The 2020 Republican National Convention is a dumpster fire

The 2020 Republican National Convention has turned into a dumpster fire with cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic in North Carolina and then Florida. Just when you thought that things couldn’t possibly get any weirder …

The Associated Press reports that GOP Renomination of Trump to be held in private:

The vote to renominate President Donald Trump is set to be conducted in private later this month, without members of the press present, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Convention said, citing the coronavirus.

Nominating conventions are traditionally meant to be media bonanzas, as political parties seek to leverage the attention the events draw to spread their message to as many voters as possible. If the GOP decision stands, it will be the first party nominating convention in modern history to be closed to reporters.

Could it be that the RNC doesn’t want the media present to find out about the secret loyalty pledge ceremony that all cult members in the personality cult of Donald Trump have to take to their “Dear Leader”?

“Given the health restrictions and limitations in place within the state of North Carolina, we are planning for the Charlotte activities to be closed press Friday, August 21 – Monday, August 24,” a convention spokeswoman said. “We are happy to let you know if this changes, but we are working within the parameters set before us by state and local guidelines regarding the number of people who can attend events.”

The decision was first reported by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

The subset of delegates in Charlotte will be casting proxy votes on behalf of the more than 2,500 official delegates to the convention. Alternate delegates and guests have already been prohibited.

CNN adds, GOP convention in Charlotte closed to press, portions will be livestreamed:

Reporters will not be allowed on site as RNC delegates vote to formally nominate President Donald Trump as the 2020 Republican presidential nominee, but the vote will be livestreamed, the Republican official said.

The proceedings on the Monday of the convention — including the vote to formally nominate Trump — will be live-streamed, according to a Republican official familiar with the plans.

The restriction is unprecedented in modern American political history, but Republican officials said they were forced to limit attendance due to social distancing restrictions imposed by the governor of North Carolina.

“Given the health restrictions and limitations in place within the state of North Carolina, we are planning for the Charlotte activities to be closed press Friday, August 21 — Monday, August 24,” the RNC convention spokesperson said in a statement Saturday.

Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller, the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, called the move to close convention activities to the press an “an ill-advised decision” and called on the GOP to “reconsider” on Twitter Saturday evening. “The nomination of a major party presidential candidate is very much the business of the American people.”

Well Zeke, an enterprising reporter needs to go undercover and sneak into the 2020 Republican National Convention, like Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher from the Los Angeles Times. Maybe Repubicans don’t want the press to see the Klan rally and cross burning they have planned for after their “Dear Leader” is officially renominated.

An RNC official says the President is not likely to accept the nomination in Charlotte in a big public speech. If Trump goes to Charlotte, the expectation is that it will just be to thank the delegates in a private, closed press event.

Reuters adds that Trump says he might accept Republican nomination from White House: “U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was still considering where to make his speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination, adding he might do it from the White House.”

Who the hell knows for certain? What a clusterfuck.