Party of Lincoln: Hostile Takeover

In a 76-minute harangue, presidential nominee Donald Trump announced the official beginning of his general election campaign and the official end of the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln. The GOP is now the party of fear mongering, resentment, race-baiting, xenophobia, anger, deceit, and hate.

Trump real estate, resorts, and “universities” are sold through Fear of Missing Out. In this sulfurous speech, the Trump presidency is being marketed though fear of marauding hordes of barbarians and brigands, a dystopian future American hellscape. How can we be saved? “I am The Way the Law and Order candidate,” declares The Donald.

But we all know that Mr. Trump is no statesman, he’s a Reality TV star. So how did his astounding diatribe rate as entertainment?

“Donald Trump’s Acceptance Speech Paints Apocalyptic Vision From a B-Movie,” Maureen Ryan, Variety

More:

“Donald Trump’s Caesar Moment,” Jeff Greenfield, Politico

“Why Trump sounded more like a strongman than a movement conservative,” James Hohmann, Washington Post

“Trump paints a grim portrait of the U.S. and casts himself as its only savior in GOP acceptance speech,” Mark Z. Barabak and Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times

“Donald Trump’s RNC Speech Was a Terrifying Display of Nightmarish Authoritarianism,”Peter Suderman, Reason

“Trump conjures a mythical vision of a dark America as he doubles down on campaign themes,” Gwynn Guilford, Quartz

Ask Not What Melania Trump Can Do For You ….

Melania Trump (Laura Benanti) takes Stephen Colbert’s Late Show podium to explain that she did not plagiarize Michelle Obama’s speech.

Republican Party Bends Knee to Trump

At the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, Reality TV star, celebrity golf cheat, and overgrown spoiled rich kid Donald J. Trump was confirmed as the 2016 Presidential Candidate of the Republican Party. He achieved this position by espousing ethnic cleansing, violence, racism, and isolationism. The Republican Platform supports his policies that would crash the world economy, destroy the environment, spread nuclear weapons among nations, and build concentration camps on American soil.

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Trump Triumphant

Republican Newt Gingrich, disgraced former Speaker of the House and noted animal lover, spoke with CBN’s David Brody about next month’s GOP National Convention in Cleveland:

“We have no idea what a Donald Trump convention will be like. I would not be shocked to see him ride in on Thursday night on an elephant. Who knows?”

More:

“Gingrich wouldn’t be surprised to see Trump enter convention on elephant,” Rebecca Savransky, The Hill

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Top image (“Trump Triumphant in Cleveland, after an 1885 Varanasi painting”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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GOP Convention: Look Out, Cleveland….

Reality TV star and billionaire thug Donald M. Trump, fresh from the triumph of winning the Florida GOP primary, shared his vision of this summer’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland. If he’s a few hundred delegates shy of 1,237 and isn’t the nominee: “I think you’d have riots,” he told Chris Cuomo,  “I think you’d have problems like you’ve never seen before. I think bad things would happen.”

But since GOP delegates are selected by GOP state committees and not the candidates, they represent the Republican Party first, so the convention is not necessarily a Trump Coronation. Look out, Cleveland.

Clint: What Kind of Idiot Asks Me to Speak at a Convention?

Republicans were nuts to ask him to speak at their National Convention, says Clint Eastwood. “If somebody’s dumb enough to ask me to go to a political convention and say something, they’re gonna have to take what they get,” Eastwood told interviewer Jerry Penacoli.

More:

“Clint Eastwood: Republicans Were ‘Dumb’ To Ask Me to Speak at RNC,” TMZ

“After the chair: Clint Eastwood’s tormented legacy,” Andrew O’Heheir, Salon

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Top image (based on a fine movie) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Bedtime, Grandpa Clint?

Clint Eastward opens for Mitt Romney at the Republican National Convention. More Gran Torino than Dirty Harry. More rambling Grandpa at Thanksgiving dinner than either.

Awkward.

Meet Mitt Romney

The deal made in back rooms and boardrooms was confirmed Tuesday at the official GOP product roll-out in Tampa: Willard Mitt Romney is the Republican Nominee for President of the United States of America. The GOP Convention will now introduce us to “The Real Mitt Romney.” The man is such an empty suit that it will take 48 hours, thousands of people, and millions of dollars to do it.

Of course, Mitt Romney can speak for himself and doesn’t rely on slogans. “I know there are some people who do a very good job acting and pretend they’re something they’re not,” he told Politico. “You get what you see. I am who I am.” He repeated “I am who I am” three times during the interview. Paul Ryan was inspired by Ayn Rand; apparently Mr. Romney was inspired by Popeye the Sailor Man.