Now that Donald Trump's top thug Corey Lewandowski has been arrested for battery (and yes, folks, a notice to appear constitutes an arrest), we cats are pondering what other fights will break out between now and July, when the Republican National Convention officially convenes.
And on that topic, New York magazine has a helpful recap of all the heretofore ho-hum processes that a non-contested convention entails, but which a Trump-Cruz-Kasich-everybody-else fight could throw into total mayhem: speaker slots, platform planks, speech content, greeters, credentials, rules, et cetera.
They are all logistical details that organizers quietly decide in the weeks and months prior to the actual event — which, as New York points out, is usually a "highly choreographed infomercial" for the putative nominee. But that's in normal times. In the Trump vs. Establishment world of 2016, every little organizational decision that the Republicans will have to make will become a "struggle for power."
The article is right. But it managed to forget a few areas in which even more havoc could be wreaked. To that end, therefore, we cats respectfully submit:
Volunteers — No matter which party is convening, a host city often provides legions of friendly local folks to help with on-site logistics. Is it possible that people will be so offended by Trump that no one will want to sign up?
Tickets — Who will get to pack the hall with donors, pooh-bahs and other assorted onlookers to wave signs and applaud? (Note: We're not talking delegates, who are credentialed. We're talking wallpaper.) We can't picture the Ryans and Piefaces of the world giving all the skyboxes and balcony tickets away.
No-Shows — What if the GOP's leading lights and up-and-comers fail to show up? For example, will Kelly Ayotte or Ben Sasse be there? Susana Martinez? Charlie Baker? Will Chuck Grassley attend, or will he feel pressed to spend the summer attending barbecues back in Iowa? Who will the party want the talking heads and floor correspondents to interview? The stable may be a lot emptier than they thought.
Diversity — Although always a loser at Republican conventions, diversity and inclusion could take a special hit, thanks to Trump's unique ability to offend nearly every demographic and minority group on the planet. RNC 2016 will be the whitest, oldest, male-est convention ever — and in the middle of Cleveland! An amazing thought. We cats PURR and HISS at the same time.
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