Convention Shaping Up as Big-Time Flop

[SoDesuKa]

The Republican Convention shouldn't have been held in New York at all. New Yorkers resent these out-of-town upstarts coming here to exploit September 11th. The delegates certainly feel the hostility - they have to! They can't go anywhere unescorted.

The convention's failure to connect with New York makes it a television production that might just as well take place on a sound stage in Dubuque. The Bush campaign is coming apart, ironically at the same time the Kerry campaign seems to be in a stall. On Election Day, however, people who aren't thrilled with Kerry will vote for him anyhow. It won't be close. Bush will attend the Inauguration as a spectator.

[imax2268]

1. any official numbers

as far as ratings yet...?

[checks-n-balances]

2. Hope you're right on several counts

However, one of the lessons learned from 2000 should be "It ain't over 'til it's over."

[ezee]

3. He ought to attend it from a JAIL CELL

[pretzel4gore]

4. yep

my first reaction too....

[imax2268]

5. nightline

just said that it's all about show and not a message...talking about people like Ahhhnold, Guliani, and McCain making great speeches but falling short on message...

[Tom Kitten]

6. all I can say is

I've wasted my time watching a bunch of fucking clowns spewing nothing but dead air as far as my ears are concerned...Root canal surgery is preferable to watching any more of this...

[NYC Liberal]

7. The audience is not enthusiastic at all.

All the shots on CSPAN show people sleeping, walking around, or just not paying attention. They even showed a kid playing his Gameboy.

[Zen Democrat]

8. This could be a sit-com, if it wasn't such a tragedy. n/t

[AgadorSparticus]

9. yesterday's USAToday had articles pretty much stating that the

republicans are regretting this decision to have it in NYC. the delegates also said that they wished it was elsewhere. i can only imagine. how can you have a good time when you are worried about protesters? :evilgrin:

what a pooper of a convention!!! i'm not watching it but flipping through the channels i caught some faces in the crowd and thought their convention looked tentative and depressing. and the stage looks like crap too.

[ContinentalOp]

10. Ha ha! I love it.

There's no way I could bring myself to watch a minute of this thing but it's great to hear that it's a flop even among the true believers.

[krkaufman]

11. "Bush will attend the Inauguration as a spectator."

I'll be surprised if he shows, at all. He's more than petty enough to skip-out.

[cthrumatrix]

12. just like thier commander.."feel the love"...NOT

[VolcanoJen]

13. The whole thing is amazingly flat to me.

For one thing, the lighting is crap; it's far too bright in that hall, which accentuates the overwhelming whiteness of the delegates and attendees.

Also, these Republicans have no idea how to make an introduction. When Bush appeared via satellite last night to introduce Laura, and she walked out, the house lights were all the way up, some music played for about 20 seconds, and she went right to her canned, boring speech. No drawn-out ovation or outpouring of love from the delegates. When Teresa came out to give her speech at the DNC, the house lights were down, the stage lights were up, the music blared, and it took at least five minutes to get the excited crowd to calm down long enough for Teresa to start her speech. Now that's how you welcome the wife of the candidate!

To me, it just seems like the delegates can't wait to rush out of that hall after the speeches are over. Last night, the evening closed with a really lovely choir of African-American men, and I was embarrassed for them as I watched the wide shots of MSG, with delegates practically racing for the exits. At the DNC, they'd wrap up the night with a band like Black Eyed Peas, and the crowd stuck around, danced, waved signs and looked as though they were in no hurry to return to their hotel rooms.

These folks just don't know show-biz. The convention is flat, boring, and lilly-white.