It appears that the Never-Trumpers had a moment – they tried to force a roll call vote on the rules and were rebuffed, with a lot of them walking out. What’s particularly strange is that apparently they did the voice vote twice.
I’m not optimistic about a real rift emerging from this sort of thing, but wouldn’t it be nice?
3.
Groucho48
So, the RNC Convention starts with some procedural issues. They have to vote on a petition to allow delegates pledged to Trump to not vote for Trump. Nine state delegations called for a vote. The Chair disappeared for 10 minutes and came back and said three of the states had rescinded their request and six states are needed for the measure to succeed, so, the motion fails. As these are right wingers, there was a pause while the delegates took time to realize that 9-3=6. Motions were attempted to be made. The Chair disappears again. Comes back to announce that it is really seven states are needed. The delegates are not pleased. Motions are made to poll the states. Ignored. Motions are made to have a roll call vote on the motion. Ignored. By voice vote, the Chair declares the motion to allow voting your conscience fails. The Colorado and Iowa delegations walk out of the Convention.
This is actually the high water mark for the Republicans. They have everyone (nearly) in one room and no one has been shot yet. But after this is over all these goobers have to go home and GOTV for Trump, and I don’t think that the Trump supporters are expecting to do any more work, and I doubt if the anti Trump regulars are, either. The crowd looks to me like a herd of penguins, or seals, who are doing what their biological imperative and their instincts make them do–migrate yearly to one spot of an inhospitable coast–and they are going to lay their eggs or bear their young. But they simply don’t have the brain power to deal with the fact that their habitat has changed and they won’t be able to rear their young in the old location, with the old feeding and nesting capabilities.
No good can come from humans watching that feed. You will either splode from the BP rise or die laughing at the stupidity. It is possible to have both happen in the same minute.
19.
seaboogie
@Amir Khalid: Consider it a belated birthday gift to you? It was that or name a star in your honor, but nobody volunteered to pass the envelope to raise funds for the latter.
Ironic that they allow this voice floor vote to stand against their own regular calls for 2nd amendment solutions. I mean, geez guys, it’s an enclosed space with limited egress points and you still can’t get this shit done?
24.
MattF
@schrodinger’s cat: One of the many contributions of Thomas Nast to the national fund of symbols. Try wikipedia for more info, and this.
Still dead. In the immortal words of Han Solo, I have a bad feeling about this. They cut the feed when somebody loses it and begins shooting the place up, or begins taking hostages. My money is on Donald trump himself, though I wouldn’t count out Ted Cruz, either.
@schrodinger’s cat:
It takes an animal that big to create that much shit. It is also appropriate from the standpoint of an animal that uses part of the face to spray mud and whatever is in the mud, usually shit, all over the place.
And I believe that the democratic animal is a jackass rather than a donkey. Just a thought from one democrat to another.
ETA Damn you Mike J
31.
Tripod
The Donald is introducing his wife tonight. I wonder if he will introduce his self.
The crowd looks to me like a herd of penguins, or seals, who are doing what their biological imperative and their instincts make them do–migrate yearly to one spot of an inhospitable coast–and they are going to lay their eggs or bear their young.
You should be expecting a stern response forthwith from the Marine Animal Antidefamation League.
35.
Aleta
@Groucho48: thanks for explaining that so clearly.
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.): The feed isn’t dead. Just grab the little red circle at the end of the scroll line to the right and drag it back to the left to watch all the excitement before they went into their recess for the rest of the afternoon before the official start tonight.
@Adam L Silverman: Thanks! I like elephants. I associate them with Ganesha, who is known for his smarts. I mean you may laugh at him because he has a big belly and rides on a mouse, but he can run rings around you with his sheer intellect. GOP seems to be the antithesis of anything to do with knowledge or learning.
@Aleta: A #NeverTrump-driven convention meltdown leading to the death of the Republican party alone would be delicious. If the whole mess also takes out Kristol due to a fit of apoplexy, that would be like converting a 7-10 split.
44.
Aleta
@Calming Influence: ok, that makes sense now. He’s doing a good job then
45.
Adam L Silverman
@schrodinger’s cat: I’m a fan too. Its okay, there’s support groups.
Why is such a noble animal like the elephant associated with the foul GOP.
I passionately love elephants, and I’ve never seen a baby elephant that didn’t warm my heart and make me smile.
My former job required that I call on legislative district offices in six Southern states to present the Canadian position on various priority bilateral issues (naturally, nothing at all partisan). So, one day many years ago, I found myself in the Raleigh office of Sen Jesse Helms. An older woman met me and walked me back to meet the Senator’s state director. She was a pleasant, chatty woman, and she seemed pleased to point out various historic news clippings and special awards and the like. The office was a big one, and there was a huge collection on display of elephant paintings and photos, ceramic elephants, glass elephants, elephants on needlepoint cushions, etc.
There was one particularly stunning work, African, very simple wood carving, of a mother elephant and her calf walking straight toward the viewer. It was breathtaking — after 20 or more years I’ve never forgotten it.
I stopped briefly to admire it, and said to the woman who was escorting me, “Baby elephants are just precious.”
Gone was the friendly, talkative woman I had met a couple of minutes earlier. She gave me what I can only call a glare and said in tones of pure vitriol, “All babies are precious. That is why we must end abortion.”
It was a bizarre transformation, and it seemed insane — even for one of Jesse Helms’ staffers — to arbitrarily insert anti-abortion messages into an otherwise bland conversation.
I’ve always remembered one of the classics of the genre:
In 1980 Tip O’Neill was the chair of the Democratic National Convention, and an issue similar to the Never-Trumpers’ argument about unbinding delegates was on the agenda at the behest of the Kennedy forces. Just before the convention, Kennedy and Carter cut a deal in which Kennedy got to give his “The Dream Will Never Die” speech, followed by the vote, with the understanding that the vote would reaffirm that delegates were bound.
The speech was spellbinding, and really revved up the Kennedy delegates (not to mention probably a few Carter delegates). Anyone watching could tell that the ayes were much louder than the nays, but O’Neill did his job and ruled that they nays had it, gaveled the evening to a close, and went to his suite to drink some whiskey and tell Irish jokes. (The last part is conjecture, or would be if that wasn’t what he did all the time.)
By the way, Bill Clinton is the modern master of the political speech, but the Kennedy speech was off the charts. It was easily the best speech he ever gave.
Although he is (obviously) not part of my tradition, I am also an admirer of Ganesha. I learned about him from a former colleague whose name was Rajalakshmi Ganesh. (Her husband was Ganesh Ganesh!)
69.
Jeffro
The title of this post has me thinking of Bloom County, and therefore the discussion about an elephant being the symbol of the GOP makes me think it’s time for a new symbol : Bill the Cat
It wasn’t so much scary as utterly baffling. And yeah, I chalked it up to her simply being the kind of person Helms would hire (although IIRC, his state director was — or at least came across as — perfectly normal. I just think the older woman was a bit “tetched in the haid”).
We are electing a man in Donald Trump who believes in the name of Jesus Chris. And Republicans, we got to be united, because our enemy is not other Republicans — but is Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party.
Let’s pray together. Father, God, in the name of Jesus, Lord, we’re so thankful for the life of Donald Trump.
@SiubhanDuinne: Ganesh is a pretty common pan Indian name. He is particularly popular in Maharashtra.
I had even blogged about the annual Ganesh festival, that happens every fall.
raven
These morons don’t know whether to shit or go blind!
randy khan
It appears that the Never-Trumpers had a moment – they tried to force a roll call vote on the rules and were rebuffed, with a lot of them walking out. What’s particularly strange is that apparently they did the voice vote twice.
I’m not optimistic about a real rift emerging from this sort of thing, but wouldn’t it be nice?
Groucho48
So, the RNC Convention starts with some procedural issues. They have to vote on a petition to allow delegates pledged to Trump to not vote for Trump. Nine state delegations called for a vote. The Chair disappeared for 10 minutes and came back and said three of the states had rescinded their request and six states are needed for the measure to succeed, so, the motion fails. As these are right wingers, there was a pause while the delegates took time to realize that 9-3=6. Motions were attempted to be made. The Chair disappears again. Comes back to announce that it is really seven states are needed. The delegates are not pleased. Motions are made to poll the states. Ignored. Motions are made to have a roll call vote on the motion. Ignored. By voice vote, the Chair declares the motion to allow voting your conscience fails. The Colorado and Iowa delegations walk out of the Convention.
And, that’s just the first couple of hours.
raven
@randy khan: Optics dawg.
Mike J
Are you taking over
or are you taking orders?
Are you going backwards
Or are you going forwards?
Amir Khalid
When some of you guys said there was a Senator whose name is pronounced “Ben’s ass”, I thought you were kidding. It seems you were not.
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
My god, this mess actually has me watching CNN.
Aleta
So the vote was just measured according to the yelling sound as measured by the chair?
raven
@Aleta: Lot’s of votes are taken that way.
Aleta
Bill Kristol had to be bleeped on NPR talking abut Trump.
Aleta
@raven: What if the chair is deaf in one ear?
schrodinger's cat
Historical question: Why is such a noble animal like the elephant associated with the foul GOP.
raven
@Aleta: They do what they want to.
aimai
This is actually the high water mark for the Republicans. They have everyone (nearly) in one room and no one has been shot yet. But after this is over all these goobers have to go home and GOTV for Trump, and I don’t think that the Trump supporters are expecting to do any more work, and I doubt if the anti Trump regulars are, either. The crowd looks to me like a herd of penguins, or seals, who are doing what their biological imperative and their instincts make them do–migrate yearly to one spot of an inhospitable coast–and they are going to lay their eggs or bear their young. But they simply don’t have the brain power to deal with the fact that their habitat has changed and they won’t be able to rear their young in the old location, with the old feeding and nesting capabilities.
Corner Stone
Democrats in disarray!
Groucho48
@schrodinger’s cat:
For the same reason so many great rock songs are played at Republican events. Republicans steal whatever they want.
bluehill
Boy that escalated quickly.
Ruckus
No good can come from humans watching that feed. You will either splode from the BP rise or die laughing at the stupidity. It is possible to have both happen in the same minute.
seaboogie
@Amir Khalid: Consider it a belated birthday gift to you? It was that or name a star in your honor, but nobody volunteered to pass the envelope to raise funds for the latter.
Mike J
@schrodinger’s cat:
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
What’s going on? As of 5:17, the feed is dead, showing only a logo. Has Donald Trump taken hostages or something?
Tilda Swinton's Bald Cap
@aimai: Brilliant !
? Martin
Ironic that they allow this voice floor vote to stand against their own regular calls for 2nd amendment solutions. I mean, geez guys, it’s an enclosed space with limited egress points and you still can’t get this shit done?
MattF
@schrodinger’s cat: One of the many contributions of Thomas Nast to the national fund of symbols. Try wikipedia for more info, and this.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Aleta:
He called the GOP Putin’s Party on twitter. LOL.
Adam L Silverman
@schrodinger’s cat: Thomas Nast. He also did the donkey for the Democrats:
http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/how-did-the-republican-and-democratic-parties-get-their-animal-symbols
Adam L Silverman
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.): they’re in committee meetings/recess. You can scroll back and watch all the excitement from the beginning if you like.
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
Still dead. In the immortal words of Han Solo, I have a bad feeling about this. They cut the feed when somebody loses it and begins shooting the place up, or begins taking hostages. My money is on Donald trump himself, though I wouldn’t count out Ted Cruz, either.
dedc79
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.): “We are experiencing Trumpian difficulties. Please stand by.”
Ruckus
@schrodinger’s cat:
It takes an animal that big to create that much shit. It is also appropriate from the standpoint of an animal that uses part of the face to spray mud and whatever is in the mud, usually shit, all over the place.
And I believe that the democratic animal is a jackass rather than a donkey. Just a thought from one democrat to another.
ETA Damn you Mike J
Tripod
The Donald is introducing his wife tonight. I wonder if he will introduce his self.
raven
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.): relax
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
@Adam L Silverman:
Damn. I was hoping for something more eventful.
dr. bloor
@aimai:
You should be expecting a stern response forthwith from the Marine Animal Antidefamation League.
Aleta
@Groucho48: thanks for explaining that so clearly.
Tripod
@dedc79:
….leave The Donald alooone…….
Adam L Silverman
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.): The feed isn’t dead. Just grab the little red circle at the end of the scroll line to the right and drag it back to the left to watch all the excitement before they went into their recess for the rest of the afternoon before the official start tonight.
Timurid
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.):
It could be something simpler like a screaming argument/fistfight at the podium or some kind of SOY BOMB prank/publicity stunt…
Calming Influence
@Aleta: The ability to be temporarily deaf in either or both ears is a strong qualification for a chairperson when taking a voice vote.
Tom Levenson
There must be something in the water re bigfooting. Alas….
Aleta
@schrodinger’s cat: trumpeting vs braying
schrodinger's cat
@Adam L Silverman: Thanks! I like elephants. I associate them with Ganesha, who is known for his smarts. I mean you may laugh at him because he has a big belly and rides on a mouse, but he can run rings around you with his sheer intellect. GOP seems to be the antithesis of anything to do with knowledge or learning.
dr. bloor
@Aleta: A #NeverTrump-driven convention meltdown leading to the death of the Republican party alone would be delicious. If the whole mess also takes out Kristol due to a fit of apoplexy, that would be like converting a 7-10 split.
Aleta
@Calming Influence: ok, that makes sense now. He’s doing a good job then
Adam L Silverman
@schrodinger’s cat: I’m a fan too. Its okay, there’s support groups.
Adam L Silverman
@schrodinger’s cat: I’m a fan. Its okay, there’s support groups.
Aleta
@Ruckus: My mama put my guns in the ground.
Quinerly
MSNBC reporting that Trump motorcade involved in an accident. “Trump unhurt.”
Miss Bianca
I can’t believe you people are driving me to click on this link.
Omnes Omnibus
@Miss Bianca: Don’t get out the boat. The mangoes aren’t that delicious.
sukabi
@Mike J: well there’s that, but also a looooong memory for perceived slights and score settling, but maybe that only applies to “human” avatars.
Renie
Can’t believe I’m listening and rooting for Mike Lee. LOL
EBT
@Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA: Watch CSpan and you get people too old/technologically inept to post on gamefaqs or TVtropes calling in.
Miss Bianca
@Groucho48: Oh, thank you for that – now I don’t have to watch the whole thing!
@Omnes Omnibus: Saved by kind friends summarizing. Also, the kittens tromping something on the keyboard that made both screens go black.
sukabi
@Quinerly: who’d they run over?
gorram
@schrodinger’s cat: It’s all this one comic‘s fault actually.
Quinerly
@sukabi:
Looks like a car wreck on the way to the train wreck.
chopper
@Quinerly:
man, i said ‘rooting for injuries’ but i wasn’t literal about it.
SiubhanDuinne
@schrodinger’s cat:
I passionately love elephants, and I’ve never seen a baby elephant that didn’t warm my heart and make me smile.
My former job required that I call on legislative district offices in six Southern states to present the Canadian position on various priority bilateral issues (naturally, nothing at all partisan). So, one day many years ago, I found myself in the Raleigh office of Sen Jesse Helms. An older woman met me and walked me back to meet the Senator’s state director. She was a pleasant, chatty woman, and she seemed pleased to point out various historic news clippings and special awards and the like. The office was a big one, and there was a huge collection on display of elephant paintings and photos, ceramic elephants, glass elephants, elephants on needlepoint cushions, etc.
There was one particularly stunning work, African, very simple wood carving, of a mother elephant and her calf walking straight toward the viewer. It was breathtaking — after 20 or more years I’ve never forgotten it.
I stopped briefly to admire it, and said to the woman who was escorting me, “Baby elephants are just precious.”
Gone was the friendly, talkative woman I had met a couple of minutes earlier. She gave me what I can only call a glare and said in tones of pure vitriol, “All babies are precious. That is why we must end abortion.”
It was a bizarre transformation, and it seemed insane — even for one of Jesse Helms’ staffers — to arbitrarily insert anti-abortion messages into an otherwise bland conversation.
These people are nuts.
schrodinger's cat
@SiubhanDuinne: Have you seen baby elephants in the wild trailing behind their mom? Its the cutest sight evah!
Pogonip
We’re thinking about getting some cute little finches. Could someone please start a finch thread so I can learn from the Balloon Juice animal experts?
SiubhanDuinne
@schrodinger’s cat:
Never in the wild, just videos (and zoos). Cutest evah, I agree!!
And now, Mancini’s “Baby Elephant Walk” is going to be the evening’s earworm, I guess.
gogol's wife
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
Well, good for him. I guess he has a speck of civic virtue in him somewhere.
randy khan
@Aleta:
I’ve always remembered one of the classics of the genre:
In 1980 Tip O’Neill was the chair of the Democratic National Convention, and an issue similar to the Never-Trumpers’ argument about unbinding delegates was on the agenda at the behest of the Kennedy forces. Just before the convention, Kennedy and Carter cut a deal in which Kennedy got to give his “The Dream Will Never Die” speech, followed by the vote, with the understanding that the vote would reaffirm that delegates were bound.
The speech was spellbinding, and really revved up the Kennedy delegates (not to mention probably a few Carter delegates). Anyone watching could tell that the ayes were much louder than the nays, but O’Neill did his job and ruled that they nays had it, gaveled the evening to a close, and went to his suite to drink some whiskey and tell Irish jokes. (The last part is conjecture, or would be if that wasn’t what he did all the time.)
By the way, Bill Clinton is the modern master of the political speech, but the Kennedy speech was off the charts. It was easily the best speech he ever gave.
schrodinger's cat
Not the GOP elephant,
Gajanana from Bajirao Mastani
*Gaj = elephant
anana = face
schrodinger's cat
@SiubhanDuinne: We were driving from Mysore to Ooty and there is any elephant sanctuary along the way. The elephants have a right of way!
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
@SiubhanDuinne:
That’s kind of a scary story. I guess that’s the kind of person who would end up working for Helms, though…
SiubhanDuinne
@schrodinger’s cat:
As well they should! That sounds cool.
Although he is (obviously) not part of my tradition, I am also an admirer of Ganesha. I learned about him from a former colleague whose name was Rajalakshmi Ganesh. (Her husband was Ganesh Ganesh!)
Jeffro
The title of this post has me thinking of Bloom County, and therefore the discussion about an elephant being the symbol of the GOP makes me think it’s time for a new symbol : Bill the Cat
Oop ack!!
SiubhanDuinne
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.):
It wasn’t so much scary as utterly baffling. And yeah, I chalked it up to her simply being the kind of person Helms would hire (although IIRC, his state director was — or at least came across as — perfectly normal. I just think the older woman was a bit “tetched in the haid”).
Ruckus
@SiubhanDuinne:
Requires saying as often as possible.
I’d say right up there with fuck LBJ. And Fuck Cancer.
Mike in NC
NBC News leads with “Republican Civil War” in Cleveland.
raven
@Ruckus: Thank you, thank you very much.
zonker
The guitar is a lefty!
Alex.S
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republican-convention-benediction_us_578d53fae4b0c53d5cfa99c9
An “interesting” benediction”.
schrodinger's cat
@SiubhanDuinne: Ganesh is a pretty common pan Indian name. He is particularly popular in Maharashtra.
I had even blogged about the annual Ganesh festival, that happens every fall.
JustRuss
@SiubhanDuinne:
But god forbid we spend any money to prevent the Zika virus.