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The first Republican midterm convention had all the simulacra of a real political convention. There were seats assigned by state and indicated by tall signs on poles, there was a host of precisely timed and deeply forgettable speeches by elected officials, and, of course, there was a keynote speaker. But those were all window dressing to hide what it really was: just another Trump rally.

There was news—or at least an eye-popping statement designed to make headlines: Donald Trump promised that, so long as Republicans retained control of both the House and Senate, every American would receive a $5,000 check from the U.S. government.

It was a statement perfectly calibrated the next day in newspapers and local news broadcasts. That does not, however, mean it’s likely to happen. Republicans are a long shot to keep the House and far from a lock to hold on to the Senate.

There are obvious policy issues with this, as it would cost over a trillion dollars. There are obvious political issues with it: Trump has had issues trying to rally fiscally conservative Republicans behind far less ambitious agenda items. It also was perfectly hedged as a proposal, conditioned only on the scenario that the GOP manages to defy political gravity in November. Still, it’s........

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