CPAC: WHO'S YOUR DADDY?

         

                                can the flag sue for sexual harassment? 

FULL DISCLOSURE:  since i'm guessing i am only one of many who can't stand to listen to him speak for even a few minutes, i'm sure that it'll be understood if i couldn't listen to the full 124 minutes of his blather.  therefore, anything written below is gleaned from skipping through the address to catch bits and pieces that might strike my partisan mind as relevant.  if one cares to catch the whole thing i've included the video at the end (you're welcome?), just to be fair but, to be honest (a concept he doesn't quite understand), it's more than he deserves.  watch it if you will.

carried in on waves of applause, cheering and shouts of "U.S.A.!!" accompanied by the song "proud to be an america" (and not "macho man" as he did in india.  i suppose they figured it might be too gay for this crowd, especially the evangelicals) he  begins by extolling the crowd before him, people who truly "...respect our flag, honor our history, uphold our laws, protect our constitution and always put America first.".  after this opening it became just an extended red-hat wearing rally where he touched on everything that would elicit the proper reaction, whether they be groans and boos (reserved for democrats or anyone who dares challenge or oppose him, like mitt romney) or the cheers and sounds of adoration he really loves.

he briefly brags about the size of his most recent rally, comparing it to the ones of his opponents, comprised primarily, he says, of "...2 or 3 people standing on a street corner."  after taking a brief trip down memory lane to tell how he was convinced by matt and mercedes schlapp (NOW we know who to blame!) to run for office he went on to recite a litany of his accomplishments and victories (all the 'winnings'), concentrating for a while on the deaths of al baghdadi and souleimani (a real applause-getter) and the 'fulfillment' of his pledge to draw down our involvement in the middle east while helping to defeat terrorism while rebuilding a military that was a disgraceful mess when he took office.

jumping from topic to topic as he is prone to do it's difficult to follow at times.  at about 30 minutes in he jumps from praising the military to go on an extended rant, first concentrating on elizabeth warren and the infamous
pocahantas-native american dna episode (neener-neener-neener, i'm more indian than you are), then bringing in mike bloomberg and how elizabeth 'destroyed him' in the debate.  the jumble extended to 'the russian hoax', james comey, calling him "...the dirty cop at the top" though investigation found no proof he was corrupt in any way and making fun of robert mueller ("...what's he doing now?") and the investigation into 'the perfect call'. the impeachment trial and mitt romney (oh, the boos!) and his half-vote were a brief topic of 'conversation'.  at some point bloomberg re-entered the fray with more insults about his stature and he began deviating to his 'terrific' economic gains, the 'record' unemployment numbers ('highest in history', mind you), and the 'record high' unemployment figures in the african-american community.  there was a call to reject the creeping socialism that is the foundation of the democratic agenda and it's array of candidates, dwindling as of the south carolina primary with the suspension of the steyer, klobuchar and buttagieg campaigns.  and despite the administration being a part of the case before the supreme court that calls for the total revocation of the affordable care act, including the pre-existing guarantee, he again said, "...we will always protect people with pre-existing conditions."

despite going back several times over the video, i must again state that the way he jumped around, changed subjects, characteristically went off on his usual tangents, it was difficult to keep track of what and when he said what he said.  like most of his rallies it was like words and thoughts had been thrown in a cement mixer and dumped out to be assembled like some jumbo word jigsaw puzzle where all pieces are the same shape.  and as i previously said, being unable to bear listening to him for any length of time, not being able to find a written transcript, despite being told on time.com i could 'read one here', i've tried to recreate, or at least give the general idea of what one experienced being there.  that's why i've included a video of the whole speech.  unfortunately, it ends before 'the best part': after walking back and forth across the stage, applauding the crowd (and obviously his own oratorical brilliance), smiling his smug little smile and waving to friends, he ended before leaving by hugging and kissing the american flag (see picture at top)*.

so, with the convention at it's end, with the exception of some appearance by a few remaining clowns, and the exit of the ringmaster-in-chief, cpac 2020 concluded.  with everybody having had their say, their one tiny sliver of the spotlight, they put the group back patting and joyful high fives behind to travel back to their cities prospective districts.  obedient to the end, they carried home the Gospel of the Orange, carrying as much of that golden glow as humanly possible on their jubilant shoulders knowing that their only purpose in life was to now see the reappointment of 'He Who Was Sent By GOD'.  the mission is to gather the devout, convert the undecided and recruit new believers.   doubters need not apply.  but with the excitement behind them one can only wonder if they'll also carry with them an internal debate whether they want to or not.  will there be the tiniest of nagging voices asking if they'll have to endure another stupid tweet,  should it be defended it or just ignored...again? can i let this one slide or will it finally be the one that breaks the camel's, or in this case the elephant's back?  if i open my mind to what might be on the other side, no longer going-along-to-get-along, will i be able to see that compromise is not a dirty word (and open-mindedness is not a symptom of coronavirus)?

now, they've got their work to do and so do we.  we must make their job as difficult as we can and, in the end, after all the debates are done we must focus on one primary goal.  we can't afford a second term of this moron so no whoever is eventually chosen, we must #VOTEBLUE.  #NOMATTERWHO.  our lives, our world depend on it.


                 for the masochists among you, here's the video i promised