National

Former football coach and Donald Trump booster Lou Holtz dumbs it down and sums it all up. He is angry and he is not going to learn your language or make pretend that your religion is real. Nobody, of course, is trying to make Lou Holtz learn Pashtun, or even Spanish, or even reasonably decent English. Nobody is trying to get Lou Holtz to celebrate Ramadan. But the idea that he has to choose "English" at the ATM is exactly the same thing as being forced to study the Koran. It fills him with a righteous rage. And Soccer...? Jesus Christ, why is there so much soccer on Lou Holtz' goddam TV?!?!?

No idea if this is true, but story is Melania rejected all drafts, wrote most of speech herself using the Internet. Actually seems plausible

— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) July 19, 2016

Reports are, from NBC, that two Republican contract speechwriters drafted a speech, and gave it to Melania and the campaign, and the speech she ended up delivering bared no resemblance to that speech. Paul Manafort continues to insist, as does Melania, that it was Melania that wrote the speech. If that is really true, it means two things: 1) the Trump campaign is more amateurish and incompetent than we could ever possibly imagine, and 2) Melania Trump is a liar and a plagiarist. Perhaps we should jail her immediately for theft, since that seems to be the Republican answer for everything these days.

Poor George... Former President George W. Bush confided to his closest ex-aides that he fears Donald Trump's nomination could hasten the downfall of the Republican Party, according to a Politico…

Charlie Copeland has said that he fully supports Donald Trump and the GOP platform. Furthermore, he has said that the party is unified in that support. So, I wonder if he, and all Republican candidates for office, would be willing to answer the following questions:

• Do you agree that abortion in Delaware should be illegal in all cases, with no exceptions for rape or women’s health?
• Do you support that passage of a law requiring the Bible to be taught in all Delaware public schools?
• Do you agree that being anti-abortion, and anti-gay rights should constitute a litmus test for appointing “family values” judges to Delaware courts?
• Do you reject any and all gun control measures in Delaware out hand?

This is Trump's GOP. It is the agenda that Charlie Copeland has pledged his and his party's loyalty to. Whether or not Republican office seekers are willing to answer those questions, at least they should be asked.

So that's pretty blatant, right? pic.twitter.com/EPnHME7afV

— Mike Hearn (@mikehearn) July 19, 2016

I am away from my computer on business today, so this is all the open thread you are going to get unless Cassandra and others want to add to it, or you can add stuff yourself in the comments. But, my God, that first night. Either a speech sounded better in its original German, or it sounded better when Michelle Obama first delivered it. Jail Melania Trump for theft!

One thing to keep in mind while you watch (or intentionally avoid watching) the clusterfuck in Cleveland: Trump voters should feel deeply ashamed, especially the party types like Charlie Copeland.…

I know Charlie Copeland is smart. So I know he doesn't believe the nonsense and rationalizations about Trump coming out of his own mouth. He no doubt hopes Trump loses without stripping away the last few shreds of the GOP's dignity. That way Copeland can go on to helping candidates who are more adept at keeping their bigotries quiet, like Ken Simpler, get elected. As for the rest of the Republicans quoted in this weekend's News Journal piece, like Gary Simpson, they are idiots. They have internalized the lie that Secretary Clinton is the anti-christ, or the lie that Donald Trump can be the strong man "America needs" or both. As for Delaware Republicans not going to the convention, all of them are voting for Trump. ALL of them. Every Republican knee will bend. Except one. Wilmington Booster, Ken Grant, has actual friends who are black and or Muslim, and he knows what a Trump victory would mean for them and the country. Everyone other Delaware Republican is voting for Trump. Every one.

During their disaster of an interview on 60 Minutes last night that made Sarah Palin's appearance on the same program 8 years ago look thespian, Trump gave Leslie Stahl this shocking response when she asked him about his running mate Mike Pence's vote to give Bush the authority to invade Iraq. I honestly think Trump didn't know Pence voted for the war.

Lesley Stahl: But we did go to war, if you remember. We went to Iraq. Donald Trump: Yeah, you went to Iraq, but that was handled so badly. And that was a war-- by the way, that was a war that we shouldn't have entered because Iraq did not knock down--excuse me Lesley Stahl: Your running mate-- Donald Trump: Iraq did not-- Lesley Stahl: --voted for it. Donald Trump: I don't care. Lesley Stahl: What do you mean you don't care that he voted for? Donald Trump: It's a long time ago. And he voted that way and they were also misled. A lot of information was given to people. Lesley Stahl: But you've harped on this. Donald Trump: But I was against the war in Iraq from the beginning. Lesley Stahl: Yeah, but you've used that vote of Hillary's that was the same as Governor Pence as the example of her bad judgment. Donald Trump: Many people have, and frankly, I'm one of the few that was right on Iraq. Lesley Stahl: Yeah, but what about he-- Donald Trump: He's entitled to make a mistake every once in a while. Lesley Stahl: But she's not? OK, come on-- Donald Trump: But she's not-- Lesley Stahl: She's not? Donald Trump: No. She's not.

IOKIYAR in real time. Or a double standard being applied to a woman in real time. Or just plain hypocrisy. Take your pick.

#canadiangeese #igdelaware #batterypark #oldnewcastle #historicnewcastle #de365 #delagram #scenicde #amazingpicturesdelaware

A photo posted by Hannah Duggan (@palindromemama) on Jul 10, 2016 at 8:25am PDT