Peggy Noonan writing in the WSJ
* * *
Two headlines on the week, and some speeches.
Donald Trump effectively won the Republican primary in
the first week of May, meaning the GOP has had 2½ months to do what it has
always done, even under duress, such as in 1964 and 1976: come together.
They have not.
From day one of the convention it was clear the GOP is a
bitterly divided party and not even bothering to hide it.
* WHICH IS WHY I HAVE ADVISED THAT TRUMP SPEND MORE TIME
BASHING THE RINOs. FRANKLY... I SEE NO DOWN SIDE - INSTEAD I SEE A HUGE UPSIDE!
* TRUMP DID REACH OUT TO BERNIE VOTERS. AND THAT WAS
SMART. AND... IT WAS "RIGHT" NOT SIMPLY IN A PRAGMATIC SENSE, BUT IN
AN ETHICAL SENSE. YEAH... MANY OF THOSE FOLKS ARE VERY... CONFUSED... ABOUT HOW
TO FIX AMERICA'S PROBLEMS - BUT MANY OF 'EM CORRECTLY IDENTIFY MANY OF THE
PROBLEMS! I CAN "WORK" WITH PEOPLE LIKE THAT!
It failed to unite not because it had poor leadership or
the nominee didn’t know how to do it, though both are true.
* TYPICAL NOONAN PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE BULLSHIT.
(*SPITTING ON THE GROUND*)
More killingly it failed to unite because it didn’t want
to. Everyone’s in his corner. Donald Trump failed to change his style in a way
that would have given cover to those who would have, with considerable relief,
joined him.
* "STYLE, STYLE, STYLE"...
(*ROLLING MY EYES*)
* FORGIVE ME IF I'M FOCUSED ON SUBSTANCE.
(*AGAIN SPITTING ON THE GROUND*)
On the other hand, anti-Trump forces continued to look
down on Mr. Trump’s supporters and grant them nothing in terms of motivation,
sincerity, insight.
Most important, though no one in Cleveland was keen to
talk about it, there is the split between the base and the top on such huge and
fundamental issues as immigration, trade and entitlements.
* UM... PEGGY...??? WE TALK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME. (AND
AGAIN... TRUMP SHOULD ATTACK THE RINOs WITH THE SAME FERVOR HE ATTACKS THE DEMOCRAT
LEFT!)
The base came to this convention, which was middle-class
and dressed down.
* UPPER MIDDLE CLASS, PEGGY. I KNOW THE SORT OF FOLKS WHO
ATTEND THESE CONVENTIONS. UPPER MIDDLE CLASS TO WEALTHY.
The wealthy and connected largely stayed away.
* APPARENTLY PEGGY DIDN'T SEE THE PAYPAL GUY'S SPEECH...
(*LOL*)
(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
* PEGGY NOONAN IS SUCH A TRANSPARENT DUNCE.
You didn’t see them swanning from reception to party to
caucus. It spoke volumes. Now and then you remember that snobbery is an actual
force in life.
If each side hates the other and believes in different
things, how do they come together again?
* IT'S CALLED LOVE OF COUNTRY, PEG. IT'S CALLED GIVING A
DAMN ABOUT THE WORLD WE LEAVE OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN.
Connected to that, the second headline, which has to do
with the unknowability of the moment we’re in.
* SOMETIMES I WONDER IF PEGGY NOONAN IS... SLIGHTLY
RETARDED.
The shrewdest old political pro, the brightest young
delegate, the owlish political journalist — they didn’t know exactly what they
were witnessing. Was it the formal start of an epic political disaster? The
birth of a new GOP more identified with the struggles of its base? Is 2016 a
particular and contained event, or does it mark the beginning of some long-term
realignment? As for Mr. Trump, is he a lightning storm that lit things up,
caused some damage, will play itself out and pass? Or is he an earthquake that
changed the actual shape of things, the literal lay of the land?
Nobody involved here, nobody watching, knew. I’ve never
quite seen such intellectual modesty among people who are usually quick in
their eagerness to explain it all to you.
* I'D HATE PEGGY'S CROWD. I'D LITERALLY DESPISE THEM.
(COULD YOU IMAGINE ME AT ONE OF HER DINNER PARTIES...?!?!)
(*RUEFUL CHUCKLE*)
There were a number of good speeches. Donald Trump Jr.
was strong and persuasive on Tuesday night. The next morning, at a Wall Street
Journal event, he made a better case for his father than his father has.
* AGAIN WITH THE PATENTED PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE SHTICK...
(*ROLLING MY EYES*)
He talked about the forgotten middle American and
referred to himself, humorously, as “a Fifth Avenue redneck.”
(*STANDING OVATION*)
When pressed on how a man as divisive as his father could
unify the nation, he answered that one way to unify the country is to see that
its people have jobs: “When people are doing well it’s amazing how much unity
you’ll get from that.”
Mike Pence’s speech was modest, simple and strong. He is
going to be a powerful and effective figure in the coming campaign. A longtime
staffer told me he was surprised how relaxed the governor was as he prepared.
He’d seen him over the years be nervous about smaller, less important speeches.
Mr. Pence, the staffer said, told him the reason was that he was completely at
peace with his decision to run with Mr. Trump.
(*THUMBS UP*)
Ted Cruz did himself damage.
* YEP...
By the end of his tireless campaign for the nomination he
was semi-endearing.
* Er... OK...
(*SCRATCHING MY HEAD AT THAT ONE*)
Wednesday night he resurrected Snaky Ted.
* YEP!
He spoke highly of freedom and went after President
Obama. Sometimes he half-laughed after speaking a line, as if to say You know
this is showbiz, right? It showed an unbecoming detachment. He told the
audience not to stay home in November but vote for the right person, then
forgot to say who that person might be.
* "DOUCHE BAG TED!"
(*GRIN*)
(*WINK*)
If you can’t endorse, good for you and stay home. That
isn’t politics, it’s basic human comportment.
* GOOD FOR YOU, PEGGY!
If someone you’re certain is awful invites you to a
party, you politely decline. You don’t go, walk into the room, and punch your
host in the head. Mr. Cruz miscalculated, thinking if he snubbed Trump half the
delegates would cheer. Instead almost all booed.
Ted Cruz thought the media would laud his courage and
integrity. They saw him as wounded and treated him as prey.
* YEP...
When his campaign ended in June, I attended a small
dinner in his honor. Mr. Cruz was charming, modest and funny. When we said
goodnight I told him I felt, in retrospect, that I hadn’t always been just to
him and was glad I’d have a chance to be more generous in the future.
Apparently I will need still more time. What a jerk.
* HA! HA! HA! HA!
(*VIRTUAL HUG*)
Donald Trump’s speech was important. He is a vivid figure
and for a year has elicited strong reactions. By now he’s exhausting. We have
Trump Fatigue.
* MAYBE YOU DO, PEG; NOT ME.
(*SHRUG*)
* IF ANYTHING... I HAVE CRUZ FATIGUE. IF ANYTHING... I
HAVE "PEOPLE" FATIGUE. EACH DAY I DEAL WITH SO MANY STUPID PEOPLE...
(*SHRUG*)
* FRANKLY... IT'S EXHAUSTING.
Also, who doesn’t know how he feels about him? His
acceptance speech was an opportunity to break through in a new way and flesh
out his purpose. I think he succeeded, though with a certain grimness. He’d
probably reply that the times are grim.
* UM... THEY ARE, PEG; HE LAID IT OUT; I LAY IT OUT EVERY
DAY ON FB AND ON MY BLOG. (SERIOUSLY... DO YOU NOT "GET" THAT AMERICA
IS IN STEEP DECLINE AND THAT THE WHOLE POINT OF "FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE"
IS TO DRIVE US OVER THE CLIFF?)
We have to assess the true facts of our nation, he said:
“We cannot afford to be so politically correct anymore.”
* AND... HE'S RIGHT!
He spoke of “the plain facts that have been edited out of
your nightly news,” including the costs of illegal immigration and the victims
of economic decline.
* AGAIN... BROWSE THROUGH MY FB POSTINGS... MY BLOG
POSTINGS; GO BACK AS FAR AS YOU CAN; TRUMP WASN'T LYING! WHAT HE SAYS IS
ABSOLUTELY TRUE!
Mr. Trump argued that the past eight years of U.S.
foreign policy have been disastrous to peace and stability. “But Hillary
Clinton’s legacy does not have to be America’s legacy.”
(*STANDING OVATION*)
Does he want a ban on Muslims? No. “We must immediately
suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism
until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place.” This
stand has always driven his enemies crazy, and Mr. Trump usually spoke of it
sloppily, either deliberately or not. But to most Americans it will sound like
simple common sense.
* BUT... NOT TO YOU, PEGGY? (NOTICE... SHE TAKES NO
STAND.)
(*SMIRK*)
He was frankly populist: “I have joined the political
arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people who cannot defend
themselves. . . . My greatest compassion will be for our own struggling
citizens.”
* AND... WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT...???
He stands, he asserted, for “the forgotten” — not as
their tribune or their leader, but “their voice.”
* AND ON MANY ISSUES HE CLEARLY IS - THUS... HIS BEING
THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT.
* SERIOUSLY, FOLKS... IS SHE RETARDED... A BIT...???
Cleverly: “My opponent asks her supporters to recite a
three-word loyalty pledge. It reads, ‘I’m with her.’ I choose to recite a
different pledge: ‘I’m with you, the American people.’”
* GOD... BLESS... DONALD... TRUMP!
It was not an eloquent speech, not lofty, very plain and
blunt. It covered a lot of territory and went too long.
* BUT HAD IT BEEN SHORTER YOU'D BE WRITING THAT IT LACKED
DETAIL. (YOU'RE SO FULL OF SHIT, NOONAN!)
It had no leavening humor.
* NOT MUCH TO LAUGH ABOUT. THE LEFT HAS BEEN DESTROYING
OUR COUNTRY.
It is strange to see a New Yorker so uninterested in wit.
* SERIOUSLY, FOLKS... THIS STUPID WOMAN THINKS SHE COMES
OFF AS INTELLIGENT. IT'S AMAZING WHAT LIVING IN A BUBBLE DOES TO SOME FOLKS.
It was at points too hyped and declarative, and it was
sometimes grandiose.
(*ROLLING MY EYES*)
But it was powerful.
After reading a copy of the speech leaked in advance by a
mischief maker, an anti-Trump conservative intellectual emailed me. “He’s going
to win,” he said. The moment at least was not unknowable to him.
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