As we are reminded in Hamilton; An American Musical, after they won the Battle of Yorktown to finish the War for Independence, American soldiers sang, while the redcoats were forced to listen to, a common drinking song of the day, The World Turned Upside Down. It was especially significant because it underscored the existence of a new world order that, while not yet fully manifested, would soon emerge.

Signs of the new age were plentiful in The Q last evening. Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley genius, proclaimed himself proudly gay, Republican, and American. The crowd cheered. Social and constitutional issues were almost entirely absent. The party’s nominee spoke more like an autocrat than as the potential representative of only one of three branches. Free trade was lambasted.

Perhaps most shockingly, at least for this observer, was the persistent appeal to grievance politics. Trump spoke to a convention and a constituency he portrayed as beset on all sides by malignant forces beyond their control. Foreign markets, foreign products, and foreign laborers were common culprits, all propped up by what Trump described as a corrupt government. These things could be remedied by Making America Great Again.

The Republican Party, the one that Lincoln built and Reagan modernized, has been turned upside down. If Trump wins in November, that change could be permanent. Trump’s supporters point to his advisors as a source of hope. Perhaps people like Mike Pence will be able to curb Trump’s more radical proclivities, but based on his past and his present demeanor, Trump does not strike me as a man to be managed.

Some random notes on the evening:

• The Ohio delegation sat for nearly all of Trump’s speech. If Kasich withholds the state’s partisan machinery, Trump’s chances of winning here will decline dramatically.
• After watching Trump, we need a new word for smug, for that one is not quite descriptive enough for how Trump carried himself. Haughty is closer.
• I don’t know who chose the closing song of You Can’t Always Get What You Want by the Rolling Stones, but it was perfect.
• The relationship between Hope and Change and Make America Great Again is much closer than most people think. Trump did not appear in a vacuum. Obama gave birth to Trump in ways that historians will one day note. We see them as opposites, but their use of media, their reliance on a particular kind of charisma, and their arguments to fix a broken system share a good deal. Obama’s campaign was more positive than Trump’s, to be sure.
• I spoke with a fair number of conservative journalists/media people while in Cleveland. All of them are #NeverTrump.
• Megyn Kelly (I did not speak to her) was on my shuttle bus last night. She seemed in a great mood, which is understandable considering the recent stories on Fox News. It appears she won the showdown.
• The Q was full. I arrived after some media responsibilities and had to sit, literally, in the very top row.
• The Q had free wi-fi all week. The network was blandly called RNC2016. It should have been the MightyRighty, but, of course, that would suggest something that is not all that accurate, at least at this convention.
• The balloon drop was very cool to watch.
• Doing live television is daunting. Professionals are professionals for a reason. I am always amazed at how they are able to juggle so many tasks at once, with a director barking in their ear, a script to manage, time constraints, and a guest to interview. Just answering a few questions is simple in comparison.
• I have been to a fair number of sporting events and I was expecting a similar kind of electricity in the crowd, or, at least noises and reactions similar to that. However, I found the crowd much more sedate and perfunctory. They were occasionally loud, but not very fervent.