Republican National Convention **live commentary thread**

[136or142]

Wasn't tonight supposed to be about the economy and jobs?

It's pretty fitting. Trump almost never talks about fiscal, monetary, or regulatory policy, and whenever jobs are mentioned its always about how trade deals and immigration steals jobs. That's what this convention seems to be like too, mostly focused on security and nationalism related issues (just a basic "USA USA USA!" will get the crowd riled up like no other).

Trump doesn't know anything about fiscal, monetary or regulatory policy.  I don't think he knows much about trade deals either.

[Seriously?]

Wasn't tonight supposed to be about the economy and jobs?

It's pretty fitting. Trump almost never talks about fiscal, monetary, or regulatory policy, and whenever jobs are mentioned its always about how trade deals and immigration steals jobs. That's what this convention seems to be like too, mostly focused on security and nationalism related issues (just a basic "USA USA USA!" will get the crowd riled up like no other).

Trump doesn't know anything about fiscal, monetary or regulatory policy.  I don't think he knows much about trade deals either.

Yeah, know nothing ignoramuses that have no idea how the market works become billionaires every day of the week. 

Give me a break. Obviously, Trump knows how to negotiate deals or he wouldn't have never transformed the old Commodore Hotel into the NY Hyatt.

Call Trump a lot of things based on policy disagreements, but an idiot when it comes to finance is definitely not one of those things.

[Devout Centrist]

Wasn't tonight supposed to be about the economy and jobs?

It's pretty fitting. Trump almost never talks about fiscal, monetary, or regulatory policy, and whenever jobs are mentioned its always about how trade deals and immigration steals jobs. That's what this convention seems to be like too, mostly focused on security and nationalism related issues (just a basic "USA USA USA!" will get the crowd riled up like no other).

Trump doesn't know anything about fiscal, monetary or regulatory policy.  I don't think he knows much about trade deals either.

Yeah, know nothing ignoramuses that have no idea how the market works become billionaires every day of the week. 

Give me a break. Obviously, Trump knows how to negotiate deals or he wouldn't have never transformed the old Commodore Hotel into the NY Hyatt.

Call Trump a lot of things based on policy disagreements, but an idiot when it comes to finance is definitely not one of those things.

Finance /=/ Economics.

[Crumpets]

According to MSNBC, the most used words tonight were:

1. Hillary
2. Clinton
3. America
4. Trump
5. Donald

[IceSpear]

Honestly, at first it was hilarious watching this clusterf**k, but it's actually horrifying at this point. A major political party has descended into a fascist mess that wants to turn the country into a banana republic where they imprison their political opponents, stifle all descent, and rule like a dictator against the wishes of Congress and the law. And the scarier part is that they actually have a chance to win due to how many mindless drones care about nothing else other than the letter after your name when voting.

American democracy is in trouble.

[Orthogonian Society Treasurer]

Honestly, at first it was hilarious watching this clusterf**k, but it's actually horrifying at this point. A major political party has descended into a fascist mess that wants to turn the country into a banana republic where they imprison their political opponents, stifle all descent, and rule like a dictator against the wishes of Congress and the law. And the scarier part is that they actually have a chance to win due to how many mindless drones care about nothing else other than the letter after your name when voting.

American democracy is in trouble.

The real joke is that you've been living in that America for eight years and still haven't realized it.

[Xing]

Political discourse is dead. It's all about empty platitudes and talking about how satanic and deserving of being thrown in jail the other side is. Truly a sad spectacle.

[jimrtex]

Love those guys with the trees on their heads.

Pro tip, "Okanagan" means Tree on my Head (think about it for a second)

It hurts my noggin to think about it. Sure hope the idea doesn't take root.

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Honestly, at first it was hilarious watching this clusterf**k, but it's actually horrifying at this point. A major political party has descended into a fascist mess that wants to turn the country into a banana republic where they imprison their political opponents, stifle all descent, and rule like a dictator against the wishes of Congress and the law. And the scarier part is that they actually have a chance to win due to how many mindless drones care about nothing else other than the letter after your name when voting.

American democracy is in trouble.

IceSpear, we all know that you would never vote to have a republican as president, no matter how scandalous or awful the democratic candidate is. Yeah, you might stay home or vote green, but you know you would never actually back the republican, even if it was a moderate like Pataki or Kasich or atlas favorite Jim Gilmore.

[cinyc]

Political discourse is dead. It's all about empty platitudes and talking about how satanic and deserving of being thrown in jail the other side is. Truly a sad spectacle.

Political discourse has always been dead, at least since 1800.  It's almost always been about empty platitudes and talking about how evil the other guy is.  For example:

From the campaign of 1800:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

From the campaign of 1884:
Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, The Continental Liar from the State of Maine - Grover Cleveland

Ma, Ma, Where's my Pa, Gone to the White House, Ha, Ha, Ha - James Blaine

[IceSpear]

Honestly, at first it was hilarious watching this clusterf**k, but it's actually horrifying at this point. A major political party has descended into a fascist mess that wants to turn the country into a banana republic where they imprison their political opponents, stifle all descent, and rule like a dictator against the wishes of Congress and the law. And the scarier part is that they actually have a chance to win due to how many mindless drones care about nothing else other than the letter after your name when voting.

American democracy is in trouble.

IceSpear, we all know that you would never vote to have a republican as president, no matter how scandalous or awful the democratic candidate is. Yeah, you might stay home or vote green, but you know you would never actually back the republican, even if it was a moderate like Pataki or Kasich or atlas favorite Jim Gilmore.

lol. I would vote for any of those 3 if some communist radical somehow seized the Democratic nomination. Luckily that would never happen since Democrats are mostly sane.

[Badger]

Guys Flynn is fine
Honestly the democrat snark on Atlas is becoming nearly unbearable.  I was hoping Atlas would be better for watching the election than the sites I watched it with in '12 and '08, but it's just the same democrats making hollow, snarky, low-investment comments and lack of real discussion.

Might be leaving this site soon, tbh.  It's pretty disappointing.

Buh-bye. Don't let the door hit your neo-Nazi ass on the way out.

[Devout Centrist]

Guys Flynn is fine
Honestly the democrat snark on Atlas is becoming nearly unbearable.  I was hoping Atlas would be better for watching the election than the sites I watched it with in '12 and '08, but it's just the same democrats making hollow, snarky, low-investment comments and lack of real discussion.

Might be leaving this site soon, tbh.  It's pretty disappointing.

It's a political convention with little to no substance. What's there to discuss?

[Tender Branson]

Republican Nomination Roll Call - President 2016

Trump: 1725 (69.8%)✔
Cruz: 475 (19.2%)
Kasich: 120 (4.9%)
Rubio: 114 (4.6%)
Carson: 7 (0.3%)
Bush: 3 (0.1%)
Paul: 2 (0.1%)

So, 4 states (UT, AK, IA, OK) + DC had to award their votes to Trump, even though Cruz or Rubio won them ?

[136or142]

Guys Flynn is fine
Honestly the democrat snark on Atlas is becoming nearly unbearable.  I was hoping Atlas would be better for watching the election than the sites I watched it with in '12 and '08, but it's just the same democrats making hollow, snarky, low-investment comments and lack of real discussion.

Might be leaving this site soon, tbh.  It's pretty disappointing.

Buh-bye. Don't let the door hit your neo-Nazi ass on the way out.

Is there anything we could say that would guarantee you'll leave?

[136or142]

Political discourse is dead. It's all about empty platitudes and talking about how satanic and deserving of being thrown in jail the other side is. Truly a sad spectacle.

B.S.  Hillary Clinton has given at least one serious and  fairly detailed talk on her economic policy.  It was aired live by CNN but Rapist Trump gave his 'serious' speech about Hillary Clinton on the same day and wasn't covered.

This is just more tiresome false equivalence.  

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Republican Nomination Roll Call - President 2016

Trump: 1725 (69.8%)✔
Cruz: 475 (19.2%)
Kasich: 120 (4.9%)
Rubio: 114 (4.6%)
Carson: 7 (0.3%)
Bush: 3 (0.1%)
Paul: 2 (0.1%)

So, 4 states (UT, AK, IA, OK) + DC had to award their votes to Trump, even though Cruz or Rubio won them ?

State laws in UT/AK/IA/DC dictate re-allocation of bound delegates if candidates drop out. There is some confusion because the law in DC could apparently be reasonably interpreted two different ways, while the law in AK differs from what is stated in state party rules, which take higher precedence at the convention (the state law states that withdrawn candidates can have their delegates back upon request, the state party rules have no such provision).

For Oklahoma, Rubio released his OK delegates, and they voted for Trump. Cruz still got the 15 delegates he earned. 

[Mike Thick]

Honestly, at first it was hilarious watching this clusterf**k, but it's actually horrifying at this point. A major political party has descended into a fascist mess that wants to turn the country into a banana republic where they imprison their political opponents, stifle all descent, and rule like a dictator against the wishes of Congress and the law. And the scarier part is that they actually have a chance to win due to how many mindless drones care about nothing else other than the letter after your name when voting.

American democracy is in trouble.

IceSpear, we all know that you would never vote to have a republican as president, no matter how scandalous or awful the democratic candidate is. Yeah, you might stay home or vote green, but you know you would never actually back the republican, even if it was a moderate like Pataki or Kasich or atlas favorite Jim Gilmore.

If the election were George Pataki vs. Earl Ray Tomblin, I think we all know who he'd vote for

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Honestly, at first it was hilarious watching this clusterf**k, but it's actually horrifying at this point. A major political party has descended into a fascist mess that wants to turn the country into a banana republic where they imprison their political opponents, stifle all descent, and rule like a dictator against the wishes of Congress and the law. And the scarier part is that they actually have a chance to win due to how many mindless drones care about nothing else other than the letter after your name when voting.

American democracy is in trouble.

IceSpear, we all know that you would never vote to have a republican as president, no matter how scandalous or awful the democratic candidate is. Yeah, you might stay home or vote green, but you know you would never actually back the republican, even if it was a moderate like Pataki or Kasich or atlas favorite Jim Gilmore.

If the election were George Pataki vs. Earl Ray Tomblin, I think we all know who he'd vote for

He hasn't said he hates WV D's, he just thinks they're all dead in the water while I don't think it's wise to extrapolate from 2014.

[Mike Thick]

Honestly, at first it was hilarious watching this clusterf**k, but it's actually horrifying at this point. A major political party has descended into a fascist mess that wants to turn the country into a banana republic where they imprison their political opponents, stifle all descent, and rule like a dictator against the wishes of Congress and the law. And the scarier part is that they actually have a chance to win due to how many mindless drones care about nothing else other than the letter after your name when voting.

American democracy is in trouble.

IceSpear, we all know that you would never vote to have a republican as president, no matter how scandalous or awful the democratic candidate is. Yeah, you might stay home or vote green, but you know you would never actually back the republican, even if it was a moderate like Pataki or Kasich or atlas favorite Jim Gilmore.

If the election were George Pataki vs. Earl Ray Tomblin, I think we all know who he'd vote for

He hasn't said he hates WV D's, he just thinks they're all dead in the water while I don't think it's wise to extrapolate from 2014.

It was a joke

[IceSpear]

Obviously WV Democrats like Manchin/Tomblin are not exactly my type, but they're relatively decent considering what a terrible place they represent. Manchin is okay, but I think he should retire with dignity rather than ending his political career with an embarrassing Blanching.

[Xing]

Political discourse is dead. It's all about empty platitudes and talking about how satanic and deserving of being thrown in jail the other side is. Truly a sad spectacle.

B.S.  Hillary Clinton has given at least one serious and  fairly detailed talk on her economic policy.  It was aired live by CNN but Rapist Trump gave his 'serious' speech about Hillary Clinton on the same day and wasn't covered.

This is just more tiresome false equivalence.  

I never said Hillary Clinton doesn't elaborate on her plans. You misunderstood me. I was talking about how empty this convention has been. It takes two to have discourse.

[Tender Branson]

To the native Americans here:

What exactly does the phrase "Trump digs coal" really mean ?

[136or142]

Political discourse is dead. It's all about empty platitudes and talking about how satanic and deserving of being thrown in jail the other side is. Truly a sad spectacle.

B.S.  Hillary Clinton has given at least one serious and  fairly detailed talk on her economic policy.  It was aired live by CNN but Rapist Trump gave his 'serious' speech about Hillary Clinton on the same day and wasn't covered.

This is just more tiresome false equivalence.  

I never said Hillary Clinton doesn't elaborate on her plans. You misunderstood me. I was talking about how empty this convention has been. It takes two to have discourse.

Sorry!

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

Aren't the latest FEC numbers supposed to be out real soon?

If another report drops during this convention of Trump's pisspoor campaign funding, I can't imagine the atmosphere on the floor getting more dire