Donald Trump's acceptance speech was both ghastly and absurd. How fitting.

This was the perfect encapsulation of his campaign

The horror. The horror.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The presidential nominee's acceptance address is a longstanding ritual in our civil religion, wherein the prospective leader gives testimony, then is anointed with his supporters' love and a rain of balloons and confetti. Donald Trump received his balloons on Thursday night — but his testimony lacked everything we've come to expect.

Typically, even though the party out of power and the party in power will paint different pictures of the state of the country, the two candidates' speeches will have some things in common. The candidates will reach back to foundational American values, like liberty and equality. They'll sing America's praises. They'll tell a few stories of individual Americans who embody the kinds of virtues they want to promote. They'll assure us that whatever problems the nation faces, the solutions reside within each of us individually and all of us together.

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.