Rhetorical Recap: Over the Top

Second Night of the Republican Convention, Cleveland OH July 19, 2016

NOTE: These observations are based on my impressions from being inside Quicken Loans Arena, not from watching on television.

CLEVELANDโ€”After the roll call confirmed Donald Trumpโ€™s nomination, the nightโ€™s speakers attempted to rally the crowd and unify the party by going after Hillary Clinton. ย The nominal theme, โ€œMake America Work Again,โ€ received scant attention.

Chris Christie could not begin his mock prosecution of Clinton before the audience as jury began to chant โ€œLock Her Up.โ€ ย He alone roused them from the listless and distracted state that dominated the evening.

Ben Carson (who did get an ovation when he walked to the podium) asked โ€œAre we willing to elect as president someone who has as their [sic] role model somebody who acknowledges Lucifer?โ€ Several women attacked her hypocrisy as the enabler of Bill Clintonโ€™s sexual excesses.

To make a positive case for the nominee, his children extolled his qualities as a good father. Some media commentators (I caught up this morning) have praised their speeches. ย Well, compared with the continuing furor about the origins of their stepmotherโ€™s remarks (โ€œprosecutorโ€ Christie, earlier that day: 93% originality is fine), I cannot resist noting that everything is relative. I found Donald Jr. and Tiffanyโ€™s remarks warm and genuine but banal.

On Monday, the use of a remote camera worked effectively. ย Last night, the nominee appeared in a Big Brother head shot. Chained to a script, he could not muster the enthusiasm that his procedural triumph warranted.

That may be because the levels of campaign disorganization, strategic desperation, and destructive rhetoric continue to rise. ย 

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