Mollie Hemingway was good enough to play-by-play tweet-thread the first night of the Democratic National Convention … she is tougher than this editor who had to tap out before Michelle Obama even started to speak. It was just that ridiculous.
I don't think I can do this.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
But she did because she’s a badas*.
Her thread is great.
Idea: Both parties should stream an MST3K version of the other party's convention. Ratings gold. I would totally love to see Trump and Melania watching this and hearing their comments.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
That would at least make it entertaining. Otherwise, it just felt like the longest, most annoying campaign ad with bad actors ever.
One thing that's fun about watching the DNC is how their messaging is identical to corporate media messaging. What are the odds?
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Because they hire marketing people, the same sort of marketing people who work for companies like Pepsi.
I will pay cash money for someone at the DNC — ANYONE — to do something exciting over the next two hours. I did not get much sleep last night and I'm going to need someone to spice things up. These pre-recorded, perfectly composed vignettes are not doing it for me.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Does that count?
One of the things that made 2016 Trump rallies so fascinating was that the campaign didn't pick who sat behind him the way campaigns normally do it — to get attractive women and the right balance of skin color, signage, etc. Instead, you'd get this "here comes everybody" feel
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
and it was oddly fascinating to watch people just looking at their phones, or possibly having had a bit to drink before showing up at the rally, or calling their friends to tell them to look at them on the TV, etc. This ethos continued at the WH in picture composition
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Being, you know, human.
They'd take pictures of visitors to the Oval Office that looked like they could have been published in a local newspaper. Just line people up in an awkward pose. And in all of these cases, the visuals were utterly captivating BECAUSE they weren't perfect
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
And that is my advice for political parties and campaigns. Reconsider whether you want perfectly polished, perfectly composed ads and videos. You may be surprised how well it goes for you. OK, back to pretending to watch.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Pretending to watch.
Heh.
I know Americans are decades past wanting to hear this and nobody else agrees with me but my old lady opinion is that you should reconsider whether you really want to exploit family drama or tragedies for political or social gain.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
The woman who straight-up blamed Trump for her father’s death? AND DEMOCRATS INCLUDED IT IN THEIR CONVENTION?!
When they show you who they really are, believe them.
This doctor with a soul patch is cracking me up.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
DNC going all in on banning children from school — showing public teacher union members arguing for schools to keep children from attending. Interesting electoral strategy.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
But you know, it’s not political or anything.
Gretchen Whitmer has good lighting on her.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Not enough good lighting on the planet to keep her from looking like a wax figure in a horror scene at a wax museum. She’s so shiny.
Susan Molinari, speaking now, was billed as a "Republican congressman" — better known as a big time Google lobbyist who was paid millions to lobby for RUSSIA. It makes me laugh. https://t.co/3ITSiqwq74
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
HA HA HA HA HA HA
Like how Kasich was a big deal?
Poor John Kasich. NBC calls him "Kaisch" pic.twitter.com/JElu6cMfLw
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
They couldn’t even get his name right.
What percentage of people who voted for Trump in 2016 will not vote for him in 2020?
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Biden should have picked Amy Klobuchar to be his VP. Fight me.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Eh.
Probably better than Kamala though.
Just had a phone chat with other people who have to watch this and mostly we all just screamed at each other about how bad this pre-produced show is.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Bernie Sanders is the heart and soul tonight's proceedings, which has both upsides and downsides for the party, obviously.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Bernie getting caught before his speech? Priceless.
Michelle Obama says that maybe Democrats lost because voters were "fed up" in 2016. Harsh!
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Super harsh.
By the way, it is common for reporters and pundits to loathe conventions and I have always praised them and I tell you, I bet they're all admitting that they're infinitely preferable to what this year's things are going to be like.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
I know I already said it but it really is something that Democrats copy corporate media messaging for their political convention.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Michelle Obama said she knew some people won't listen to what she has to say because she's a "black woman speaking at the Democratic National Convention." I'm sure she didn't mean to suggest that people who disagree with her are not listening to her because they're racist.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
You’d think by now she’d realize the race card is overplayed and yet here we are.
I survived the first night of the 2020 conventions!!
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
Whoohoo!
Mark just said he thought Democrats should cut it down to two hours and I had to tell him that it was only two hours long tonight.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
EL OH EL.
Fear can be a valuable motivator for voters, but that was one joyless evening.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 18, 2020
And fin.
Mollie really took one for the team.
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