The Firing Squad is Alive in Philadelphia

Philadelphians, lock your doors. Make sure your children are inside. Stock up with food and drink and stay in your homes for the next four days. The Democratic National Convention is in town.

Even at the best of times, National Conventions are rowdy affairs. Sometimes the delegates and attendees go too far. The 1972 Republican Convention saw Nixon’s men drawing up plans to smuggle protesters onto boats, where they would find booze, drugs and prostitutes to keep them busy for a few days and prevent their attendance. It is strongly believed that Hubert Humphrey lost the 1968 Presidential election because of the events at the Chicago Convention that summer. The streets of Chicago became no-go areas as Democrats clashed with police. Mayor Daly, a prime law and order mover, rubbed his hands in the manner of Pontius Pilate abrogating responsibility as hundreds of delegates were arrested and taken to jail.

Last night, the Democrat Convention opened with a disabled person speaking about Trump and his disrespect of a disabled journalist. A video of Trump, waving his arms and speaking like a demented idiot, was shown. No able bodied person could feel other than hurt and embarrassment for disabled people. The speech was followed, not by more speakers criticising the Republican nominee but by a long delay until an elderly Paul Simon came on stage to sing Bridge Over Troubled Water. His voice has seen better times. During the wait, there was a demonstration by Bernie Sanders supporters, the liveliest segment thus far.

The DNC had issued an apology yesterday over contents of leaked emails, indicating that senior staffers openly preferred Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders during the primaries. Bern fans were angry and they let it show. On Monday afternoon, Sanders tried to mollify the situation by sending his delegates an urgent email and his supporters an equally urgent text, asking them to tone down displays of dissatisfaction with the DNC. His former campaign team did the same. It didn’t work.

I went to bed long before Sanders spoke to the Convention. It seems he had some success in delivering the “Unite Behind Hillary” message but members of the Democratic establishment must have been scared that even Bernie Sanders had difficulties controlling his supporters. For the Feel the Berners, the revolution is evidently still happening and no one can convince them otherwise.

 

Presently, I have a mental image of the Democratic Party. They are standing as a firing squad, facing each other in a circle. We'll have to see how the rest of the week pans out and how many Democrats are left standing on Friday.