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Convention report card -- Cleveland 2016

william.scherk

Entry posted by william.scherk

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A well-timed leak of the Trump remarks as prepared has sloshed its way into the hoopla machinery. One such transcript is here, at Politico.

Over at Reason, the reasonable Matt Welch points out a few disquieting tones of authoritarianism. 

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7* Authoritarian Lines in Donald Trump’s Speech
Remarks as prepared for delivery combine statist policies with Great Man fantasy
Matt Welch | Jul. 21, 2016 7:30 pm

1) "I am not going to let companies move to other countries, firing their employees along the way, without consequences."

Note: Freedom of movement, and freedom of businesses to fail, has long been intrinsic to the American experiment.

2) "Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it."

Note: This isn't even Great Man Theory, it's GREATEST Man Theory. Such delusion is the rhetorical currency of dictators, not democrats.

3) "[T]he crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end. Beginning on January 20th 2017, safety will be restored."

Crime is overwhelmingly a state and local issue fought by state and local cops and prosecutors. Thinking a president or his government can "end" crime is a fantasy, and modern history is filled with the human wreckage of the federal government acting upon the freedom-restricting impulse, from Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton, to get "tough on crime."

4) "[W]e must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place."

[...]

 

I have been watching Trump speeches since the primaries, since I ate crow about Bush.  I will watch and re-watch this one tonight, as it is probably the most important speech by the candidate to date, and will probably garner the biggest TV audience of his run so far. 

My opinions on the success of the Cleveland conflab are scattered and mixed.  I do think the Trump campaign fumbled Melania's speech, and fumbled Cruz's speech. Three days of fumbles and off-message incoherence bordering on chaotic mismagnagment, and the obvious dis-unity of the Republican party going forward to November.  It is funny to see the Trump-side spin and fumbles. Shouldn't they be better at this?  

Anyhow, hope everybody will open their minds and listen to The Speech.

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PDS

My wife and watched about 30 minutes of the speech and simply turned it off because we were tired of his shouting. 

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caroljane

I turned off the Kentucky woman because she was getting to show me how compared to her, our junior high St Stephen Spartan cheerleaders were Laker girls.

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william.scherk

Matt Yglesias @mattyglesias on Twitter:  "Here’s the Republican nominee talking about how maybe Ted Cruz’s dad killed JFK"

Edited by william.scherk
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Michael Stuart Kelly
33 minutes ago, william.scherk said:

how maybe Ted Cruz’s dad killed JFK

William,

Since when have you started producing that kind of spin?

No worries, though. I like it.

It wears well on you...

:evil: 

Michael

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BaalChatzaf

First line of speech, a canard.  Trump does not humbly accept anything...

By the way,  it was not a Convention.  It was a Coronation,  just as the DNC  will be.  Where are all those smoke-filled rooms? 

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SteveWolfer
24 minutes ago, BaalChatzaf said:

Where are all those smoke-filled rooms?

Where are the open floor fights?  You're right... all coronations.  Seems a lot like a herd instinct at work.  Quickly pick the new leader, kill the failed contenders, bow low and start the foot kissing.  Get all worked up to fight the other tribe.

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Jon Letendre

Worst yet would be to get all worked up and be still fighting, fighting the chosen candidate, after its all over and 110% beside the point that the losing "tribe" still daydream an alternate reality where Ted is a winner and a man worthy of trust and honors.

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william.scherk
6 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

William,

Since when have you started producing that kind of spin?

No worries, though. I like it.

It wears well on you...

:evil: 

Michael

I should have put it the phrase in quotes: it is Matthew Yglesias spin, Trump's stumbles verbatim in the video. I'll go back and edit my comment (the actual Yglesias quote is in the Twitter image embed code).  Sloppy William!

I am curious about your fuller views on the convention, though in your analyses you may see not much if any downside to Trump spending time re-fighting the primaries -- on the first week of the General.

Here's what I think about re-litigating with Ted over all the Cruz (Heidi/JFK) muck: pointless, distracting, off-message, backward-looking, unnecessary.  This shambles of a not-needed might not ordinarily matter, but I believe it  over-shadowed his own rousing speech at the well-viewed convention.

I understand you cannot give any quarter while stumping and stomping -- it is as if you are paid gold by the campaign to keep to the line, the party line. I accept that. But I still want you to consider that critics of Trump's performance and doubters of his fitness for high office are not Enemies. It has been a long time since you entertained that an 'opponent' might be right about this or that defect of the Trump march. I don't get any feeling that Trump's campaign can do wrong in your estimation. 

Anyhow, I'll hang up and listen, if you wanted to spin the Trump fumbles/not-fumbles ...  My own added spin? I thought 'why on earth would you re-spout this fucking nonsense about a Cruz/JFK connection, Mr Trump? The connection is specious, flimsy, non-existent. You should know that. You are not doing yourself any favours with this side-show schmutz. It scuffs the brand and obscures your greater message.'

Spun geld!

I shall think to myself that you more or less agree with all my other points above Michael.  Just for fun.

Edited by william.scherk
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william.scherk

A couple of interesting gambits, in light of the Cleveland Convention ...

On 7/23/2016 at 11:54 AM, Michael Stuart Kelly said:
On 7/23/2016 at 10:59 AM, turkeyfoot said:

At best hes high risk. He doesnt play well with others.

Trump's influence on the Republican Party platform was all over the news a little while back. And the committee behind that thing was infested with people who absolutely hate him. They didn't get what they wanted except for a minor point here and there. Trump did.

 

And when they balked about minority sex rights and managed to keep it out, Trump put it in his speech, saying the term "LGBTQ" loudly several times. And the conservative crowd at the convention went wild over it.

TBR

Quote

Trump doesn't play well with losers who want to take him out. I agree with that. But play well with others in general? Hell, that's all he does. Donald Trump is one of the preeminent team-builders on market.

On 7/23/2016 at 10:59 AM, turkeyfoot said:

He needs to show me he gets what hes undertaken...

If this, The Trump Organization, doesn't convince you that he gets the job done with vision, I doubt anything will.

TBC

Quote

I have a question. How do people who don't like Trump reconcile their fear that he has the competence to get all kinds of bad things done with Congress (and others) to become a dictator, etc., but the certainty that he is not competent enough with Congress (and others) to get good things done?

 

Doesn't that create any cognitive dissonance at all on how these people define competence?

:)

Michael

TBP

Edited by william.scherk
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