Mickey Kaus: They’ll None of Them be Missed

Pros complain about the screw-ups at the GOP convention — they didn’t distribute advance copies of embargoed speeches! The app sucked! The whole affair does have a slightly thin, network-variety-special quality.

It makes you think about what’s been left out — and then you realize why it might turn out to be a success after all. There are no Bushes! No McCain. No Romneys. Do you miss them? Or would they only serve as a reminder of W’s Iraq war, and the crash of 2008 — events from which the electorate (and the party) still hasn’t recovered. Where’s Rand Paul? Where’s Condi? Condi gave a very good speech in 2012 ** — but would her presence really help, given the painful events her tenure is associated with?

It’s a whole new show. Many of the high-salaried actors from last season weren’t asked back. The new cut-rate cast is finding its footing. A few of the initially appealing characters will need to be developed more fully. But that doesn’t mean it won’t succeed. I thought Dancing With the Stars was amateurish too.

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** — Not as good as I remembered it! It’s easy to forget how little it took to stand out in the labored 2012 effort to make Mitt Romney interesting.