Three-Dot Convention

Matt Welch | September 3, 2008

Bullet-pointed marginalia from last night's proceedings inside the e-less Xcel Center....

* Jo Ann Davidson, the chairman of the 2008 Republican National Convention Committee, gave the first of many gender-politics shout-outs with a rap about how in 1892, the last year the RNC was held in the Twin Cities, that was the first GOP convention to seat two women alternates. It went on like that ("Ever since that convention, women have been an integral part of the Party!"), until the big punchline, which she gaffed: "And today, 116 years later, we are holding a convention that will nominate a Republican woman, Gov. Sarah Pawlenty, our next vice presidential candidate!" Whoops!

* Judging from audience response, delegate enthusiasm for Ronald Reagan outweighs delegate enthusiasm for Teddy Roosevelt by a factor of roughly 10 to 1.

* I haven't talked to a single RNC delegate who didn't think that not having George W. Bush and Dick Cheney anchor down Day One was a stroke of good fortune. There was even some wicked speculation from multiple sources that had not Hurricane Gustav intervened, McCain woulda had to think of something to put "country first," or at least ahead of his convention's Day One. All that said, Laura Welch Bush and her husband were greeted very warmly.

* The second pop song played at the top of the prime-time proceedings was Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." Which strikes me as either A) a tad desperate, B) a Sopranos reference with implications every bit as mysterious, or C) a straight-up (and long-overdue?) GOP embrace of Yacht Rock.

* Speaking of music, more AC/DC, please. If Republicans want to get their Against Christ/Devil's Children on, I for one will not stand athwart history yelling "stop." Leave appropriately Angustastic suggestions in the comments for complementing last night's "Thunderstruck."

* Starting with his (late) entrance to the hall, there were about 7,000 different standing ovations for George Herbert Walker Bush. The first one was just a gracious and spontaneous tribute to an old grandee. The subsequent several thousand acquired bore a different character: Now that's my Bush!

* As photographic evidence confirms, there were more empty seats even in prime-time than there are at the end of a Dodger game. At the Democratic Convention, if you didn't take root two hours before anything important, the fire marshal wouldn't let you in. Here, you walk right up and find a nice bar stool and table looking directly at the stage. A sign of flagging enthusiasm? Was everyone just at the Ron Paul rally? Who knows!

Comments

Elemenope|9.3.08 @ 10:02AM|#

Starting with his (late) entrance to the hall, there were about 7,000 different standing ovations for George Herbert Walker Bush. The first one was just a gracious and spontaneous tribute to an old grandee. The subsequent several thousand acquired bore a different character: Now that's my Bush!

I don't call them "Bush the Greater" and "Bush the Lesser" for nothing, you know. Reportedly, Bush the Greater was fucking shocked that of all his sons, it would be W. that would follow in his footsteps.

|9.3.08 @ 10:06AM|#

Is "Thunderstruck" the best choice of song when the Gulf Coast is getting hammered by a storm?

|9.3.08 @ 10:07AM|#

I don't call them "Bush the Greater" and "Bush the Lesser" for nothing, you know.

I know, but wasn't it pretty recently that conservatives reviled HW for abandoning "no new taxes" and other heresies?

Oh, wait, these are McCain delegates. I guess they're already heretics.

Re: AC/DC: "Love at First Feel."

|9.3.08 @ 10:41AM|#

Nostalgia for GHWB? He may be "Bush the Greater" to GWB's "Bush the Lesser", but both embody the effete, less than, white anglo saxon protestant mediocrity Ivy league legacy admittee born on third base thinking I hit a home run genre.

Seitz|9.3.08 @ 10:53AM|#

there were more empty seats even in prime-time than there are at the end of a Dodger game.

People still go to Dodgers games? Don't they realize there's a vastly superior team just down the road a piece?

|9.3.08 @ 10:56AM|#

I'm going to go out on a limb and say "Thunderstruck" was used as a reference to Varsity Blues, the 1999 James Van Der Beek movie.

Using a song from an 9-year-old terrible movie, starring one of the worst actors of his generation ("Ah. Doun't. Whant. Yr. Lihfe!"), is just the sort of thing GOP organizers would consider a novel approach at courting the youth vote.

Dagny T.|9.3.08 @ 10:58AM|#

Angustastic suggestions

For the interventionist in all of us: "If You Want Blood (You Got It)." National greatness! Woo!

Dagny T.|9.3.08 @ 10:59AM|#

...starring one of the worst actors of his generation...

Nice try, SugarFree. You were a HUGE Dawson's Creek fan, weren't you?

|9.3.08 @ 11:06AM|#

I was a fan of Katie Holmes before her face became radically lop-sided. Does that count?

I also won a long-range bar bet when I predicted that Michelle Williams would be the first of them to do a nude scene.

|9.3.08 @ 11:10AM|#

Nice try, SugarFree. You were a HUGE Dawson's Creek fan, weren't you?

And now he's a huge Gilmore Girls fan. These things go in cycles.

|9.3.08 @ 11:17AM|#

Gilmore Girls went off the air almost a year ago, you lackwit.

Russ 2000|9.3.08 @ 11:24AM|#

Government activity is more akin to "Dirty Deeds", "Done Dirt Cheap" might be their economic plank.

For Ms. Palin I'd pick "Can I Sit Next To You Girl". Or "Ballbreaker". Maybe a little "Problem Child" if they want to address the controversy.

And for an opener I'd always pick "It'a A Long Way To The Top" over "Thunderstruck" for the bagpipes alone. Look out, it's rough and mean.

|9.3.08 @ 11:27AM|#

Gilmore Girls went off the air almost a year ago, you lackwit.

And you knew exactly when, proving you watched it, and falling into my little trap.

Now he's into Gossip Girl.

The Extispicator|9.3.08 @ 11:29AM|#

There is no excuse to play Journey. None. I'd change my registration if I hadn't already two years ago.

|9.3.08 @ 11:29AM|#

Did your TiVo flake out on the premiere, Epi? Jealous?

|9.3.08 @ 11:35AM|#

Oh, NutraSweet. How you struggle and flail about. Why not just cede this round to me and end your embarrassment?

|9.3.08 @ 11:45AM|#

I refuse to be embarrassed about my concern on Serena and Dan's relationship and Blair and Chuck's destructive courtship. I REFUSE!

Potts|9.3.08 @ 11:59AM|#

"e-less" as in no internet access? Interesting.

|9.3.08 @ 2:20PM|#

I particularly enjoyed the underscore to the Reagan tribute was a riff on the opening theme to the TV show Dallas.

dougg33|9.3.08 @ 2:21PM|#

C'mon, we're missing the obvious. What path does the Republican Party seemed destined to keep us on???

Highway to Hell, of course!

|9.3.08 @ 2:47PM|#

AC/DC introducing Levi "mess with me and i will f--k with you" Johnson?

"You Shook Me All Night Long"?

Sorry.

|9.3.08 @ 2:57PM|#

It may have been empty last night, but when Sarah Palin shows up, it will be PACKED.

|9.3.08 @ 3:40PM|#

>>"... delegate enthusiasm for Ronald Reagan outweighs delegate enthusiasm for Teddy Roosevelt by a factor of roughly 10 to 1."

Most of those delegates can't recognize a photo of TR.

justin|9.3.08 @ 3:42PM|#

1. Shoot to thrill (play to kill).
2. Moneytalks
3. Hell ain't a bad place to be

|9.3.08 @ 3:49PM|#

"I haven't talked to a single RNC delegate who didn't think that not having George W. Bush and Dick Cheney anchor down Day One was a stroke of good fortune."

Please don't create sentences like this again.

Johnny Nowhere|9.3.08 @ 5:33PM|#

Big Balls... 'cause McCain was a POW. didn't you know?

|9.3.08 @ 7:36PM|#

People still go to the Republican convention?
Don't they realize last week there was a vastly superior convention just across the region a piece? (GO DODGERS.)

Ken B.|9.3.08 @ 8:51PM|#

I always thought it was "Anti-Christ Devil's Children"...anyway, maybe on the last night they will "Rock and Roll All Nite" with the Knights in Satan's Service.

Borat|9.7.08 @ 7:34AM|#

Video of Republicans dancing to AC/DC Thunderstruck can be found here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN1TCdoB238