Theater of the Absurd
The GOP convention was four days of theater of the absurd. The party that's controlled the White House for 8 years, Congress for 12 of the last 14, and appointed 7 of 9 Supreme Court justices, was dressing up in the costume of change. Watching these guys make their case to the voters was like watching the irresponsible son ask his dad to give him the car keys, promising he won't wreck the car again.
It was sad watching the convention emasculate John McCain. McCain is arguably the Republican who most bucked Republican orthodoxy the last 10 years, but the convention refused to let him talk about his signature issues -- campaign finance reform, immigration reform, compromise on federal judges. Instead, they forced him to pick for Vice President the candidate least likely to carry on any of these in case McCain dies in office.
McCain was the nominal standard bearer, but you could tell the delegates greatest pleasure was in knowing that they forced McCain to pick Sarah Palin for vice president. It was like watching a gathering of family elders celebrating that the family estate has been safely put in the hands of someone from the next generation who won't change any of the family furniture. As the balloons and confetti dropped and delegates waved signs calling for "Change", the elders smugly drank champaign, knowing that change is the least likely thing to come out of the Republican ticket for yet another election cycle.
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