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Rubel: Trump rally like seeing a Kiss concert the second time

 

Commentary: Steve Pearce had some advice for Donald Trump before Monday’s campaign rally in Rio Rancho. “Tone is everything,” Pearce said, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News.

 

Throughout his political career, Pearce was a master at getting the tone right, speaking softly and respectfully while voting loudly and disrespectfully as a member of the most right-wing groups in Congress, first the Tea Party Caucus and then its offspring, the Freedom Caucus.

 

Pearce said he gave Trump that same advice during the last campaign. And, he insisted there is evidence that the president is listening.

 

“His persona is changing, some people say very slightly, much more gracious, much more presidential,” Pearce said.

 

Then the rally started, and it was classic Trump.

 

Jimmy Buffet once advised, “Don’t try to describe a Kiss concert if you haven’t seen one.” I think the same can be said for a Trump campaign rally.

 

The Kiss concert, with its over-the-top pyrotechnics, demonic costumes, and massive stage design, not to mention Gene Simmons’ serpentine tongue, was jaw-dropping the first time you saw it.

 

Even for those who had seen thousands of concerts before, they had never seen anything quite like that.

 

That was Donald Trump in 2016. Jaw-dropping. Even the most hardened, jaded campaign veterans who had been to every county fair in Iowa, knew all the diners in New Hampshire and had covered candidates ranging from George Wallace to George McGovern ... none of them had ever seen anything like Trump before.

 

That was on full display when the Trump campaign came to Albuquerque for a rally prior to the 2016 election. Outside the arena, police struggled to contain violent clashes between Trump supporters and protesters. 

 

But what was happening inside the arena is what made the rally so different - a candidate running for president who was completely unfiltered and unscripted, riffing off the top of his head, gauging crowd reaction and going wherever they wanted him to go.

 

There was an element of danger that made it all seem more exciting. You never knew what he might say, or how he would react to the inevitable protesters. The television networks couldn’t get enough. Even those who disliked Trump tuned in to see what might happen.

 

Trump came back to New Mexico on Monday, and it was kind of like going back to a Kiss concert three years after having seen them for the first time. Instead of being surprised by what they saw, the crowd knew what was coming, and was eager to sing along.

 

There were no protests to speak of. One had been planned, but was wisely called off for safety concerns due primarily to the remote location of the arena. Which I think is a good thing. While I agree that many of Trump’s policies are worthy of protest, I also thought protests Monday would have added an air of drama to the event that it didn’t deserve.

 

Trump put on a show Monday for his fans in New Mexico. 

 

For me, it was a disappointment. I tuned in expecting to be outraged, and was bored instead. I tried to make it all the way through, but kept drifting off and eventually gave up. But I realize that, like rap music and abstract art, the show wasn’t for me. It was for Trump’s fans. And they seemed to enjoy it, based on the reaction.

 

 

It won’t make a bit of difference, of course, in the 2020 election, despite the dreams of Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale. 

 

But it is nice that Trump’s fans in New Mexico had a chance to see the show one more time before it gets cancelled.

 

Walt Rubel can be reached at waltrubel@gmail.com.