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Trump as Lounge Act
Oct. 20th, 2016 09:32 amI vaguely remember and may have blogged (but can't be arsed to find) where somebody said that Donald Trump was like a Las Vegas lounge act. If you're a lounge act, you're competing with all the other action on the casino floor. To be successful, you need to do anything you can to get noticed. But once you move from lounge to main stage, or from "free" to "people paid to see you" you need a much more showmanlike routine.
Also important in understanding the difference between lounge and main stage is time. People don't spend hours at the lounge in Vegas. They nip in for a break or to kill some time before doing something else. A nice 30 minute set is optimum. The main stage, on the other hand, needs 90 minutes of material.
Last night at the debate, Trump showed that he's a lounge act. His first 30 minutes was reasonably competent. He said stuff I don't personally agree with, but he presented standard Republican policies in a calm and competent manner. Then he started to run out of steam, and by the end of the debate was flailing. The man doesn't have 90 minutes of material, and it showed.
He's not ready for the main stage, let alone the Presidency.
Also important in understanding the difference between lounge and main stage is time. People don't spend hours at the lounge in Vegas. They nip in for a break or to kill some time before doing something else. A nice 30 minute set is optimum. The main stage, on the other hand, needs 90 minutes of material.
Last night at the debate, Trump showed that he's a lounge act. His first 30 minutes was reasonably competent. He said stuff I don't personally agree with, but he presented standard Republican policies in a calm and competent manner. Then he started to run out of steam, and by the end of the debate was flailing. The man doesn't have 90 minutes of material, and it showed.
He's not ready for the main stage, let alone the Presidency.
