The Convention We Almost Had

The 2024 Republican Convention showed the world an inclusive, diverse, Big Tent, pro-America party that supports God, country and Americans. But, what if..? A horrible RNC we almost had, imagined

Originally published in the Alabama Gazette

Last Monday, the Republican National Convention kicked off with a bang.

Even before the convention formally opened that morning, there were already celebrations being held over U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s tossing of unlawfully-appointed special counsel Jack Straw’s classified document case against President Trump. Even though everyone expects Straw to appeal—the DoJ has already given him permission to do so—this was a major win for Trump, and it set the tone for the day.

From the announcement that Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio had been selected to be the Vice Presidential candidate, through the process that formally nominated President Trump, through the day's speeches (and Glitch Mitch McConnell getting booed, got to love that!) to Trump’s own appearance in person with his VP pick for Monday’s keynote speech, it was an incredible day for MAGA Republicans.

Some of the highlights from that first day: the new Republican battle cry of “Fight! Fight! Fight!,” Rapper and Influencer Amber Rose telling how she came to abandon the lies of the Left and love our President (and prove that the Republicans are indeed a diverse party), and the fiery keynote speech by Teamsters President Sean O’Brian. O’Brian, the first Teamsters President to ever address a Republican convention, didn’t formally endorse Trump. He did, however, give a very pro-worker, anti-corporatist barnburner of a speech that resonated with Trump’s MAGA base, and likely offended and frightened the corporatist donor class and their pet RINO Establishment shills.

As I said, it was an incredible day for MAGA Republicans, and the hits just kept on coming for the next three days. Electrifying speeches by Madeline Brame, Kari Lake, Vivek Ramaswamy, Peter Navarro, Kai Trump, Tucker Carlson, Hulk Hogan and so many others clearly laid out a new, populist, inclusive, Big Tent, Trumpian, MAGA vision for America—a vision that no doubt horrified both Democrats and the RINO GOP Establishment—and paved the way for President/Nominee Trump’s Thursday night acceptance speech. Which, as expected, totally rocked.

It was one of the most positive, high-energy conventions I can remember, and at my age, I can remember quite a few. That it will give the Dems & RINOs nightmares is a feature, not a bug, as far as I’m concerned.

The convention left the base inspired, energized and ready to do the work that’s needed to win in November—exactly what you want a convention to do.

But…it very nearly wasn’t that way. Just as a thought experiment, consider the convention we might have had, had President Trump not turned his head to look at that graph on Saturday.

The former President of these United States would have been on his way to Washington to lie in state in the Rotunda while the convention was going on—and it would have had to go on, in some form. The logistics of the election would have made canceling and rescheduling the convention impossible, and how else would the party select a nominee at this late date?

No, the delegates would have immediately begun choosing an alternate candidate. I have no doubt that most of the other convention events would have been discarded, but the one essential function—naming the party’s candidates for President and Vice President—would have taken place. There would have been no other practical alternative.

And what a fustercluck that nominating process would have been! All of the Also Ran candidates from the first debate would have shown up to try to claim the prize. Even some party luminaries who didn’t go through the primary process might put themselves out there, because with the presumptive nominee killed (or in a coma with traumatic brain injury) by the oh-so-conveniently-deceased (and therefore safely beyond the reach of questioning) shooter…what would they have to lose?

A shark feeding frenzy would be calm by comparison.

Meatball and the DeSimps (and doesn’t that sound like the name of a teen garage band? A really bad one?) would be there, as would Never-Nikki Haley, Krispy Khristy, Vivek Ramicantspellthis and “the usual gang of idiots.”

Best case scenario? V-Ram would be off giving interviews so he wouldn’t be around while Meatball, Never-Nikki and Krispy Khristy would sneak off to a secret room somewhere. They’d be joined by the other Also Rans and the Establishment RINOs who were not at this convention (Bush II, Romney, Liz Cheney, Pence & Ryan) to plot who’d get the nod, and who’d get what in the Cabinet. This would give a group of MAGA Patriots the chance to brick up the door, hang sheetrock and paint it to match the decor before casually walking away.

This would leave Vivek the nominee, maybe Harriet Hageman of Wyoming as the VP nominee, done, let’s go home. Meanwhile, since it’s a “best case” scenario, those MAGA Patriots would conveniently “forget” where they hid the door.

Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. They’d probably break out of the room before they had a chance to go full Donner party, but with Krispy Khristy in there? Hope springs eternal, and all that.

I have complete faith that the #Uselessparty RINO Establishment elites and their corporate & Deep State leash-holders would not let Vivek top the ticket. He’s too Trump-like to suit them. No, they’d be more likely to try to pull a fast one and put Judas Pence, or maybe Mittens Romney on the ticket, blathering things like “experience,” “in this tragic time,” “focus on what’s important,” blah, blah, blah.

Tell me you can’t hear it in your head right now. You know you can.

What would be important to the Establishment RINOs wouldn’t be ousting whoever the Dems are going to pick to replace Dementoid Joe or restoring the Republic. It’d all be about keeping themselves in power, keeping their friends in place, keeping their sticky fingers on the budget and in the Treasury, keeping the wars going…and squashing those unwashed, deplorable MAGAs once and for all.

Remember how hard McConnell worked to kill the Tea Party? Or how hard he and McCarthy worked to stop the red (MAGA) wave in 2022? Some of us do.

We might get “lucky” and get a DeSantis/Haley or Haley/DeSantis ticket, but the very thought of that makes me throw up in my mouth.

Meanwhile, outside the convention hall, gleeful lefties would be dancing in the streets, overjoyed that our once and future President had been removed. Given how obnoxious they are at baseline, how much more awful do you think they’d be in their unrestrained glee? And how would shell-shocked, grieving, angry, frustrated MAGA Patriots react when the lefties got in their faces?

Read Kipling’s “The Beginnings” and substitute “MAGAs” for “English.” Yes, that’s the original word, not “Saxon,” but for the substitution it doesn’t really matter. Now consider that conservatives, as a group, don’t go for all that “mostly peaceful protest” nonsense with the burning, looting and marauding. But, we all have our limits, and when otherwise peaceful people are pushed beyond the breaking point, or they experience a great loss, or they feel they have nothing left to lose?

There’s a good chance that what might follow would make the St. George of Floyd riots look like Shanequa going off over cold fries at Mickey D’s, especially after the Pence/Romney ticket was announced.

One spark is all it takes to start a conflagration. At first, it might just be a scuffle, until it wasn’t. It’d spread like wildfire, and of course the Regime would react harshly against those evil MAGA domestic terrorists. Who are all 2nd Amendment supporters. With PewPews. With big mags and bump stocks and tac rails and…and…and….

How would they react when the same Resident, installed in office by a stolen election in 2020, who just a few days earlier said to “put Trump in a bullseye” told them “There’s no place for political violence in America?” Just a few weeks after celebrating the start of the War for Independence from a tyrannical regime? You know that holiday we celebrate on July 4th every year?

Yeah, I really can’t see that ending well.

But thank God, that’s not what happened. That horrible scenario is only a thought experiment and a warning for just how close to anarchy and the abyss we came. Many of us on the Right realize this and are appropriately thankful.

The question is, are enough on the Left smart enough, aware enough to realize it, too?

Somehow, I have my doubts about that.

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