The Trump show and the irony of a 'showbiz' GOP convention

Donald Trump has promised a “showbiz” convention, but where are all the stars? On this, the opening day of the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, the names of speakers revealed so far don’t seem to pack much punch.

But it doesn’t matter. This is Mr. Trump’s show, and with all things Trump in this most improbable of presidential cycles, it is already the most unconventional of political conventions in modern history. The Republican Party is bitterly divided over its presumptive nominee, who brings historically low favorability ratingsto the race. Scores of top party figures – including senators, House members, and governors – aren’t coming.Even the Ohio governor, John Kasich, is shunning Trump, all the while planning to be conspicuously on scene in Cleveland this week – talking to the media, appearing at events, monitoring security, throwing a bash at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.But Trump is still the star of the show, and with Trump, ever the performer, we’re never quite sure what he will do until he does it. Which, for anyone even vaguely interested in politics, makes it must-see TV.

“He’s running as a celebrity, and celebrities don’t play by any other rules than the rules of celebrity,” says cultural historian Neal Gabler. That is, keep it interesting, keep the narrative moving, keep the audience rapt.

And therein lies the irony for the Republican Party: Ratings are likely to be higher than usual for a political convention with the nomination set – under normal circumstances a dream for a party trying to advertise its brand and expand its reach. But it’s Trump’s party, at least until November. His convention could be messy, both inside the arena and out, and it could project an image – populist, nativist, nostalgic for a time many Americans would rather not revisit – that sets the Republican Party on an uncertain path.

Or it could be a pivot point, in which Trump makes himself more broadly likable and boosts a sense that he is a credible national leader.

“Donald Trump won’t have a better opportunity other than this coming week to demonstrate to the American public that he can be the president,” says Republican media consultant Bruce Haynes of Purple Strategies. “If he can execute a glitch-free four-day convention where people come away with a feeling that he’s competent, he has a message, and a vision for the future of the country that works for people, then he will have succeeded.”

The question is whether Trump can capitalize on that opportunity.

HOW TRUMP INFLUENCED PARTY PLATFORM

Trump’s selection of low-key Indiana Gov. (and former Congressman) Mike Pence as his running mate has been reassuring to the Republican establishment and social conservatives. Governor Pence calls himself a “Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order.” But the selection of Pence doesn’t change the calculus of the race – or the convention. The person at the top always defines the ticket, and that will be especially so in 2016.

“Times are changing, and the ground has shifted away from my type of Republicans. It is no longer a Washington-oriented, conventional, traditional party,” says Ari Fleischer, press secretary under former President George W. Bush and co-author of the GOP’s 2013 “autopsy” report on how to widen the party’s appeal.