KAG rally Monroe, Louisiana

I had just said to the air conditioning repair guy that Trump is often stumping for other Republican politicians but the other speakers invited never come close to the way Trump manages the crowd. Trump shows an unusual intriguing combination of self-deprecation, self-aggrandizement, lauding, extreme provocation, humor, grim reality, superior knowledge and surprise at simple things, awareness and befuddlement, patriotism and piety combined with casual fowl language, broad intellectual grasp combined with street-level communication style. It's also easy to see how all this can infuriate anyone disinclined to appreciate him. He gives his detractors much to criticize while at the same time greatly amusing his supporters. None of the other speakers come even close to his manner.

Until these Louisiana politicians.

Their inflections alone mark them as different. Their folksy manner belies their education and socioeconomic and geopolitical grasp.

I had forgotten how they sound. So purposefully down to earth. Their inflections and rhythm authentic.

A few times I clicked away windows to the window underneath to see who was talking. The faces never matched the sounds. Once again I'm shown Louisiana is a very unusual place; an amazing mixture of French, Spanish, Cajun, Creole, black, and native American.

Oh. And caucasian.

Trump's mention of Barksdale made my ears perk. I was temporarily distracted transported back to the house that was actually near the end of the massive runway that accommodates B-52 bombers. You cannot tell by looking on the street level that the house is so close to the runway but you can certainly tell by the sounds that dominate. Those planes take f-o-r-e-v-e-r  to gain altitude. They typically do not arch right up. My visiting nana couldn't take the touch-and-go exercises. While all that was music to us. She had to leave early.

This rally I had open in window underneath three other windows. I was listening as I worked on another project that involved three separate programs. This rally ran opened underneath them. What I know of this rally comes from hearing it, not seeing it.

I was blown away. The energy very high. The audience noisy. Anger in his speech right there at the surface, at the beginning and throughout. It sounded hot in that place. Steaming hot. Trump confirmed this in his speaking. Apparently the whole place was actually overheated. Undoubtedly laden with armor. Trump was sweating.

Elsewhere commenters remarked about people behind Trump being too unenthusiastic to be any asset. By watching they all got entirely different vibes than I did by only hearing it. "They look like someone put a hat on them and shoved them into their seats. They were sitting, not standing." The commenters felt something was off.

Those comments are answered consistently by other commenters saying those are oil-field workers straight off the fields. Those are the overalls that they wear to work. They work twelve-hour days. They sat most of the time. They're exhausted and it shows, but those are Trump's people. They work. Hard. In that debilitating hot humid weather.

Most commenters I read thought poorly of this rally. By hearing it but not seeing it, I thought it was fantastic. One of the best. Trump's rage and casual ease. The other unique speakers. The raucous audience. The best of all possible worlds.

The election down there is crucial. Trump promised to come back to the state.

Monroe is at top of the boot. Near the center. While Shreveport/Bossier City are upper left corner. They're close to each other.