THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION / AUGUST 2020
Jeremy Sherman “The true genius of the Founders was in expecting from humankind what humankind inevitably delivers: corruption, backsliding and backlash. Our Founding Fathers were cynics. They did not romanticize human nature. They expected atrocious behavior.
“The Founders’ goal was a more perfect union, knowing full well that the union could never be perfect due to constant degradation by the inescapable cancers in human nature. Over our history, there have been many close calls, and understandably so. Cancers aplenty were seeded at our nation's founding… slavery, Indian massacres, the insane Puritan posse.
“The Founders anticipated the worst of what inspires conservatism. They recognized that, with time, inheritors tend to go soft, corrupt and egomaniacal. Inheritors become ugly Americans. The Founders knew that there were bound to be plenty of people trying to hack the system. The Constitution’s greatest fault is that it relies on the good faith of the majority of the political actors for its system of government to work. Our founders failed to foresee an entire political party, in its pursuit of power, acting in defiance of the Constitution.”
8/24
On Day 1 of the Republican Convention, they hit their marks. Trump himself was pre-recorded. Surrounding himself with Covid heroes, he seemed almost human. The big mistake of the night… the speakers didn’t have to lie. They didn’t have to embellish Trump’s pre-Covid economy. They didn’t have to play the socialism card; the cancel culture card; the defund-the-police card; the blame-America-first card; the anarchy-in-the-streets card; the they-want-to-destroy-this-country card; the they-want-to-enslave-you card; the out-of-control-mob card; the take-away-your-guns card; the China virus card. The Republicans ruined any chance of walking the high road by spending the evening dragging the country across the abrasive asphalt of the low road.
8/25
Alyssa Rosenberg “As an act of communication with the American public, the Republican Convention is a dishonest travesty. But as entertainment tailored for President Trump’s hardcore base, it is a brilliant act of fan service.”
William Rivers Pitt “And that, right there, is the final take-away from a nightmare evening of far-right fantasy nonsense, fear-mongering, brazen lies and racist dog-whistles that were shrill enough to crack crystal. The dystopian hellscape described by Trump and his friends was meant to be heard by a small segment of the population, the devoted Trumpian base, which needs feeding lest it stop patrolling the yard like an angry hound at the end of a frayed rope.
“It’s not real, what was portrayed last night, any more than all of the lies Trump has unspooled over these long five years. The damage being suffered by the nation is not due to some left-wing revolution, but to the collapse of a right-wing revolution that began more than 50 years ago.”
The Trump Era is quite the civics lesson. Officially off the table are… taking politics for granted, and giving any Republican the benefit of the doubt. Last night's TrumpCon was a carnival freak show... the smirking hyena Jim Jordan; Elvis impersonator Matt Gaetz; Eva Peron impersonator Kimberly Guilfoyle; Just for Men beard model Donald Trump, Jr.
When I was a kid, I hated sinister carnival movies, the Laughing Lady, the Hall of Mirrors, the merry-go-round operator with too many tattoos and not enough teeth. Somebody always ended up murdered, the body circling, slumped on a reciprocating plastic merry-go-round horse, with creepy calliope music playing counterpoint to the bloody homicidal madness.
8/26
Mike Pence ended the show tonight with a speech outdoors at Fort McHenry. It was a long, droning sermon. Deacon Mike threw in a few lies, staying consistent with the other speakers of the evening. His audience was live, 200 people sitting in chairs Covidly spaced, a group that now and then chanted, "Four more years!" If I'm going to get through tomorrow night, I'm going to need… “Four more beers!”
Summary of "Land of Heroes" night...
God! Second Amendment rights! The radical left! Abortion! Radical environmentalists! China virus! They want to defund the police! Biden/Harris is the most radical anti-police ticket in history! They want to cancel our heroes! It's a battle between the far-left democratic socialist agenda and the American Dream! Biden/Harris will ban animal agriculture and eliminate gas-powered cars! Say no to liberal coastal elites! Say no to socialism! Say no to the radical left! They will never cancel our heroes! President Trump is the best we've ever had! God! Law and order! Second Amendment! God! Four more years! Four more years!
If you are a Trumpster, the Travelin’ TrumpCon Show has succeeded three nights in a row. If you are not a Trumpster and you have watched three nights and 7.5 hours of fascist patriot games and strident white noise, you are probably battling a severe case of the creeps.
8/27
Peter Wehner "The Republican Party is hostile to diversity; pessimistic rather than optimistic; more interested in looking backward than forward. The party of law & order aggressively defends a president who is lawless."
Jamelle Bouie “Trump has made a trade with the Republican Party... total support for his personal and political concerns in exchange for the pursuit of conservative ideological interests. Put another way… Republican indifference to Trump's corruption, criminality and prejudice in exchange for deregulation, cuts to the safety net and the installation of conservative justices. Trumpism is a nonstop parade of conspiracy and grievance, in service to a cult of personality, all for the sake of a politics of plunder and theft."
Frank Bruni "The Republican convention is less a feat of pretty storytelling than an act of pure derangement. To turn Donald Trump into a president worthy of a second term, speakers are conjuring an entirely different person in his place. The convention crystalized and formalized the Republican Party's journey into a mythical realm of unrestrained idolatry."
Matt Labash "Ivanka, the Real First Lady, was resplendent in outlaw black, poised and charming, while addressing an audience of maskless super-spreaders on the White House lawn."
Liz Mair "Ivanka's speech presented the president in a largely false manner, but she made him sound awesome for anyone who missed the past five years."
Linda Chavez "Trump's speech was not that of a successful incumbent, but a scared underdog whose only hope is to persuade voters that the Democrats are socialists who want to burn down the country."
poodlefree / August 28 / NYT
Trump's hold on the Republican base is foretold in Christ's hold on the Republican base. The crucifixion, Christ on the Cross, absolves the true believer of all sins. Similarly, Trump's racism, misogyny, white supremacy and money crimes grant absolution to the Republican base, for it is Trump who carries the entire weight of, not only his crimes, but theirs, too... the unwavering, artless, belligerent 40%. Thanks to Christian lore, inculcated since Sunday school, the Republican base came pre-programmed for absolution by a savior. Allow me to cut through the content of both conventions: The Republican Party tends to destroy the environment. The Democratic Party tends to protect the environment. Vote Blue, straight ticket. [106 recommend]
Chicken Mussolini
-marinate one whole chicken in racist bile
-stuff with 30,000 lies
-spray with tangy orange glaze
-bake at 350 degrees for four years
-remove chicken from the oval oven
-serve with fava beans and a nice Chianti
I have to agree with Milana, Greg. You were out there!
You're gonna make a writer, yet....
A great post. I love the recipe at the end.