of an amalgamation nation of people devoted to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Bring back the shining city on a hill.
The other side? Let them rant and reveal themselves. Who thinks Joy Reid, the View crew, or Morning Joe are wise, fair, or truthful? Respond with a light touch more in sorrow than in anger.
Until the Dem policies change it won’t matter who is on the ticket. Young or not, female or not, POC or not, people have learned the hard way that the policies really matter. I have not seen any indication of policy changes. Worse, Newsom just signed a bill that bans CA public schools from informing parents of their child’s gender dysphoria. The Dems have truly lost their way.
Rich said...
"The younger Democratic candidate would win all seven battleground states and therefore the election."
The imaginary candidate who doesn't exist. Sure.
The other side? Let them rant and reveal themselves.
I didn't see Trump's speech, but every review I've read about it this morning is negative. So, I guess it must have been pretty good!
Thank you for that, Inga. It was very kind to say it.
The day after 9/11, the cartoonist Mike Luckovich drew three firemen in full gear, smiling, one of them radioing to his commander: "we made it to the top."
They were standing on clouds at the gate of Heaven.
I still can't think of that cartoon without crying.
Terrible speech. Low energy. He talked longer than the average movie — over 90 minutes the longest in recorded history — and provided no details about anything he would do if he wins. After soaking the assassination attempt sympathy for 15 minutes, and 15 minutes of talking about ancillary performers/speakers at the convention, he rambled on with a serious of lies and evidence-free bravado about his last term. You could tell from the crowd that it was a yawner and I was surprised how quiet and low energy the hall was the entire speech. Very strange for a convention headliner nomination speech. Can’t help but think more people will be talking about Trump’s age after that speech. Bottom line, that was a missed opportunity for Trump that allows the Democrats to battle back, most likely with a younger candidate, and win the election.
To whatever extent I felt sympathy for Trump after the terrible attack on his life, that speech was a big dose of reality on how incoherent and narcissistic the man himself is. I’ll say this for Melania: she’s mastered the art of cracking a broad smile while managing to project the sense that any minute now she’s going to die from anger and shame.
And now Rich is calling it a "terrible speech", so it must have been great...!
For the "why Kid Rock crowd"? Mrs. Dink asked the same question. It's a big tent they are after. They want to appeal to a broad audience. Not a fan either, but I can put up with it.
Dave Begley said...
Rumor that Joe will step down as a candidate and it will be an open convention between Harris and three others.
Jon Meacham blew up Mark Halperin's fake news about an hour after it was posted.
It's not about the money, Dave, it's about the pardons.
Potatohead is far past the point at which he can decline the nomination but remain in office. Any three-way deal that Harris will also step aside likely would include the sweetener that she gets six months as first female President.
The Democrat PTB know the optics of Biden issuing pardons for his brother Jim and Hunter will be horrible before the election.
All Acting Chief of Staff Hunter has to do is keep insisting that Joe must be the one to issue the pardons and not accept assurances that Harris will do it after the election.
It's a Mexican stand-off until November 6th.
I’ll take Kid Rick over the trillionth replay of Lee Greenwood.
Greenwood makes them look like they’re out of ideas…
Rich: "Low energy"
Beyond words my friend.
What immediately crossed my mind was the thought of the current guy attempting to climb the short steps of Air Force One. As someone said, it looked like he was scaling Mt. Everest.
Rich said...
Can’t help but think more people will be talking about Trump’s age after that speech.
Once again, louder for those in the back, it's not the age, it's the dementia.
Trump's speech was longer than Biden's typical work day. (shameless stolen from Stephen Green)
allows the Democrats to battle back, most likely with a younger candidate
Yeah, keep hoping that, Rich. Biden isn't gone yet.
Dave asked, "Who are the other three? Newsom for sure. Maybe Pete. Can’t figure the third.
Thoughts?"
Pritzgers name gets mentioned. He's ruined Illinois. I think we've had enough of corrupt Democrats in the White House.
I had to go to bed early so I missed the speech.
The morning news did have a clip of Trump saying “I’m not supposed to be here tonight” and the crowd responding “yes you are, yes you are”. If that wasn’t scripted, there is probably nothing like it in recorded history.
I didn't understand Kid Rock. He doesn't even seem very good at being Kid Rock. Wouldn't old music be better? I Walk the Line? Crazy? Frank Sintra, I Did it My Way?
But it was very funny to watch the older women try to find a way to swing their pearls to him.
Conventions are silly. People wear cheese on their heads.
I thought the scripted speech was very human and authentic. The rambling last 60 minutes annoyed me. Like Ann I am an early riser so even staying up is a chore.
I agree with Trump's statements. So it gets boring when Trump reiterates. He is preaching to the choir. I was hoping he would try to take the momentum to try to appeal to Democrats.
CNN had been fairly open and positive about the whole convention. After Trump's speech they lost any empathy and approval. They thought Trump failed to transcend the normal political arguments.
I think that Trump sabotaged himself in that rambling typical rally speech.
I didn't understand Kid Rock. He doesn't even seem very good at being Kid Rock. Wouldn't old music be better? I Walk the Line? Crazy? Frank Sintra, I Did it My Way?
But it was very funny to watch the older women try to find a way to swing their pearls to him.
Conventions are silly. People wear cheese on their heads.
A bit off the topic at hand, but some news from the TDS corner. Trump hater Max Boot's lovely bride was arrested for spying for S. Korea. Strange. Why now? The weird thing was she only received a few gifts worth a pittance. Boot must have pushed the wrong button.
After listening to his speech, I'm more convinced than I was the first time I heard him say it that Trump is, rightly, trying to come to terms with what almost happened to him. "I shouldn't be here."
I genuinely think he's struggling with the why. I think he's likely trying to process the implications not only that he should be dead, but also what going forward really means. I think up until now it's all been a nebulous possibility, but he got mugged by reality. Bigly. They really are deadly serious, the people screaming and emoting and calling for his head on a pike. It's not funny and something you point and joke about and brush off with an eye roll and a "how ridiculous or stupid or silly they are" comment.
The fact that he showed up, amongst a huge crowd of people... that took guts. Melanie not introducing him? I think he bery much considered the possibility of another crazy finding their way in and taking another shot at him and with her "handing off" the podium and being close to him when doing so, well, for those of you making smart-ass comments about it, maybe he was thinking about her safety.
This replacement election speculation is entertaining and all, but everyone should remember that the establishment has more than one "insurance policy" up its sleeve. Five ways from Sunday and all that, you know.
What a great Trump speech. Just had opportunity to watch it. He is a new subdued candidate and exuding strength.
“Melanie not introducing him? I think he bery much considered the possibility of another crazy finding their way in and taking another shot at him and with her "handing off" the podium and being close to him when doing so, well, for those of you making smart-ass comments about it, maybe he was thinking about her safety.”
I don’t think so. At the end the entire family (except Barron) including Melania were on stage for an extended period of time.
Massive computer update glitch takes lots of systems down. Every news outlet sends reporters in the field to airports for photos, because that's where the pictures are.
Crowdstrike the enablers of the russian hoax
Crowd Strike Pounces !
(Sitting comfortably in the airport lounge, 3 hours and counting - fresh delay statements being issued hourly)
I’ll take Kid Rick over the trillionth replay of Lee Greenwood.
Every time I heard Greenwood I was on the edge of my seat about whether he'd get the high notes. (Obviously not a concern for Kid. With him, I wondered whether he'd remember all the words, this being a challenge for me even when it's musical music - rap is beyond me.)
It took me a while to realize that Nessun Dorma was being performed live.
It would appear that the Microsoft cloud services being affected by the Crowdstrike security glitch also include Blogspot - as I see all the Blogspot (Microsoft) supported blogs have not yet updated anything today.
Good luck reaching your destination, Aggie!
"Past the personal account, the speech assumed the aspect of a Trump rally. It was undisciplined and overlong. It ran twice as long as it should have. It rambled. Less would have been more. Did anyone who isn’t already in Trump’s corner or professionally obligated to watch the speech make it to the end? In this respect it may represent a missed opportunity."
Scott Johnson, Powerline Blog
Joe must be the one to issue the pardons and not accept assurances that Harris will do it after the election.
I don’t think there is any reason Biden can’t write out pardons for his whole gang and quietly put them aside for release after the election. It would be widely regarded as an underhanded, chickenshit move, but that’s on-brand for the Biden Democrats.
I’d lay bets they’ve already been signed, just in case the frail old codger snuffs it unexpectedly. Especially after all the recent palace-coup machinations, he’s quite unlikely to trust that Kamala will pardon his crew, particularly his son and brother.
Cheers Jamie !
Since I'm reporting 'live' from the front lines, I'll post any significant updates, focusing on food riots, bum fights, auctioning of the young, etc.
UPDATE: They've just started boarding announcements for 05:30 flights. Appears the updated software 'fix' has taken, but no planes are moving yet. Baggage carts started moving around on the taxiway about 30 minutes ago.
lonejustice looking for that kernel of hope.
Loved Tucker's speech and the Hulkster!
As for the trolls here, (Rich)...
To crush your enemies, to see them fall at your feet....
and hear the lamentations of their women.
Wail on, wail on, wailer.
It ran twice as long as it should have. It rambled. Less would have been more.
True. There was a point about thirty minutes in that felt like such a natural place to wrap it up that I sincerely thought the speech was over, except for the God-bless-America perorations. I was surprised to hear him go back over so much of the same ground he’d already plowed, and continue on for what seemed twice as long.
It was a perfectly fine address, notably and appropriately subdued compared to his usual bombast, and will serve its purpose. But he missed an opportunity to cut it shorter and give it a truly memorable Churchillian punch.
Hassayamper said...
I don’t think there is any reason Biden can’t write out pardons for his whole gang and quietly put them aside for release after the election.
Certainly possible but I have two thoughts on that.
One is would they see the light of day again without Brandon in the Oval Office?
Two is just the threat of publicizing them before he leaves is another brick in the wall holding any real moves to oust him like invoking the 25th or changing the convention nomination rules. The Democrats still appear to be going ahead with the plan for a virtual nomination before the actual convention.
Trump has never been a great public speaker. He has a droll style and a quirky delivery that uses random repetitions of certain words and phrases that he wants to emphasize. So it's never going to be soaring oratory with him. But in its own way, it was indeed a great speech. The reason? It came just days after he was nearly assassinated, and its subdued and humbled mood reflected his awareness of his granted remaining time to renew and complete his mission. That is why not just Althouse, but also many of us, sat way past our bedtime to hear not just it (the speech), but him giving it.
The fact is, those of us with so many miles on our life odometer realize he's the only person with the courage and complete commitment to turn this country around. And not just a right turn, but a U-turn. Without him, the Democrats' version of Thelma and Louise would drive this country finally over that ledge.
Anyone watching the speech would probably be thinking what I was.
Biden would be laying on the floor drooling by now.
Rich said...
“He talked longer than the average movie — over 90 minutes the longest in recorded history”
Setting all kinds of records! Is there nothing the man can’t do?
And I think you meant to say the longest acceptance speech in recorded US convention history. Quite the narrower scope. Teddy Roosevelt gave a speech almost as long after being shot. William Henry Harrison’s inaugural speech was 4 1/2 hours, with references to Ancient Rome. And an Indian politician spoke for for eight hours in front of the UN. And then there’s filibustering…
Tina Trent said...
“Conventions are silly. People wear cheese on their heads.”
Were they Packers fans from Wisconsin?
You know they thought they were going to Lambeau Field if if the women (and some of the heftier men) were wearing the cheese boobs.
I don't recommend reading Rich. But if you missed his wish list of what he thinks replacing Biden would do, it is comedy gold.
That long, loose, digressive ramble went so long I didn't stay up to see Gutfeld! I've never liked Trump's speaking style, and this was just more of it, at a more critical juncture than usual.
Am I the only one who questions the Billy Graham tale? Whether true or not, it may reassure some listeners but I don't think it will garner many votes.
Granddaughter on stage was a real QT; didn't see Hulk; I never have understood Kid Rock's popularity; Greenwood is and always has been 'meh'; it's passing strange that after decades of maximum public exposure as playboy, entrepreneur, and politician we just now find out that Trump likes music.
The last lines of 'Nessun Dorma' are "Vincero', Vincero'" (I will win, I will win). That's a clever touch.
I don't think the RNC show will change any minds on either side, but I'm sure they all had fun.
9th Circuit stopping the steal in Arizona.
"lonejustice looking for that kernel of hope."
The powerline guys don't like Trump all that much, so there's that.
Geez, Rich, can't you take a joke?
Can't take what you can't recognize.
Count me among those that thought taking 30 minutes off the speech would have helped.
Phase 1, Unity. Great stuff.
Phase 2. A stump speech. Bullet points would have sufficed.
A short speech would have resulted in countless stamina takes from the usual suspects...
Just remember that with Trump whatever he does results in criticism. Too long is the mildest it could be.
TJ said...
“A short speech would have resulted in countless stamina takes from the usual suspects...”
So true. At least we are spared speculation how weak Trump is because he didn’t speak long enough.
I don't think the RNC show will change any minds on either side, but I'm sure they all had fun.
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some of the older generation looked bemused at antics of the younger generation!
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