Don't Sleep on the Screaming Cognitive Dissonance
Letter from Milwaukee, Day 4
“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”
―Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
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With apologies to Lenin, sometimes there are days when decades happen. This may one of those days.
Less than a week after his attempted assassination, Donald Trump will deliver his acceptance speech, amid scorching speculation that the sitting president — just diagnosed with Covid — is about to scramble the entire political universe by dropping out.
For the Democrats, here is the state of play. Over the weekend, the party’s Brahmins attempted their long-awaited intervention with the aging president, which apparently did not immediately work. So now the leaks are becoming a cataract. Schumer, Schiff, Pelosi — and now Obama — are sending the stark, unambiguous message that it’s time for Joe to go.
The private message, distilled to its bluntest form: The top leaders of his party, his friends and key donors believe he can't win, can't change public perceptions of his age and acuity, and can't deliver congressional majorities.
The president is being told that if he stays in, former President Trump could win in a landslide and wipe away Biden's legacy and Democrats' hopes in November.
A knowledgeable source close to both men tells me Schumer had a blunt conversation with Biden, making the case it would be best if Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
Sam Stein: “It’s Not Panic. It’s Terror.”
It’s never been darker,” one top Democratic operative told us.
“People are veeeeeerrrrry uneasy,” said a senior administration official.
“It’s terrible,” said a top Democratic lobbyist with ties to leadership. “I don’t think it can be worse.”
But it could. Hours later, the White House announced the president had COVID.
Panicking, of course, is part of the Democratic DNA. But this isn’t panic. It’s terror, worsened by fears that Biden and his team are dug in.
Hang on. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Meanwhile, at the RNC
So, yes, I went there to experience the whole surreal thing. (And will be headed back this afternoon.)
Some quick thoughts: As the media is dutifully reporting, the convention is well-run, and the mood is upbeat verging on giddy. Fights haven’t broken out on the floor, there are no riots in the streets, and mad ferrets are not rampaging through the halls.
Here in Milwaukee, a good time is being had by all. It’s wall-to-wall-wall MAGA; there are hats, t-shirts, flags, buttons, and swag of every description. And the folks about to coronate Trump for the third time are in such a good mood that they aren’t even hassling Never Trump interlopers like Asa Hutchinson… or me.
But….
The normality of all this is what makes it feel so bizarre, like having a garden party with clowns and balloons in the midst of the Apocalypse.
**
A quick note for the media/punditocracy as we go into the RNC’s final night:
It’s easy to get distracted by the show. The stagecraft. The omnipresent ear bandages. But please remember the stakes and the context in which this is happening.
Don’t forget how truly bizarre all of this is — the nomination of a twice-impeached, convicted felon, who is promising a presidency of retribution.
As you discuss the convention speeches, remember that you are not judging a figure skating competition. And, for the love of God and all things holy, do not be the reporter or pundit who says tonight that this is moment that Donald Trump became presidential.
Whatever words he reads of that teleprompter will not change the man who has told us and shown us (over and over and over) who he is — and who he will always be. Remember that.
**
And most of important of all:
Don’t sleep on the screaming cognitive dissonance
The party of law and order? seriously?
**
The barefoot champion of the working class?
“Elon Musk and influential venture capitalists are leading the charge to support Trump/Vance.”
Musk endorsed Trump just minutes after a gunman in Pennsylvania tried to assassinate the former President in Pennsylvania, and he doubled down on the support when Trump announced Vance as his running mate.
During his time working in venture capital in San Francisco, Vance became a protégé of Peter Thiel, a PayPal co-founder who is considered something of a kingmaker in Silicon Valley. When Vance ran for Senate, Thiel fueled his run with a $15 million donation.
Vance also made inroads with David Sacks, a former tech executive and podcaster who has become a loud cheerleader for Musk since the billionaire acquired Twitter, now X. Sacks recently held a Trump fundraiser at his home in San Francisco, raking in $12 million for the former president. Sacks this week spoke at the Republican National Convention, where he spent much of his time bashing President Biden over the U.S. supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia.
**
America First? Or Putin’s Poodle?
On Wednesday, the most revealing story about Vance wasn’t his speech, which was meh — but this: “Russia’s Lavrov welcomes vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance’s stance on Ukraine amid European concern”
Reflecting the Kremlin’s reaction, Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was absolutely thrilled by Vance’s selection.
“He’s in favor of peace, he’s in favor of ending the assistance that’s being provided and we can only welcome that because that’s what we need — to stop pumping Ukraine full of weapons and then the war will end,” Lavrov said in a press conference Wednesday, according to a translation by Reuters.
**
A softer, more unifying tone? AYFKM?
As they’ve made clear over and over during this convention, Trump and the GOP are absolutely committed to the forcible deportation of 15-20 million migrants.
So far, though, there has been remarkably little discussion of how this would actually work: Massive roundups? Raids of homes? Demands for papers? Family separations? Mass internments camps? Boxcars loaded with deportees?
A few months ago, Trump was asked whether this would involve deploying the military?
“It would,” Trump said, adding, “when we talk military, generally speaking, I talk National Guard.”
He added that he would “have no problem using the military, per se,” although he thinks the National Guard would suffice.
He does not think that laws meant to prevent the use of the military against civilians inside the US without congressional approval would apply to his effort.
“These aren’t civilians,” Trump said of migrants. “These are people that aren’t legally in our country. This is an invasion of our country.”
Maybe Trump will provide more details about the logistics tonight. But I doubt it.
Last night at the great Principles First gathering, former RNC chairman, Michael Steele and I had… a range of emotions. (And a few beers.)
At the evening’s end, the boys were waiting to see if I made it home all right. And, yes, Eli really is that tall.
“The normality of all this is what makes it feel so bizarre, like having a garden party with clowns and balloons in the midst of the Apocalypse.” Perfectly describes the last 10 years.
I appreciate your efforts not to cover this election like a mere horse race. The crazed party and convention attendees create an alarming and grotesque spectacle.