[NOTE: This is a blog, not an essay. The difference between the two is that essays are planned at length, dictated, given to Eva Baker for transcription, and then finally re-edited and mailed out to all his friends and regular readers in hard-copy. This, conversely is just some thoughts on yesterday’s Republican National Convention that Pop happened to record in an email to me. Judy had mentioned to me previously that Pop was thinking about writing a small commentary on the RNC, and I encouraged him to do so and mentioned that Jen had specifically inquired about his thoughts on said convention. He winds up addressing the whole thing as a response to her.]
Hey Kevin,
This is a response to Jen whom I hope remembers me.1 First of all, I wish to inquire whether they have the same God in upstate New York as we have here in Northern NJ. It seems to me that this is an important consideration because the convention is taking place during Hurricane Isaac. It is clear as a bell to me that God is angry as hell about what the Republicans are up to.
So the first point is to try to find out what the republicans have done that pisses off God sufficiently that would cause him to bring a hurricane back to the gulf coast.
Now on to some thoughts about the request from Jen. On Tuesday I had a long day and knowing what conventions are like, for the first time in several months, I headed for bed in prime time.2 This is to say that I did not witness the proceedings at Tampa because I was basically asleep. It is clear to me that the reviews of the subsequent day with all of their flashbacks to the highlights of the convention are quite adequate. So I will give you some thoughts off the top of my head, which as you may recall is very wavy.
In the first place, I have been watching conventions since 1928 when Herbert Hoover ran against Al Smith. At that time, the big problem was that Al Smith was a Catholic. My parents were fundamentalist Christians who thought that Catholicism was the very pit of evil. In private dealings, it must be observed that some people would say very quietly to their cohorts that “You know he’s a Catholic, don’t you?” I was six years old at that time but I remember the events quite vividly.
Now with respect to yesterday’s proceedings, it is my belief that Mrs. Romney’s speech was over-rehearsed. So I join in Hana Davis’ estimation of her speech as “corny.” Hana’s native language is Czech and German and she learned her English in Great Britain. Hana is 92 years old and my evaluation is that you don’t mess with Hana Davis. She said it was corny but when I heard the clips played today, I would say that Hana’s description of Mrs. Romney was more than generous. In other words, Mrs. Romney delivered a over-rehearsed speech. There was absolutely no spontaneity in her remarks.
The other big speech was Chris Christie, who had no New Jersey miracle to brag about. Christie was his usual bullying self and I believe even his Republican audience sensed that quality to Christie’s remarks.
That is my reaction to yesterday’s proceedings. Admittedly I have relied as I intended to on news clips and the testimony of Hana Davis. They have always been reliable indicators of what is going on.
Again, I believe that God has injected himself into Republican politics with his hurricane. In point of fact, I believe that this event is what we should take away from the Republican convention. In fact, all those faithful Republicans on the Gulf Coast are gurgling with hurricane overflow and can’t watch the convention because God turned off the electricity too.
Pop
PS: Check out today’s editorial in the New York Times. Judy will send it if you cannot get it.3
August 29, 2012
Blog #1
~~~~
1. Perhaps Pop assumes that I only date people who have horrible memories? This may or may not be an unreasonable assumption. Still, they met less than a month ago. She has certainly not forgotten him, but if she had it would count as particularly impressive that she asked to hear his thoughts on the RNC, I feel.
2. I feel that Pop is taking a page out of the Pope’s book, here.
3. I think he means this one, but I am not positive.
4 responses to “Blog: Thoughts on the RNC”
Hi Pop,
Of course I remember you! To answer your question, I think it’s safe to say we have the same God in upstate NY as you do in Northern NJ. And while Hurricane Isaac has turned off the electricity for many, it seems the Republicans found a silver lining in that they can make a show of concern and pray for those impacted by the disaster, thus highlighting their “traditional values.”
The fact that you didn’t get to watch in prime time might be a blessing; Mrs. Romney’s speech was painful to watch and if she used the phrase “the man I met at a dance” one more time, I don’t know what I’d do. But it looked like she was trying hard, and so I give her credit for that. And, well, Chris Christie is always a character.
Last night I watched Paul Ryan speak and two thoughts occurred to me. First, he seems like a competent and relatively captivating politician. And second, the fact that he’s competent is terrifying once you remember his stance on major social issues. Even worse is the sheer number of lies in his speech. For this reason – and I hope you’ll approve – I propose the major broadcast networks implement a Bullshit Meter in the bottom corner of the screen to let viewers know when politicians stray from the truth. A meter like that would have been in the red and beeping violently throughout Ryan’s speech.
Anyway, I wanted to thank you for responding to me, and I also enjoyed the NYT editorial you recommended. I always look forward to reading your essays, and I hope you’re doing well! : )
Jen
Hey Jen,
Thank you for your comments on the Republican Convention so far.
I am glad to hear from you because there is a pounding within my head which says that the Republicans are going to lie without regard to any facts whatsoever. They will relie upon the vast war chests that they have and they think that these sums will cause people to not notice the lying. Romney did exactly this to his opponents in the primaries.
Last night for example, Paul Ryan talked about a General Motors plant that closed long before Obama became president, but Ryan blithely said that it was Obama putting this plant out of business. That is why your Bullshit Meter is such a great idea. Maybe a blob of bullshit could pop out and hit the speaker in the face.
The Republicans tell totally exuberant lies, but I suspect that they don’t care if they are caught in a lie. If the lie has the desired effect, that is plenty good enough for Ryan and the Republicans. Well let us see what Mitt has to say tonight.
Look for an essay I dictated this afternoon entitled Mitt and Willie. It contrasts the stuffiness of Mitt with the great singer Willie Nelson and I will assure you that Willie Nelson emerges as the winner in this exibition of contrasts.
Stay strong,
Pop
I can’t tell if “relie” was a pun or typo. Going to assume the former.
I’m looking forward to “Mitt and Willie” myself, and will post it as soon as I get it.
Yep – it’s a typo. Microsoft 7 and I were not meant for each other. Don’t want anyone to think that Eva is responsible.