It was somewhere around North Dakota when the realization began to take hold. Donald Trump really is going to be the Republican nominee for president.
Republican insiders were looking forward to cavorting in Cleveland with their regular cast of money men, evangelicals on vacation, and money men, but Trump has frightened away most of the big donors along with what passes for the cool crowd in the GOP (can I get a “let’s replace income tax with a value added tax?” Whoop!). It all points to one terrible conclusion: the parties are going to suck.
Many GOP regulars are skipping Cleveland entirely. (“I would rather attend the public hanging of a good friend,” says Will Ritter, an up-and-coming Republican digital strategist who worked on the three previous conventions.) And among those who are making the trek, there’s an overwhelming sense it won’t be fun at all. At a time when many Republicans are deeply dissatisfied with their nominee, pessimistic about their prospects for victory in the fall and alarmed about the direction of their party, there’s a reluctance about attending the convention more typically reserved for going to the DMV, being summoned for jury duty or undergoing a root canal.
But hey, they don’t know what they’re missing. Donald Trump reported two weeks ago that all the speaking slots were full. Of course, he also said that he’d reveal the line-up and just yesterday, Trump accounted for a whole 10 minutes to cover Paul Ryan's major speech. That just leaves 2,000 or so minutes unfilled. Which Trump will detail right after he makes his next charitable contribution or releases his income taxes.
So it’s not as if the Republican Party is pooped.
“What’s there to celebrate?” asked Jay Zeidman, a Texas health care executive whose family has been a major benefactor of the Republican Party. “The party has hit rock bottom in terms of leadership.”
Don’t be so sad. Loser.