Love Means Never Having to Say "I'm Sorry"

Yesterday, the new consumer price report was released.  Inflation hit 4.2%, up from 3.8% the previous month, which is the highest it’s been in three years, since back in 2023.

When Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollin was questioned about this at a Senate hearing on Wednesday, she blamed this on…the Biden Administration, which I'm very sure the public grasps hasn’t been in charge for a year-and-a-half!

The good news for Secretary Rollin is that her comment wasn't the worst response to a question about inflation yesterday.  The bad news for me is that I had great titles all ready for her -- "Babbling Brooke."  Or "She Just Keeps Rollin Along."  And now I can't use them.  The much worse news for MAGOPs, though, is that what she said wasn’t the worst response to a question about inflation yesterday.  That honor, hands down, went to the guy in charge.  Trump.  It was an answer so terrible that you could almost hear the cries of every MAGOP in the Senate and House shouting at the same time, “Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!”

Here's the extraordinary exchange.  It was on camera.  On video.  For all the see and hear.

 Reporter: Are you concerned, Mr. President, about the latest inflation number which came out this morning?

Trump: No, I love it. The numbers were great.  You know what I really love?  I love the inflation.”

And there you have it, in just four words, Trump once again gave Democrats yet another TV ad: "You know what I really love? I love the inflation."

 On camera, in full view of the American public, with video.

But of course, this doesn’t stop at Trump.  Because most MAGOPs in Congress are likely kneeling with bowed head and saying, "Yes, my liege.  I love the inflation, too."

 Now, I’m sure there will be a handful of MAGOPs who try to explain what he “really meant,” Or say he was joking.  (And quite the joke it was, eh?!!)  But most will either say that, no, they hadn’t heard what he said or couldn’t comment, or just scurry off without daring to criticize their leader who said, “I love the inflation.”

(Me, what I most love was Trump’s including the word “the” in his statement of love.  There’s something almost lyrical about, not “I love inflation,” but rather that whole “I love the inflation.”)

Trump did give what he considers an explanation of what he meant.  He says gas will drop when the war is over.  And boy howdy, won’t that be wonderful.  A few problems with this, though.  To start with, there’s that “when” part in “when the war is over.” Bombing on both sides just started up, there’s no exit strategy and no End-By date in sight.  But also, although gas prices may indeed drop, this drop will only be a little bit (it's now "down" to $4.16) – not down to what the national average price was at the pump before Trump attacked Iran, which was $2.98. Experts say that once the war ends – whenever that is – it will take four-to-six months for the price of gas to get under that previous pre-war $3.00 mark. 

The problem for Trump and MAGOPs is even more than all that.  Because as empty as all these "What I meant" explanations are, the only words the public will hear are, "I love the inflation."  Like an unrelenting broken record.  ILoveTheInflationILoveTheInflation.

Unfortunately for the MAGOP, since you will never hear it from Trump, contrary to the famous line from Love Story sometimes love actually means saying you're sorry -- and then begging profusely for forgiveness.  Or at least saying that you had a brain freeze.

But it’s even more problematic than that.  Because even if the price of gasoline dropped back to $2.98 tomorrow, American households (defending on how often they’ve had to fill up each week) have already paid hundreds of dollars more than they would have otherwise, while struggling with rising consumer prices.  And the price of gasoline is not dropping to $2.98 tomorrow.  And date it will is nowhere in sight yet.

And Trump says, “I love it. The numbers were great.  You know what I really love?  I love the inflation.”

 Love, love, love.  All you need is love.

So, how cool, Trump loves the inflation.  The only thing he left out from his bizarre, extraordinary, Democrat-friendly statement was saying that he loves the inflation so much because it lets you grab it by the p*ssy.

The hits keep coming from Trump, who the public is now grasping that the only one he thinks of is himself.  First there was him saying that “Affordability is a hoax."  Then there was Trump saying about the cost on Americans by his war against Iran that “I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody.”  And now this, “I love the inflation.”  

The only person in the Democratic Party who isn’t happy whenever Trump opens his yap – on camera, in full view of the American public – is the poor, overworked sap who has to keep editing it all for the campaign ads.

That hissing sound you hear, though, is the air deflating from MAGOPs running in the Mid-Terms. The “Oh, God, what did he ssssssssssssssssssssay now???!!” gambit.

This must be very, very hellish for MAGOPs.  Running for re-election and having to now defend your own party’s leader with a 34% approval who just said “I love the inflation.”  Fun Fact:  Trump may love “the inflation”, but the public absolutely hates it.  As low as his overall approval is, the public approval on Trump’s handling of "the inflation" is worse – even more, it's far worse.  And yes, that’s possible.  The Reuters/Ipsos poll has Trump’s approval specifically on inflation at a microscopic 22%!!  I can only imagine the aghast look on the faces of John Thune and Mike Johnson when they stared at Trump's comments.  But MAGOPs only brought this on themselves, enabling and protecting Trump in everything he does.  Which ultimately took them all to “You know what I really love?  I love the inflation.”

 That overworked Democratic editor of TV campaign ads better hire a staff of assistants, and MAGOPs better stock up on air pumpsssssssssss because this won’t be the last gift Trump has for Democrats.  There is even more to come  “I love inflation” will not be the last heartless, empty, self-absorbed, lunatic statement from Trump.  Dementia doesn’t work that way, it’s degenerative and gets worse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZWmtxLiiFE

Musical Comedy -- Tonight

A while back, I posted a 15-minute excerpt for the first of three “Musical Comedy Tonight” specials done on PBS.  it was written and hosted by Sylvia Fine Kaye, the wife of Danny Kaye who wrote a lot of his specialty material and is credited with shaping his career – and who got two Oscar nominations on her own for Best Original song.  To my happy surprise, I was able to track down the full two-hour special!

The three PBS shows were loosely based on a class she taught at USC, and this one looks at the Broadway eras of the  1920s, 30s, 40s and then jumps to the 70s.  Made in 1979, there were two others, made in 1981 and 1985.  This one has a wonderful cast, including Merman, Bernadette Peters, Bobby Van, Sandy Duncan, John Davidson, Carol Burnett, Richard Chamberlain.  And it includes interviews with Ethel Merman and Agnes DeMille.  The only downside is that it cuts off early during the finale.  Other than that, it’s a joy to find.  Hopefully I can track down the other two.  But for now, this will suffice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7Z30RWK5l4

Happy Sheldon Harnick Day

Today is the 99th birthday of Broadway lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who won a Tony Award for Fiddler on the Roof, a Tony and Pulitzer Price for Fiorello!, and such other musicals with Jerry Bock as She Loves Me, The Apple Tree, The Rothschilds, Rex (with Richard Richard Rodgers), and the opera Captain Jinks and the Horse Marines -- and much more.  Yes, 99.

I interviewed Sheldon years ago when I was a student at Northwestern, and he returned to campus as Homecoming Grand Marshal.  I then made a radio documentary from it for the school radio station, WNUR, and two decades later finally tracked down his address through a mutual friend to send him a copy.  And when I told my mother after all that time that I finally found someone who knew where Harnick lived, she said, "Oh, you mean, Aunt Joan?"  I was floored.  I never had any idea that they grew up together and even went to college together.  Though. no, she didn't have her address.  When I sent him the radio documentary though and explained my further connection, he sent a handwritten note back, and the first line was, "OH, MY GOD!!!  JOAN SERED!!! (which was her maiden name.  And yes, this is the Aunt Joan who I wrote about here a few Januarys ago for her surprise 90th birthday party.)  Though they've periodically crossed paths over the many decades, I was able to get them together 14 years ago when we all saw a production of his show She Loves Me at the Writers Theatre in Glencoe, Illinois.  (And yes, this was the production I've written about several times that starred Jessie Mueller before she left for Broadway and won a Tony Award for starring in the musical Beautiful.)

But enough of all that.  On with the show.  Here's a wonderful, hour-long interview with Sheldon Harnick at the Kennedy Center when he was 90, and you'll see he's vibrant and entertaining.  Know too that this isn't just an interview, but includes several of his songs from wonderful performers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd6dc9IiCRA

And here's one of my favorite of his lesser-known songs, "In My Own Lifetime," from The Rothschilds, which starred Hal Linden who won the Tony Award as Best Actor.  Harnick writes poetically and richly with the simplicity of almost everyday language, which is his hallmark.  Years ago, when I made that aforementioned radio documentary for the college station, I ended it with this song -- which I preceded with a clip of Harnick talking about how he'd like people to listen to his songs and say, "Yeah.  Yeah, that's true."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oOcDGUa1K0

And we'll end our celebration with this video from when Harnick was 94. singing absolutely wonderfully one of his classics (in fact, I think one of the best interpretations I've heard of the song), "Do You Love Me?" from Fiddler on the Roof with Judy Blazer.  And I suspect Ms. Blazer is thrilled to be performing this with the song's lyricist.  All the more so since it was promoting the opening of a revival of the show.