Monday, June 22, 2020

And there it is

He couldn't wait until the election actually happens to cry foul.  That failed rally made him panic.



Foreign countries and others?  Who are the others?  Aliens?

Hey, here's an idea: have the RNC (or Jared) print up millions of mail-in ballots voting for you.  Oh wait.  If foreign countries are doing it, China, Russia and North Korea would be printing up those ballots already.

President Trump’s first rally in months, full of grievances and racist remarks, failed to draw the huge crowds the president anticipated, deflating what was supposed to be a triumphant return to the campaign trail after the coronavirus forced nationwide lockdowns.

Although some hardcore supporters camped out for days, there were empty seats throughout the upper decks of Tulsa’s downtown arena when Trump took the stage, a sharp blow to a president who is counting on faithful audiences to buoy his sagging reelection chances.

  LA Times
How stupid do they feel camping out because Trump told them a million people wanted tickets? Oh wait, were they paid?
Trump had no message of sympathy for those who lost friends and family to the virus, complaining instead that extensive testing was making the pandemic look worse.

[...]

Despite the protests against racism and police brutality that have swept the nation in recent weeks, the president made scant reference to the issues raised by demonstrators. Trump did, however, lace his speech with racist comments, at one point calling the coronavirus, which originated in China, the “kung flu.”
And they loved it.
At another point, the president warned that left-wing calls for cutting law enforcement would appear shortsighted when “a very tough hombre is breaking into the window of a young woman whose husband is away.”
Works every time.
[I]n addition to speaking to a partially empty arena, Trump had to cancel an outdoor event that was supposed to cater to an overflow crowd of thousands. [...] [W]orkers began dismantling the expensive stage around the time the president landed in Tulsa.

[...]

The anemic turnout in the deep-red state of Oklahoma may be a red flag for Trump’s reelection campaign, which is trailing by nearly double digits to Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Ed Rollins, a veteran Republican strategist who leads a super PAC that backs Trump’s reelection, said it was a bad idea for the campaign to stage a rally with the coronavirus still spreading unchecked. The campaign’s failure to meet its own crowd expectations was a worrisome sign about its competence, he added.

“Any time you put on a show and you get bad press out of it, that’s not a good strategy,” Rollins said.

[...]

The president’s speech was often aimless, ricocheting from his decision to order replacement planes for Air Force One to claiming he’s improved medical care for veterans to boasting about appointing hundreds of federal judges.

At one point, Trump diverged onto a lengthy explanation of why he had walked gingerly off the stage after speaking at a West Point graduation ceremony. A video of his walk, along with a clip of him apparently struggling to sip a glass of water, had raised concerns about his health.

At his rally, Trump complained that he was wearing “leather bottom shoes” that are “not good for ramps,” especially a “really steep ramp” that was as slippery as an “ice skating rink.” He then theatrically took a sip of water, tossing the glass aside to cheers from the crowd, which chanted “four more years.” A person involved with the reelection effort called the speech a “disaster.”
Surely that person hasn't been paying attention.
“Our country is on fire, people are out of work and scared and he’s talking about ramps and water!!!!” the person wrote in a text message.
Whatever would have led him to believe it would be anything else?
He eventually focused his remarks on Biden, his likely general election opponent, calling him “fully controlled by the fringe of his party.”
Project much?
Trump seemed to realize he was struggling, pausing partway through the rally to give himself a self-assessment — “so far tonight, I’m average.”
Holy shit.
A few fights broke out — mostly shouting, but occasionally a few fists were thrown. Police repeatedly separated people sparring with each other. But nearby protests ended peacefully.

Once the rally ended and Trump’s motorcade departed, hundreds of Black Lives Matter demonstrators marched through the streets around the arena. Police fired pepper balls — less lethal rounds that contain chemical irritants. It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured.

[...]

Some Trump supporters said Saturday they were worried about COVID-19 and brought masks, which were also being sold outside the rally, along with face shields and hand sanitizer. But most said they did not intend to wear masks inside unless it was required.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. The campaign - and Trump himself - kept promoting the safety of the event because they were providing masks and hand sanitizer. Nobody mentioned they'd be selling those items. Why am I surprised?
“It was important to me to support what I believe in. I’m not going to let a bunch of people tell me I can’t do something. We’re still in a free country,” said Janet Arnold, 64, a massage therapist who drove to the rally from Bolivar, Mo., and described herself as “a gun-toting grandma.”
I'm from Missouri. And I have a grandmother friend who said essentially the same thing to me over the Memorial Day weekend when she and her family went to the Lake of the Ozarks (you've seen pictures). "We're adults. We can make our own decisions. I don't want the government telling me what to do!"
The president’s campaign had attendees sign a waiver pledging not to sue if they get sick from the event.
They'll blame the protesters.

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