The Trump event was entirely different from the Nikki Haley event.
The Haley event was a political speech with upbeat staging. The Trump event was a rock concert performed by a veteran star.
Yesterday I stood from 10:00 a.m. until I was turned away at the door at 3:45 p.m. That's right. I didn't get in. I travelled about 3,000 miles mostly to watch the full Trump event live, but I was locked outside the room when he spoke. The Trump venue was capped at 1,500 people. At the time I was turned away, I was approximately in the middle of the crowd, so there were lots of others in the same boat.
I didn't miss the event, not really.
In hindsight, the event was an all-day party that culminated in a stage show. The crowd persevered in sunshine and sprinkles of rain without toilets, water, alcohol, food, or anywhere to sit. No one had an umbrella. Notice of the event informed us that umbrellas were not allowed, per the Secret Service.
Trump spoke for an hour and 40 minutes. I watched it live on my computer in my hotel room. Trump did his "greatest hits" show very lightly updated. He said he was dropping "Crooked Hillary" and replacing it with "Crooked Joe Biden." He reported new poll leads in the GOP primary over DeSantis, Pence, and Haley, He scoffed at the New Hampshire governor, Christopher Sununu, who is openly considering entering the presidential race. He called Lindsay Graham a progressive, and the crowd began groaning at the first sound of Graham's name. Trump said Graham was OK, maybe. The crowd quieted. Graham is on notice. Trump cited general election polls from Rasmussen saying that he would defeat Biden.
It was the familiar Trump message. The world was carnage when he took office, it was glorious under his presidency because he was so strong and decisive, and it fell to immediate ruin when Biden took over after having stolen the election. The crowd loved hearing it.
I understand that reaction. I would love hearing the Beach Boys sing Good Vibrations and might stand in line a while, if there were a toilet I could use if needed.
I have developed some observations about the Trump phenomenon, and I expect them to be troubling for Democratic readers of this blog. I had underestimated how impervious Trump supporters are to information that I consider "common knowledge" about the world. I had underestimated how thoroughly Trump supporters believe that it was utterly impossible that a majority of voters could have voted for Biden. I had underestimated the transition of Trump voters away from Fox and toward Newsmax and to internet places where people "do their own research." I had underestimated how deep is the division between Trump supporters and the traditional GOP. Trump supporters now call traitors those RINOs in cahoots with Democrats: Both Bush presidents, McCain, Romney, Pence, McConnell, Paul Ryan, the Wall Street Journal, the FBI, the federal Civil Service, most military leaders, and Trump's own cabinet.
More about those observations in future posts. For today, here are images from the event.
People
12 comments:
1500...not 15,000?
As a musician I take offense at the "rock show" comparison, only because music is a force for all that is good in the World and this is anything but. More like a circus, although clowns and elephant pen cleaners might take equal umbrage.
Why don't we just call it what it is? A cult of personality, a celebrity fan club, a bunch of marks?
Your photos are telling. There is a vacancy in the eyes...what is it they see?
Certainly not reality.
I’m not surprised by any of your observations about the Trump phenomenon. Everybody knows he’s a madman and a pathological liar who tried to overthrow the government. His cult followers love it. They live in an alternate reality where Trump won the election, climate change is a hoax, Dr. Fauci and a Chinese lab created COVID-19, the answer to gun violence is more guns and the list goes on. The only surprise is how many there are. It sounds like he had about 20 times the number of attendees that Nikki Haley had. Ominous.
Peter, thank you for this public service. You have an ability to detach and observe that is necessary for anyone who lives in reality when confronted with the Trump cult. I look forward to your further observations even though I probably won’t like what you tell us. Sorry they treated you and the other hopefuls so badly. I wouldn’t have lasted that long.
It is one thing to advocate for less government, lower taxes, a strong military, etc. It is quite another thing to worship nasty, revolting misogynists and racists, including the former Occupant, TC and all the rest. We can differ on policy matters but hate, corruption and violence are not acceptable.
Nomrata Randhawa Haley has as much chance of being the Candidate as I do. I find it especially rich that her unspoken message is the we should fear the possibility of a Woman of mixed race heritage becoming President. Irony is dead and buried.
I was gobsmacked by the "HO" buttons and signs. Had not seen that; shocking.
There is no bottom to their utter lack of civility and decency.
The crowd reminds of the audience watching the Vietnam war movie from 1979, Apocalypse Now. Initially the shock of random violence and wanton killing was numbing but after the initial shock seemed like normal action as the grim blood, guts and napalm hardened you to what came next. The viewer became more and more numb to savage violence. I see the same numbing taking place in the cult of Trump. Nothing he does is out of line or surprising. This crowd will never be convinced that Trump is the problem. Like January 6th they will answer the call again. The die is cast. Norms and guardrails are gone with this bunch.
I may not agree with Nikki Haley, but I do not believe for one second that she objects to VP Kamala Harris being a woman or of half Indian descent. Haley's middle name is Nikki and both of her parents were born in India.
Just to be clear, Haley and Harris both were born in the USA.
Nimrata (Nikki) Randhawa, not nomrata.
I am educated and don't have hate in my life.
Therefore, I don't need anyone like TFG to "air my grievances."
A reference to Malaria?
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