The Changing of the Guard in Cleveland

What a difference four years makes. The just-ended Republican Convention in Cleveland was a lot different from the Tampa GOP convention four years ago, and a lot different from the St. Paul Republican convention four years before that. One is tempted to say, “Let’s count the ways,” starting with the conventional wisdom-defying rise of Donald Trump, but it’s hard to count that high. So let’s just focus on six:

First, look who wasn’t there. No John McCain, no Mitt Romney, no Jeb Bush, no George W. Bush, no George P. Bush—no Bush family whatsoever; we can all decide for ourselves how many Republicans were truly saddened by their absence. And if they had appeared, we can guess how many channel-surfing swing voters might have caught a glimpse and said to themselves, “Hey, there’s Mitt Romney! That reminds me: I need to vote Republican this November!” (Said nobody.)

Second, gay rights. The days of overt Republican hostility to gays are long gone. And so, even, are the days of benign neglect. Today, Trump, a New Yorker to his core, has brought at least some “New York values” to the Party. And gays have reciprocated; as Silicon Valley mogul Peter Thiel declared on Thursday night, “I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all, I am proud to be an American.” And the crowd went wild—with a standing ovation. And a few minutes later, from the same podium, Trump himself gave an extended shoutout to gays, carefully articulating the letters “LGBTQ”—twice.

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