I’m imagining the upcoming GOP convention as one of the weirder events in US election history. All former GOP presidents will stay away, along with the most recent GOP presidential candidate, along with a lot of their constituencies.
So not even a knockdown dragout floor fight, over the nomination of an incompetent insurgent, whose approval ratings (if elected) will be in the crapper on day one and go down from there, dragging the rest of the GOP electeds with him? Not with a bang but a whimper? Because “the people” have supposedly spoken via this goofball thing we call a primary system, and it would “look bad” to try to override them?
Please. (Or: Sad!) If this election were occurring when men were men, as it were, both Bushes’ organizations, Lindsey Graham’s and his ilks’, and all the anti-Trump forces in every state would show up at the convention — they’d be fanned out around the country right now — in relentless 24/7 activity for one or more alternative candidates, using money, clout, pork, seduction, and threats to deny Trump the nomination on the first ballot, then start working the wedge between him and the number he needs. Push the rules committee around, pressure state election lawyers to find loopholes, ignore the primaries in favor of polls (faked or tweaked as necessary) showing Romney (or somebody) doing better against HRC than Trump. Scare these delegates and other party hacks that they’re going down for good if they stick with this asshat.
This is turning into a counterfactual-history fanfic. Romney, GWB, and, like, Colin Powell take the podium together and speak passionately against Trump. Booing and throwing stuff ensues.
But wait … what’s this? Clint is at the podium! He reads a letter from Pop Bush deploring Trump, reviewing the glories of the party from the time of Lincoln. Now there are sobs and cheers mingled with the boos …
But no. A party-destroying insurgent will actually reap the benefits of the vacuous “party unity” style of contemporary conventions. Disunity will be expressed only by absence. That is, not expressed. It’s insane.
In at The End of The World 
Well put, Mr. Jones. Did you ever think that you would one day be writing Republican fan fiction? Is this what bi-partisan unity looks like?
The conventions are nineteenth-century artifacts that haven’t served a real purpose since 1976. Is this the year that one of our parties essentially dispenses with the entire idea? Trump has already suggested that he might make an acceptance speech every night in a different city. What if a sizable number of delegates just don’t show up? What if Trump doesn’t come to Cleveland?
I guess technically he needs to have his nomination ratified by a majority of delegates. Or does he? What if he just says, I won the most votes? I’m the nominee. Cleveland. Fantastic city. I’ve done a lot of business in Cleveland . . . .
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“counter-factual history fanfic”
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I like that you said “men” in there. I mean where is the backbone? Is Paul Ryan the only one willing to stand up to this guy?
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And isn’t he coming off confused, temporizing? Maybe what they need are some women.
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I think Ryan is playing it really smart. He’s going to come out of this beloved of everyone – he can cut whatever deal he wants and everyone will consider him a savior.
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Can’t keep nesting comments, so, in re Ryan playing it smart: Interesting. So far I had the feeling he thinks he and Trump will have a sitdown, he’ll get Trump to back off certain gibberish, and then he’ll endorse. possibly having thus helped protect GOP incumbents in swing districts. But is Trump going to let him do something vaguely rational like that? Cut a deal making Ryan look good? It keeps occurring to me that DT literally has nothing to lose from almost any outcome.
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