A Modest Proposal for the Chicago Convention
Hammer Away
Diogenes has never done this before – yielding his Substack space to another member of the commentariat.
However, when something this viscerally astute passes by, I have no choice but to lasso it, brand it, and release it into my herd of Substacks.
Who is Bill Svelmoe, you might ask? He is the Sage of South Bend Indiana, Head of the History Department at Saint Mary’s College, accomplished actor, playwright, wit, raconteur, and political prognosticator. He wears all this lightly.
Without further ado . . .
Hammer an aspect of Trump’s character each night.
Monday: Give E. Jean Carroll a prime time speaking slot. Have her describe in explicit detail her rape. She should read the judge’s remarks where he says that “by any standard definition of rape,” Trump raped her.
At some point during her remarks, she should say, “It’s not only me.” Then bring onto the stage all of the women who have accused Trump of unwanted sexual advances and sexual assault. There were at least 24 at last count. Have each of them state her name, briefly provide the details of the assault, then state the date and place where it happened. Then every night for the rest of the week, remind the nation that the Republicans would have us place a rapist into the highest office in the land.
Tuesday: Highlight all the fraud. The fake university. The fake charity. Throw images of the shoes, the steaks, the vile tee shirts onto a screen. Then the massive fortune, a fortune built on Daddy’s money and fraud. Perhaps audience participation, counting together each felony conviction.
Wednesday: Have someone bring the reality to all the lies. Begin with the January 6 lies. Bring the people and/or documents on stage to prove they are lies. Show the video of screaming police officers attacked at the Capitol. Perhaps Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger with lead speaking roles. In fact, a Republican should probably speak each night.
Then go through all his major lies one by one, clearly demonstrating they are lies. Perhaps close with the lie that he is “the greatest president in history.” Bring a historian on stage to discuss why historians have already ranked him as the worst president in history.
Don’t be afraid to have fun here. Show video clips of his most moronic rambles through his fantasy thickets. Get the audience laughing.
Thursday: Tie together Trump’s character with his plans for a 2nd term. Lay out in detail Project 2025. But don’t stop there. Show video of his own words from his own mouth. Mock him over and over and over again for his failure to accomplish all the things he promised during his last term, all the great plans that would show up “in two weeks.” Get the audience participating, chanting after the speaker reads a promise, "In two weeks!" Repeat over and over again, “He had four years to … fill in the blank … and didn’t get close to fulfilling those promises. Why should Americans trust him to spend even ten minutes actually focusing on all the ridiculous promises he’s making now?” It’ll be TV and golf while the world burns.
Anyway, if I ran the convention …
Bill Svelmoe
10 July 2024