CSotD: An Unconventional Convention
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Morland sums up Trumpapalooza, which I would point out was the Republicans’ own nickname for their unprecedented midterm convention, not mine. I’d say showing a packed crowd is being particularly generous, given the number of empty seats there really were in the place, the number of candidates who chose not to show up alongside Dear Leader and the anemic ratings it generated for the few networks that covered it.
Part of the problem was that the Sports President scheduled the convention to run opposite the opening of the NFL season, which offered viewers a choice, and apparently, Melania is a big football fan, because she stayed home.
Apparently Natalie isn’t, because she was in Dallas, and apparently Melania doesn’t like Gaelic football, because she skipped the Dublin trip, too, though perhaps Natalie is a camogie fan, because she’s there. Like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our presidential lives.
Soap opera aside, Morland is correct that the highlight of the convention might have been JD Vance’s speech, in which he seemingly forgot to mention his support for the Iran war, or Tim Scott’s lively speech, which even some Republicans felt was over the top, but what drew the most attention was the President’s address, which went on for nearly two hours, making Fidel Castro seem like Calvin Coolidge.
Most of it will be forgotten, except, as McKee points out, for the part where he urged unregistered voters to break the law and vote anyway, and the part where he promised everyone $5,000 if the Republicans won both houses of Congress.
Despite cries of “Foul!” from the other side of the aisle, this promise is not a bribe, as Oyer the Lawyer explains. It would be different if he promised to reward those who voted a particular way, but he’s offering the $5,000 to everybody, as long as the Republicans take both houses of Congress in the midterms.
And it’s not his money. That would be wrong. It’s our money he’s offering, and, as she says, it would take Congressional authorization to add another $1.3 trillion to the national debt, which may also be wrong but isn’t illegal.
Anyway, it’s a pretty safe offer, given the GOP’s prospects in the House. It’s somewhat like promising everyone five grand if Mitch McConnell quarterbacks the Cleveland Browns to a Super Bowl victory. What the hell, make it a million.
Juxtaposition of the Day
Actually, the real long shot bet is that Trump would promise somebody a check and then actually write it.
Milbrath errs in saying Dear Leader’s incentive is a bribe — here’s a quick guide to the SCOTUS case that Oyer cited — but all three cartoonists are correct about the trail of broken promises, which include several offers of checks that somehow never arrived, but also a few things like $2 gas and an end to foolish wars, the cost of which Turner figures into what we’re paying for those red ballcaps.
Still, while it isn’t really a bribe, it is a really attractive offer, Margulies says, though he’s a little vague on whether the dope is the guy making the offer or the MAGA faithful who are falling for it.
However, we should be charitable towards those who fail to follow the “Fool me once …” protocol and continue to believe Dear Leader and, as German suggests, make serious decisions based on something that just ain’t gonna happen.
It’s a bad time to count on phantom windfalls. Credit card delinquency is at its highest level since the pandemic, and other forms of debt aren’t all that far behind. It seems cruel to make empty promises to people who trust you, particularly since it’s clear that they shouldn’t.
I can’t remember the source on the information, but I’ve heard a contradiction to Hudson’s analysis more than once, and it goes like this: Trump is a great fundraiser, and if you compare Republican and Democratic war chests, the GOP’s war chest is far larger.
However, the analysis goes on, that is at least in part because GOP donors give to the national party while Democrats give to individual candidates, so that the totals aren’t that different if you don’t rely entirely on national numbers.
I don’t know how much stock I put in that — particularly the part about just how far apart the totals are — but I do know that there is grumbling in Republican circles because Trump appears to be bogarting the funds despite the needs of a number of key campaigns around the country.
There is also mystification over ads that purport to motivate GOP voters but seem mostly to praise the guy who isn’t even running this November.
The motto, “He’s fighting for you every day. Help him finish the job,” might be effective if gas were below $3 and we hadn’t blundered into an unwinnable war, and, generally, if the guy who is fighting for you every day had more than a 38% approval rating, but, as the advisor in Anderson’s cartoon says, putting Trump out front does more for the Democrats than for the Republicans.
And if Anderson’s a bit snide on the topic, Espinoza is downright celebratory to see Trump not only headlining a convention that wasn’t actually about nominating anybody, but using his time on stage to emphasize his unpopular record rather than praising GOP nominees and suggest ways things would get better if they win.
Besides, y’know, the $5,000 we’d all for sure absolutely get.
Mike Peterson has posted his "Comic Strip of the Day" column every day since 2010. His opinions are his own, but we welcome comments either agreeing or in opposition.
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