The bizarre scene of Donald Trump’s nomination
Jul 20th 2016, 11:00 BY J.P.P. | CLEVELAND

bizarre：奇妙な

ドナルドトランプ指名の奇妙な背景

SHORTLY after Donald Trump was confirmed as the Republican nominee, a pair of men wearing straw boaters wandered around outside the convention centre, weighing up the merits of tacos versus hot dogs. A man wearing an elephant hat was being filmed by a woman on her mobile phone, while two women wearing red skirts with white elephants on them stood nearby. People held doors open for each other. This was a transformative moment in the history of one of the world’s great political parties, but it hardly seemed so to those enjoying Cleveland’s evening sunshine while the roll call of state delegates concluded inside. There was no Wagnerian soundtrack, just some snatches of KC and the Sunshine Band drifting out from the hall. This is how a big moment in history sounds. 

straw boater： 〔麦わらの〕ボーター・ハット、カンカン帽◆1890〜1920年ころに流行し、男女ともに夏の船遊び、ピクニック、テニスなどの必需品であった。
wandered：歩き回る
weighing up：念入りに検討する
filmed：撮影する
transformative：変革の
roll call：点呼
snatches：ところどころ
KC：カンザスシティ・ロイヤルズ（英語: Kansas City Royals、略称：KC）は、メジャーリーグベースボール（以下、MLB）アメリカンリーグ中地区所属のプロ野球チーム。本拠地はミズーリ州カンザスシティにあるカウフマン・スタジアム。



At the beginning of the convention, Donald Trump’s campaign manager said that his candidate was planning to copy Richard Nixon’s 1968 campaign, presenting himself as the law-and-order candidate. That election saw the birth of the Southern Strategy, which exploited white resentment after the Civil Rights Act. It saw violence at the Democratic convention in Chicago, the race riots in 11 mostly northern cities that accelerated the flight of whites to the suburbs, and protests against the Vietnam war. America in 2016 is not like America in 1968. Violent crime has fallen by more than half over the past 20 years, the economy is growing at a steady, unspectacular rate, illegal border crossings are at a low level, there are signs of racial progress for those who want to see them. Outside the convention, the violence that many predicted has yet to materialise. 

white resentment：白人の不満
unspectacular：見栄えのしない
flight：群れ

The country described within the Quicken Loans Arena is very different. It is a lawless, borderless place, threatened by terrorists and run by crooks. The most memorable moments of the first evening came in painful speeches given by bereaved parents, whose children had been killed by illegal immigrants or by terrorists in Libya. “I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son,” said one. This stuff was interspersed with bizarre moments from some formerly famous people, notable only for their willingness to say nice things about the nominee. “Let’s make America America again,” implored Scott Baio, an actor from “Happy Days”, which broadcast its final episode in 1984. A former underwear model went from praising Mr Trump on stage to declaring in a TV studio that Barack Obama was a Muslim. 

While all this was going on, Mr Trump gave interviews that drew attention away from his own convention. Even when he is the star of the show, it seems, he cannot bear it when someone else’s face is on screen. 

クイッケン・ローンズ・アリーナは、アメリカ合衆国オハイオ州クリーブランドに位置する屋内競技場。
crooks：泥棒・犯罪者
bereaved：最近家族を亡くした
interspersed：散りばめられている
bizarre：突飛な
implored：懇願する

日曜日。トランプが共和党の大統領候補に指名される時の情景を述べている。いかにもアメリカらしい光景だ。Richard Nixonの時の公民権法ができた時の白人の不満を表したニクソンのSouthern Strategyをコピーしていると書いている。

昨日は海野塾と懇親会があった。今日は朝から新しい事務所の見学がある。狭いところだが、荷物を置くだけだ。午後は来週の研修の資料のレビューがある。今日も忙しい。ではまた明日。