TRUMP STUMPS IN TAMPA

Nothing better to do on a sultry Saturday morning in Tampa, we decided to bite it and do the required appearance - hey, every reporter in this town has to do it at least once - at a Trump For President Rally.

We cringed at the thought, having read the reports of violence between Trump and Anti-Trump supporters outside these events in other cities.

And having been in crowds at political rallies in the past which broke loose and caused mayhem  We had a reasonable expectation of spending  at least part of the rest of the day either in the ER or limping away clutching what was left of our clothing.

So, armed with a back pack filled with water and band-aids and clutching a notebook and pen in  hand, We approached the Tampa Convention Center with what we were sure was the attitude of a puppy about to be spanked for spilling her dinner on the floor.

Approached by a TPD finest just outside the Convention Center, We answered his question...."Can I help you, miss?"

"Yup, I'm one of them sleezy reporters this fella keeps yapping about, which way do I go?"

The officer chuckled and pointed the way to the press area, an instruction which we promptly disobeyed, and headed off in the other direction to an area where we had spotted some Anti-Trump people.

On the way to their spot We  took a look around at the crowd.  Well, we say crowd, there were dribbles and drabbles of people hawking T-shirts, buttons, hats and one very loud lady trying to sell shirts emblazoned with the emblem, "HIllary For Prisoner."   Hmmmmmm.

The  crowd filtering toward the Tampa Convention Entrance was varied in age from thumb-sucking toddler to Old White Men.  Not too many women, and nary an African-American in sight, nor Hispanic nor Asian, nor, Gulp....Muslim.

The Anti-Trump people, clad in bright blue T-shirts and khakis were amiable, polite, and eager to talk.

Their signs said it all...Never Trump, etc.   and they were very sincere and very well informed.

One woman voiced great displeasure that Pam Bondi, our State Attorney General would be introducing Donald Trump to the crowd inside the center.

"They're a perfect pair," she snorted, I call them Tweedledumb and Tweedletrump."

She was of course referring to the reports of Ms. Bondi, through some sleight of hand had accepted a 25K campaign contribution from Trump a little while back, and then refused to sign onto the lawsuit over the Trump University scandal.

Another fellow spoke up about the real estate scam The Donald pulled here in Tampa a couple of years back on the piece of property at Ashley and Brorein.  The one where a lot of people paid a lot of money as down payments on condos which never materialized.

Donald kept the dough, of course, and promptly disappeared into the folds of the veil of bankruptcy.

On and on we discussed all of the other Trump failures.  Among them, Trump Vodka, Trump steaks, Trump airlines, et al.

So, we asked, "what do you think is the attraction here?"

One of the Anti-Trumpsters, an erudite fellow who happens to be a professor Emeritus of Political Science at University of Tampa, Mr. Richard Piper, explained it all:

"He's pandering, and scapegoating.  Hitting every racist, mean-spirited, disenfranchised and white male discontent  button he can find, and he's a great salesman, so he's doing it well."

Of course he is.  And he's doing it well enough to throw fear into not only the Anti-Trumpsters, but most of the GOP and any reasonable voter in the nation.

However, Anti-Trumpsters can take heart, only four thousand people showed up.

Ah, for the days four years ago, when we were embedded with Occupy Tampa, remember them?

They were fun.  And they were spirited and sincere in their message and in their wish for a better life for all.

And now we have....HHuuuuugggeee.....and talk of walls and no respect for dissent and trying to bully federal judges and on and on.

Donald says he;'ll  be back and back and back in Tampa.

Well, we'll be waiting....oy vey.