I have been aware that the Republican Party was planning a mid-term “convention” this summer. It never sounded like a good idea to me, if anything, because the heyday of political conventions was decades ago when they were broadcast live on the networks, and most people watched them (because nothing else was on TV). Moreover, such conventions were focused on the campaign for the presidency, which provided a great deal of focus. Indeed, they only really mattered when they actually chose the candidate, which would be pre-1972.
For those keeping score at home, 1972 was rather a long time ago.
Really, the combination of the conventions being nothing more than official coronations of candidates based on what everyone already knows about the primary outcomes, coupled with cable TV and now streaming, means they have been nothing more than prep rallies/infomercials for decades.
But, I guess when you have an octogenarian president who sees everything in terms of nostalgia (not to mention one who loves to hear himself talk in front of a crowd), a mid-term convention seems like a good idea (or, at least, something you have to do because that’s what he wants).
All of the above is to note that this has always seemed like a bad idea to me (certainly a waste of time and money) from the moment I first heard of it. Moreover, it struck me from the beginning that it was also a strategically stupid move, because the midterms are usually bad for the president’s party and tying the party to Trump directly (which is what such a convention would inevitably do) seemed like a likely own-goal to me.
Let’s check in with G. Elliot Morris to see how Trump is doing with the public.
So, I am sure Mike Johnson’s enthusiasm for Trump being on the ballot in November is well-placed!
Bonus: Johnson states this was all Trump’s idea.
Second bonus: Johnson’s Trump impression is terrible.
The good news for the GOP is, I guess, that no one will be watching because the geniuses in charge apparently did not consult the calendar before scheduling the thing, as Axios reports: GOP convention will battle NFL openers for attention. I guess it makes sense that the same braintrust that didn’t consult a map to see the potential problem created by the Strait of Hormuz failed to note that the NFL always has a Thursday night game to start the season and that this year there will be a Wednesday night game as well!
