CONVENTION CHAOS
Anti-Trump bid dashed
The heart of the Republican party lined up behind Donald Trump Monday, beating back a final attempt to embarrass him on the convention floor and erasing any doubt that he is, warts — oh, so many warts — and all, the new face of the GOP.
It was a remarkable moment in Cleveland: a stretch of minutes where everything seemed up for grabs. There was chanting and cheering and for a time, loud boos. Like Trump himself, it was chaos. And then it was done.
After all the drama and all the plans, the “never Trump” movement petered out. But it didn’t go quietly.
The anti-Trump forces had hoped to force a roll call vote on the convention rules and, if all went well, free the delegates bound to the presumptive nominee. For a time, it seemed like they had the votes necessary to do the former, at least.
Representative Steve Womack, an Arkansas Republican who was chairing the proceedings, said that nine states had originally requested a roll call vote, but that three later withdrew after fierce lobbying. Seven would be necessary to force the roll call vote.
“The chair has found insufficient support for the request for a record vote,” he said.
When it became clear that no recorded vote would take place, the arena erupted in anger. Several delegations walked out.
Anti-Trump organizers sent around text messages calling the process rigged. Chants of “Roll call vote! Roll call vote!” were heard around the hall.
But eventually, those calls were drowned out by cheers of “U.S.A.! U.S.A!” and “We want Trump!” And the convention moved on.
The never-Trump movement hasn’t quite given up.
Colorado delegate Kendal Unruh told CSPAN to expect “more insurgency,” according to Politico. “We don’t live in a dictatorship. We don’t live in a banana republic,” he said.
Robb Ward, a delegate from North Carolina said he won’t vote for Trump at all at this point. “I think it was horse s--t,” he said of the process Monday, adding he might vote Libertarian now or not vote at all.
Former senator Gordon Humphrey, who also opposes Trump’s nomination, called the presumptive nominee’s supporters “brown shirts” during an interview with MSNBC.
“They act like fascists,” said Humphrey, who represented New Hampshire for two terms in the U.S. Senate.
In a statement, the official Delegates Unbound movement compared the RNC tactics with those “typically seen under oppressive regimes.”
“We have seen the Trump government in prototype, it is ruled by force, contempt for procedure and the shouting down of opposition,” Humphrey said in the statement.
A.J. Spiker, a co-founder of Delegates Unbound, called for Republican party chairman Reince Priebus to resign immediately. Spiker accused Priebus of using “party resources to silence the will” of delegates.
But the opportunities for further mischief are limited now.
The drama Monday took place in the first session of the four-day convention. The rest of the week should be less volatile, at least inside the hall.
For the next four nights, speakers hand-picked by Trump, including B-list celebrities such as Scott Baio, and a host of Republican insiders will speak in primetime slots. There are no more procedural battles to fight.
The only remaining question at this point is how often Trump himself will speak. Traditionally, nominees have given only one speech, on the convention’s last day. But Trump appeared Monday evening to introduce his wife and could well appear again.
Outside the arena, meanwhile, protests continued both for and against Trump.
The main work of the convention is taking place in a massive fenced-off zone in the middle of downtown. On Monday afternoon, a loud rally passed right outside, packed with groups opposed to Trump’s views on immigration, race and other issues.
The rallies have for the most part been peaceful so far. Even as Republican delegates walked through the march itself Monday, there were no obvious signs of strife. The groups seemed almost resigned to ignoring one another and allowing each to get on with its work.
But inside the fence, the battles were all internal. Republican turned on Republican in the party’s last, official fight over Trump.
It’s hard to remember now how unlikely his victory once seemed. Just six months ago, when he lost the Iowa caucuses, he looked every bit the joke many assumed he was. But Trump kept winning, of course, and on Monday he won again, erasing any doubt that he now rules the GOP.
It is Trump’s party now. There’s no turning back.