Conventional Wisdom

Nobody who was paying any attention at all is surprised that DNC Chair and Mean Girl Emerita Debbie Wasserman Schultz was seriously pulling for Hillary throughout the primary process, so those who appear to be amazed as well as aggrieved either are complete political infants or playing games of their own.  Hillary wasn't in on it because she didn't have to be— everybody just assumed it was inevitable because it was, well, inevitable.

The Russian connection is amusing, but I can't see any reason to suspect that the Tr*mp campaign had any part in the hacking of DNC emails — mostly because the campaign has been too inept to pull off anything quite so ambitious.  Yes, Paul Manafort did represent former Ukrainian leader and Putin sycophant Viktor Yanukovych, but the hacking began long before Manifort was hired by Tr*mp.  The timing of the release of the emails just before the Democratic convention also does not indicate Tr*mp involvement.  Of course Putin would like to have an irrational incompetent at the helm of Russia's main adversary, if only for the comic effect.

I'm beginning to get the idea that nobody actually is bothering to listen to Tr*mp anymore — not after that high decibel rant instructing all of us to be very afraid and to believe that He Alone can save us from ravening hordes of dark-complected cop killers.  Those who believe will continue believe, but I don't see any practical way for him to expand his base.

I'm anxious to hear what Bernie has to say tonight.  The right speech can leave a great many establishment Democrats in his debt.

Cleveland

I've been watching as much of the Republican convention as I can tolerate, but I've been taking a lot of breaks.  A lot of the delegates are doing the same thing, we're told.

The truth is, it's been hard to take: fear, hate, more fear, more hate, and not much else.  I stuck with Rudy Giuliani for a while, not wanting to miss seeing him have his stroke, but after a few minutes I had to give up.  The black sheriff of Milwaukee County, who thinks "Black Lives Matter" is a terrorist organization, was especially despicable.  That first night, Melania's speech offered the only respite from the fear and loathing;  yes, it was especially amusing that a chunk was plagiarized from Michelle Obama.  Why not Margaret Thatcher — or even Tipper Gore?

I must have missed the "Work" part of the "Make America Work Again" themed second night, because all I heard were especially rabid attacks on Hillary, with the grand prize going to Chris Christie.  It was pretty much the same on night three, with a little Bible thumping from Pence, and a star turn by Ted Cruz, who apparently still hasn't forgiven the Donald for linking Ted's father to the Kennedy assassination.

I don't know if I'll watch Tr*mp's speech tonight.  I suppose, as an informed citizen, I should — but I might have to chug a little Pepto first.  Will there be a post-convention "bump" for the Republicans this year?  I won't be surprised if it doesn't happen.

Republican Wrap-up

Well, this is a lot of of posts for one month, but it's been kind of a special month.

I couldn't even be bothered to comment on Paul Ryan's tissue of lies last night, albeit I might blow my nose into it.  (What's with the "tissue" analogy anyway?  I guess I'll have to go to Ask.com,)

Clint Eastwood was very entertaining tonight, and he remains somebody whose work I admire, whatever his political views.  Marco Rubio is looking a lot like a future presidential candidate.  When it comes to Latinos, Republicans seem to be especially fond of Cubans. Uh huh.

Anyway, Mitt's speech tonight was another attempt at "humanizing," and it wasn't too bad except when he was scripted to smile.  I guess there wasn't enough time to teach him to smile convincingly.  Just the same, I guess he managed to appear a little more human — but if you were watching him going down the rope line before his speech, he was the same old rod-up-his-ass Romney we know so well.

I counted less than a minute of totally vague policy talk, and maybe a minute and a half of Obama bashing.  Nevertheless, I guess it will give him a "convention bump" for a week or so — until the Dems launch their infomercial.

Blah blah blah.

Who actually built it?

So, I'm watching the Republican convention.  It was supposed to be so well scripted, you know.  So far, I don't see it.  I guess they forgot to hand out scripts to the delegates, few of whom seem especially enthusiastic.  Even when you hear a greater than usual cheer, or whatever, the camera panning the convention shows just a scattering of desultory applause.  (Canned cheers?)

In Boehner's opening speech, nearly every line began with "A man walks into a bar."  Nobody seemed to have a clue what in hell he was talking about.  He'd have done better with "A duck walks into a bar," or "A priest, a minister, and a rabbi walk into a bar..."  Reince Priebus was no better.

(John Kasich just said, "It's not just because I don't like the Black Eyed Peas."  What the hell was that about?)

Anyway, the main theme seems to be, "We built it," based on a distortion of an Obama comment about how business needs government provided infrastructure.  "Entrepreneurs," we are told, are everything.

Well, in the megacorporations that are behind the Romney campaign, it's not the government that built that business (unless you count the subsidies, tax breaks, and deregulation.)  On the other hand, it's not the fat cats, who steal more value than they ever create.

It's the labor, motherfuckers!  You are not fucking blacksmiths or grocers or subsistence farmers!  You are the "lucky duckies," and you would be nowhere without those underpaid, overworked workers who have been lining your pockets while their families somehow survive on the "dollar menu."

Shit.  I think I've seen enough for one night.

Y'know, I strongly advise that the Democrats leave the funny hats at home.  A little dignity is not a bad thing.

And then...

I guess I blinked -- or I was out getting ice cream -- while Bush spoke. I gather I didn't miss much -- that Laura's introduction was longer than W's speech -- and I'm sure the McCain campaign was hoping there were a lot of us blinking or shopping while Our President did his greatly abridged thing. Considering how much damage one hurricane did to the Republican party, I suppose it's only fair that another hurricane did the party a little good.

The delegates loved it when Fred Thompson mocked Barack Obama. To me, it looked like the Tennessean had knocked back a bit of Jack before he went on, but maybe that was just his southern charm. Anyway, it was just more preaching to the choir.

Those same delegates alternated between gape-jawed dumbfoundedness and deer-caught-in-the-headlights panic when Joe Lieberman came on to assure America that John McCain is not George W. Bush. The delegates, it seems, were drawn from that 30% of the public that still won't admit anything went wrong over the past seven years. When Lieberman praised Bill Clinton's "bipartisan" initiatives, the collective gasp was deafening.

For tomorrow night, we can look forward to what Joe Biden called "a noun, a verb, and 9/11." Whoopie!