# The Republican national Convention **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 18, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729 "2016-06-18T21:53:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 45
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/882 "2016-07-21T04:54:29Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > The Secret Service is investigating a Trump advisor who said that Hillary Clinton should be shot. > [Secret Service Investigating Trump Adviser Who Said Clinton Should Be Shot - TPM – Talking Points Memo](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/secret-service-investigating-al-baldasaro-clinton-shot-treason) > I think the more interesting thing in this article is the fact that a radio show that featured a white nationalist as a guest, and is broadcast on the same network that features a show hosted by that same white nationalist, was broadcast from the convention. Yeah, that should actually be scandalous, not just something everyone shrugs off. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/883 "2016-07-21T04:59:03Z")
My shoulders would detach from my body if this convention were any more shrug-worthy. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/884 "2016-07-21T04:59:13Z")
Just when “Speechgate 1 - Melania’s Mess” ends, the sequel “Speechgate 2 - Cruz Strikes Back” begins. It’s going to be a fun morning of conflicting stories from the Trump campaign tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/885 "2016-07-21T05:02:16Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > Lyin’ Ted mentioning atheists and gays? Wow. So he’s falling back from his campaign position that they should be shot in the face. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/886 "2016-07-21T05:08:58Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Senator Cruz didn’t go rogue. The campaign vetted his speech in advance, and he was allowed to speak anyway. If what I heard is correct, he was allotted ten minutes, and spoke for 23 minutes, so it’s not likely that they vetted the speech as given. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/887 "2016-07-21T05:09:22Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > So he’s falling back from his campaign position that they should be shot in the face. It was out of character. Perhaps he is repositioning himself for the 2020 race. Here is the actual quote: > [@](#): > > Freedom means free speech, not politically correct safe spaces. Freedom means religious freedom, whether you are Christian or Jew, Muslim or atheist. Gay or straight, the Bill of Rights protects the rights of all of us to live according to our conscience. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/888 "2016-07-21T05:16:56Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > If what I heard is correct, he was allotted ten minutes, and spoke for 23 minutes, so it’s not likely that they vetted the speech as given. Because they’re sloppy, they might have calculated it based on a normal WPM rate. Not Ted…Cruz’s…deliberate…style. And some people said he was speaking slower than normal, and adding even more pregnant pauses. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/889 "2016-07-21T05:27:01Z")
OK, so everybody hates Ted Cruz. Important thing to remember is that both sides do it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/890 "2016-07-21T05:58:30Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > I had to Google “Whist” which is unfamiliar to USAians. 🙂 Well, certainly not all Americans. Bid whist is particularly well-known and played among the African-American community here. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/891 "2016-07-21T05:58:49Z")
I’m finding him hard to hate ATM. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/892 "2016-07-21T06:35:41Z")
This was an actual speech delivered on national primetime TV. It’s actually worse than the Clint Eastwood empty chair! The opening minutes go into a bizarre and pointless tale of a childhood “circus”, but the last two minutes is where it gets cray-cray. You do not want to miss this, I promise you! > **[Michelle Van Etten: Trump is 'ultimate ringmaster'](https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/michelle-van-etten-trump-is-ultimate-ringmaster/2016/07/20/ac3b1bec-4ec0-11e6-bf27-405106836f96_video.html)** > > Small business owner Michelle Van Etten's speech at the GOP convention drew parallels from the circus she ran with her neighborhood friends as a child to how she views the current state of America. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/893 "2016-07-21T08:57:40Z")
Has anyone else seen this? [LA Times reports Norovirus outbreak ath the RNC](http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-california-republicans-norovirus-20160719-snap-story.html) ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/894 "2016-07-21T09:07:02Z")
Actual footage of [Michelle Van Etten’s circus.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBRl2n_NhvU). ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/895 "2016-07-21T09:21:56Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > It’s one thing to stand on your own feet, but yet another to go to someone else’s social event and shit all over it. Classless by Ted Cruz. I’m not from your country and maybe I’m misunderstanding entirely. The Republican National Convention is Trump’s social event? I thought it was an important part of your political process. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/896 "2016-07-21T09:27:53Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > That confirms it. Dummy Trump knew Cruz would not endorse and let it happen anyway. Trump is an idiot. What was the alternative? Wouldn’t Cruz _not_ speaking have stood out like dog’s testicles? Might be a smart move to get Cruz’s view on Trump onto the table so it’s old news rather than have his absence whispered about for the next few months. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/897 "2016-07-21T09:35:29Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I’m not from your country and maybe I’m misunderstanding entirely. The Republican National Convention is Trump’s social event? Yes, the nominee’s campaign is heavily involved in planning the convention. The party does the advance planning but eventually hands it over to the campaign to run. (It was a little different for the Republicans this year, since the Trump campaign is such a small operation, but they still would have deferred to Trump in choosing speaking slots.) > [@Princhester](#): > > I thought it was an important part of your political process. In actual practice, the primaries are the important part of the political process. The conventions are just big parties where they drop balloons on the winner of the primaries. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/898 "2016-07-21T10:47:55Z")
I love that the Republican thuglike delegates got furious at the idea of someone voting their conscience and choosing the candidate who’d uphold the Constitution. Revolting hypocritical shitheads. I hope that Norovirus sweeps the floor and they spend the next week unwilling to move more than nine feet away from their bathrooms. Seems only fair; these speeches have made sensible audiences vomit all week. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/899 "2016-07-21T11:11:15Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I thought it was an important part of your political process. Historically it was, the event where delegates chosen by the state parties gathered to select the nominees. But most states now have primaries or caucuses, with results binding on the delegates, so that’s where the candidates are chosen. The conventions are now just pep rallies. If no candidate had won a majority of delegates before the convention, then it would have reverted to the old style, with backroom deals and multiple roll call votes. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/900 "2016-07-21T13:09:03Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Two possibilities: > > 1. She is a secret supporter of the policies of Adolf Hitler and committed a major faux pas by revealing it on television in front of millions, or: > > 2. She was waving at supporters. Here is a [wider shot](http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/the_slatest/2016/07/21/laura_ingraham_gives_seeming_nazi_salute_to_image_of_trump/gettyimages578130712.jpg.CROP.promo-xlarge2.jpg) of what she was looking at when she waved, which is a bigscreen picture of Donald. Now, it is possible that that is a perspective trick and she wasn’t facing the screen, but it certainly makes it look much worse. And yeah, I think it is most likely an interrupted wave, but, damn . . . ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/901 "2016-07-21T13:24:04Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > And yeah, I think it is most likely an interrupted wave, but, damn . . . Yeah. That looks ugly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729.md?page=44) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729.md?page=46)