In Other News

Ailes out.

More thoughts on the coming shakeup.

Psychological Profile

Some details filled in, by Jane Mayer's interview with Tony Schwartz, Trump's "Art of the Deal" ghostwriter—

Schwartz thought that "The Art of the Deal" would be an easy project....For research, he planned to interview Trump on a series of Saturday mornings.... But the discussion was soon hobbled by what Schwartz regards as one of Trump's most essential characteristics: "He has no attention span."

...."Trump has been written about a thousand ways from Sunday, but this fundamental aspect of who he is doesn’t seem to be fully understood," Schwartz told me. "It's implicit in a lot of what people write, but it's never explicit—or, at least, I haven't seen it. And that is that it's impossible to keep him focussed on any topic, other than his own self-aggrandizement, for more than a few minutes, and even then . . ." Schwartz trailed off, shaking his head in amazement.

If Schwartz was responsible for building Trump's image as America's CEO, he now regrets it. And tries to make amends by ... this...

Details, details... More that are not particularly shocking, but useful to have confirmed. Charles Pierce—

We learn from this week's New York Times Magazine that the brain trust of the nominee's campaign went for one of the Grandest of Grand Bargains. We also learn that, at least in its pitch to John Kasich, He, Trump considers his role as president to be not far distant from his role as chancellor of Trump University. Namely, he's the midnight-movie TV pitchman while Kasich is the guy who does the actual job, hides the dough, shreds the documents, and accepts all subpoenas.

From the Times Magazine's report:

... according to the Kasich adviser (who spoke only under the condition that he not be named), Donald Jr. wanted to make him an offer nonetheless: Did he have any interest in being the most powerful vice president in history? When Kasich's adviser asked how this would be the case, Donald Jr. explained that his father's vice president would be in charge of domestic and foreign policy. Then what, the adviser asked, would Trump be in charge of? "Making America great again" was the casual reply.

Death March 2

Last night, among a would-be lynch mob. Which had to settle for a mock witch trial.

Charles Pierce saw Christie's performance as feature in "the Volksgerichtshof portion of the festivities." The part in which—

One after another, the establishment pols came rolling out to pledge their undying fealty to the new boss. I'm surprised that He, Trump let them keep their belts on so their pants wouldn't fall down.

The Morning After...

Night One of the freak show.

The GOPvention opened with ... a prayer...

This shows how weak Trump's political instincts really are. His team exploited a grieving mother, but instead of milking the exploitation, Trump called Fox during her speech, earning a cut away to himself. It would seem a clumsy W-style hug for this woman was called for, but Trump's sociopathy is accompanied by a germ phobia.

Of all people for Melania's speechwriter to plagiarize...

It is pretty astounding, considering how this team has spent the last eight years demonizing the First Lady.

The twitterverse soon contributed more, #FamousMelaniaTrumpQuotes.

And tonight...

It would be hard for Wingnuttia to top Monday's Make America Safe Again festivities, but they seem to be up for the challenge of riding their high horse on a low road. Tonight’s theme is Make America Work Again.

tengrain adds Brian Beutler's tweet of last night:

Will be hard for tomorrow night's theme of "a minority will take your job" to top tonight's theme of "a minority is going to kill you."

Influences

In Baton Rouge, post-police shooting of Alton Sterling: three police killed, others wounded,  in ambush on July 16.

As the Noise Machine publicizes suspect Gavin Long's one-time membership in the Nation of Islam, Steve M. offers some more telling details on Long's path to planning a massacre—

... he got there by a circuitous route. He spent a long time obsessed with self-help and self-improvement, and wanted -- in an almost Trump-like way -- to sell his alleged greatness to other seekers of human perfection...

It's a story of someone with a military background—and mental instability—who gravitated to Afrocentric versions of sovereign citizenship, along with self-improvement. He also came under the influence of the "Men's Rights" movement. In other words, he had multiple crank ideas that, had he been a white supremacist cop-killer, would have made him "a lone wolf" whose actions were unfathomable and thus of no greater social significance.

Readying The Show

Republican convention preparations, appropriately underway.

Back, By No Popular Demand

The public spectacle returns.

Drunken swaggering, or just his usual lack of impulse control?
Sam's take.