Weekend open thread: The GOP convention is kicking off

Trump has no message except the same racist rants. And the postmaster general was grilled by senators...but will it matter?

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I know! A lot of open threads this week.

I’ve wanted to sit down and write some more lengthy analysis but the DNC had us busy, covering all the speeches and interviewing participants and other Democratic leaders on my SiriusXM show. And I wanted to have open threads each day for discussion here. Glad I was able to share clips from our interviews this week in those threads too.

And since I do a weekend open thread for discussion, I didn’t think I should skip it, since many of you like jumping in on the weekends and just talking about what’s going on where you are. Promise that next week there will not be an open thread for each of the nights of the GOP. I’ll be covering it and other issues here and on the show though.

While Democrats put on an amazing show of unity and drove the point home that Trump is a threat to democracy, Trump has been completely thrown, not knowing what message to go with. He spent the week telling people to boycott Goodyear tires, an Ohio-based company (because they don’t want employees wearing political-themed apparel, and that includes MAGA hats) and lowering expectations for Joe Biden’s speech by saying he was “sleepy” — and then it turned out the speech was a barnburner.

AP Eastern US @APEastRegion

Ohio Republicans had a bumpy week: One of their best-known politicians threw his support behind Democrat Joe Biden, the Republican state attorney general challenged the Trump administration, and Trump himself took on an iconic company based in Akron.

apne.wsOhio Republicans try to regroup in crucial state for TrumpCINCINNATI (AP) — Complications pummeled Ohio Republicans this week as they sought to put up a united front headed into the GOP’s national convention. One of their best-known politicians...

Still, Trump is gearing up for the GOP convention, taking place at the White House — for his speech and Melania Trump’s speech in the Rose Garden — and at other locations. And we should expect they will haul out the most vile, ugly, racist attacks we’ve seen. They’ve lined up some hideous characters — even though Trump is claiming he wants it to be optimistic.

Speaking of the Rose Garden, Melania is getting thoroughly thrashed for her new re-design, which ripped out Jackie Kennedy’s trees as well as the beautiful flowers and made it into a stark and cold place.

Michael Beschloss @BeschlossDC

Before and after photographs of newly renovated White House Rose Garden: courtesy #Getty and @marycjordan

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was grilled by Democratic senators on Friday — and given cover by GOP ones — and promised mail-ballots will be sorted separately, will arrive on time and he will put on hold the changes that caused delays. But do any of you believe him?

He pretty much lied and said that the slow-downs were from the coronavirus pandemic but Senator Gary Peters of Michigan was quick to point out that everything was fine during the early months of the pandemic — in March, April and May, when he arrived — and it wasn’t until July when suddenly there was a massive slow down of mail.

What are your thoughts on this? And certainly want to hear what’s happening where you are and what you’re up to. Any predictions on the GOP convention? Thoughts on the Rose Garden? Summing up on the DNC? Oh and if you want to talk about Steve Bannon’s arrest, please do!

Let us know what you’re thinking and I’ll be jumping in too over the weekend.