The plan was to watch the first night of the Republican National Convention, analyze it, condense it, and explain it.
As Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
The first punch came Saturday, with the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump. Not only did he survive, but he created an iconic image that you see above.
As we watched the first reports, my wife turned to me and said, “Now Donald Trump will be re-elected.” I agreed with her.
The second punch came when Trump jumped the gun (sorry about the firearms metaphor) and announced before the official start of the convention that J.D. Vance was his choice for vice president.
That was a surprise because I thought Trump would tease this for a couple of more days — a couple of more days of Vance, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, and others kissing his ass singing his praises to the skies.
In terms of old time conventional politics, Vance is a conventional pick. Truly a bootstrap story, Vance, 39 (that makes him a millennial), was born adjacent to Appalachia, served in the Marine Corps as a combat correspondent, later graduated from Ohio State and earned a law degree at Yale, before writing best-seller “Hillbilly Elegy.” He became the voice of the working poor.
He was elected to the Senate last year. (Eight years earlier he said he was a “never Trump” guy, and wrote that Trump’s policies “range from immoral to absurd.” Whoops. (Well, Kamala Harris essentially called Joe Biden a racist before he tapped her for VP.)
Vance apparently attended voluntary re-education camp and came out full MAGA.
So the ticket is Trump/Vance, something that is probably unique — a national ticket comprised of two straight, white, Christian males.
The identity-obsessed Democrats would never do that, and probably no other national party would do that either.
If you are a Democrat, you say that proves the GOP’s white supremacy, racism, sexism, homophobia, fascism, and maybe bestiality.
If you are a Republican, you say pffffft to all that PC crap. “We select on merit, and only merit.”
If you are me, it’s fun to speculate that Trump declined to even provide the appearance of pandering to women, Blacks, gays, or anyone else.
It’s a perverted form of honesty. He didn’t need need Vance’s Ohio — he already has that. All Vance brings is a far right philosophy and a pit bull’s bite.
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So my plan was to watch Monday night’s festivities, but honestly, having been visiting family in West Virginia for three days, and losing a lot of sleep watching reports on the assassination attempt, I doubt I could stay awake through the convention.
So you get this instead. Enjoy.
Love your ironic use of the word “Christian.”
That is your reading, Bill, more than my irony. 😄
👍👍👍
Thank you for pointing out the hypocrisy of that little girl on the bus, who basically called Biden Bull Connor. Her embrace of Joe is no stranger or less opportunistic than the “Hillbilly’s” embrace of Trump
👍
Well, I find it ‘two-faced’ that many Republicans are blaming Biden, Democrats, etc… over the shooting (BTW, the shooter was a registered Republican) when these very same peckerwoods laughed at Paul Pelosi and made fun of his near death experience. When a rightwing militia wanted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and were caught Republicans mocked her and Trump 🤡 joked “Lock them up”.
Alas BOTH SIDES are guilty.
The Repugs also refuse to back any kind of ban on assault weapons, or really any kind of sensible gun control laws. The shooter had no history of violence, no criminal record, and no particularl political ideology that we know of. What he did have was a love/fascination with guns, and a WEAPON OF WAR.
You inadvertently have illustrated why “gun control” laws don’t work. And yet, I still support “sensible” gun control to keep them out of the hands of known criminals (who can usually get around the law anyway).
You left out the part where Vance denounced Trump during his 2016 campaign, even texting a former roommate that he feared Trump could be “America’s Hitler.”
Was not aware of that one, but I feel I covered his anti-Trump attitude adequately.
Aside from my own personal dissatisfaction because I’m an anti-MAGA conservative who wanted someone who is not part of that movement, I don’t see this as a wise choice from a vote-getting standpoint. He appeals to the same people that love Trump – people who would be voting for Trump no matter who he chose. Youngkin and maybe Rubio would have appealed to more traditional conservatives, while Rubio would have likely raised the number of Hispanic votes and Youngkin would have made it more likely that Trump would win Virginia.
Nikki Haley would have been even better, I think. But too much bad blood on Trump’s side.
If the people had a lick of sense they would vote for the candidate with the best record. The person who would put the American people first.
Well, that’s not Trump. He always puts himself first. His politics are entirely transactional; It’s always what’s best for his interests.
That’s why I am voting for Biden.
Biden gets my vote too.
The people with common sense know who to vote for.
I believe most of the people who posted here today are disappointed that Trump was not killed. That’s how full of hate you are.
That is why the people with common sense will vote for President Biden.
I always loved this quote from H. L. Mencken, the curmudgeonly Sage of Baltimore: “American democracy consists of jackals worshiped by jackasses.”
I believe Trump picked the person most likely to do whatever he asks, legal or illegal. Trump, like many psychopaths have a super-power, and that is being able to assess what drives people. Vance’s hateful words after the assassination attempt are a glimpse into his soul. Scary.
Been on the road, out of contact with the world. Trump gets shot, the Left snickers, America continues to unravel. What a dreadful nation we have become. We scorn the naming of heterosexual Christians as presidential candidates, normality twisted out of shape. And I remember these words from Hillaire Belloc: “We sit by and watch the barbarian. We tolerate him in the long stretches of peace, we are not afraid. We are tickled by his irreverence; his comic inversion of our old certitudes and our fixed creed refreshes us; we laugh. But as we laugh we are watched by large and awful faces from beyond, and on these faces there are no smiles.”
“So – how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?”
“Act II sucked!”
You wouldn’t happen to be related to anyone who used to work at Gray & Rodgers at 12 S. 12th St. in Center City?
Seems like the posters on this site think J D Vance is a poor choice for VP. Their responses shows Trump made the right choice for VP. The democrats some 120 or so days before the election don’t have a candidate. Some are trying to get Biden to step down but that leaves them with Harris. The new Biden slogan will be “Joe Won’t Go”. I think the democrats are stuck with him.