I meant to post this on Wednesday, but other issues and Novak Djokovic got in the way. But although directly related to Tuesday's primaries, the very point of the thing transcends into the future.
The specific matter in question did get some attention, if only for the humiliation factor. But I think it's all worth noting for much more than just the pure humiliation factor, which is saying a lot because the humiliation factor is really very high. North Carolina had a primary on Tuesday. One of the people running for the Republican nomination to the seat in the 11th District was Lynda Bennett. The seat was open because its previous holder, Mark Meadows, resigned it to become Trump's chief of staff. He gave Ms. Bennett is endorsement. So, too, wholeheartedly, in several enthusiastic tweets, did --
Lynda Bennett lost the GOP primary. Let me rephrase that -- Lynda Bennett lost the GOP primary in a landslide vote by 30 points.
She not only had the repeated "Complete & Total Endorsement" from Trump, but also from his chief of staff Mark Meadows whose seat she was running for. And the person she was running against wasn't even eligible to be a congressman! He's only 24 years old -- though he'll turn 25 before the next Congress is seated, should he win in the general election, and will be eligible then. This is how "loved" Trump *actually* is in the Republican Party. Trump often talks about how meaningful his endorsements are, but he leaves out how many of them lose. Even ones that are slam dunks -- like this. But also remember the Wisconsin primary a few months ago. Trump endorsed the Republican running for the Supreme Court -- and seriously when was the last time you even heard of a president endorsing a candidate for a state Supreme Court?? (I think a fair guess would be "never.") And consider, too, the no sitting Supreme Court justice running for re-election in Wisconsin had lost in over 30 years. The Republican justice, with Trump's endorsement, lost. Remember, too, that Doug Jones is the U.S. Senator from Alabama despite being a Democrat in a state so red that traffic lights look upon it with envy. And Trump endorsed his opponent. And the Democrat Jones still won. (Okay, in fairness, his opponent was an accused pedophile...but hey, Trump endorsed him, so I'd suggest that's even worse.) And there are others, many others. But this one yesterday is notable above them all. It's a presidential election year. It's the seat of his chief of staff. The chief of staff endorsed her. Trump enthusiastic endorsed her. And she not only lost, but was crushed by 30 points. By someone not even eligible yet to be elected. This is very bad. And this speaks horribly for how supportive Republicans are to Trump in a presidential election year during a pandemic when going out to vote might be very difficult and risky. Which points to something I've suggested -- that other than the deep Republican base, Republicans might not be willing to risk their lives in November to vote for Trump. I don't know for certain if Lynda Bennett losing the Republican primary despite Trump's endorsement is a sign that supports that. I do know that it's a horrible indication for Republicans going into the presidential election for evidence that they will support their leaders. And in the end, this is not about Trump. It's about the elected members of the Republican Party who enable him and are complicit. And Republicans in the North Carolina district don't seem too enthralled with their leadership. Join the club.
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A few weeks back, I posted a video from the Art Institute of Chicago in which they give the public short virtual Tours of exhibits, now that the museum is temporarily closed. That first one here was on their Essential Tour of the works of El Greco. They've also now started doing short video studies of some of the more famous paintings in their collection. And the other day we posted here their "essential tour" for the renowned "Sunday on La Grande Jatte," So now, we return once again to the Culture Corner as part of our Home Education effort to provide some continuing education and refinement to these pages... This is another of the famous paintings in the Art Institute -- and more than that, one of the most iconic in American art. Though if you gave its name, many people -- if not most -- probably wouldn't recognize it. Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks." But when you see the work, the response is usually, "Oooooh, yeah, I know that!" And likely know one of the many parodies of it. What's nice, too, about this Essential Tour is that you get a chance to actually hear Edward Hopper. Tennis star Novak Djokovic, perhaps the #1 player in the world, has been hosting a tournament in Serbia and Croatia. At least four players have tested positive for COVID-19, including Djokovic, as well as his wife. The tournament has been cancelled, and Djokovic has issued an apology. On the surface, this is a very nice apology. But living on just the surface never tells the full story. For one thing, Djokovic -- if not a "science denier" per se -- has been living by somewhat alternative "skepticism" standards after beginning a relationship with a self-styled wellness guru Chevrin Jafarieh, who previously was a real estate businessman...which is, of course, where all ace science practice comes from. Among other things, Jafarieh preaches that you can change the molecular structure of water by positive thought. And that bending your body in certain ways can release toxins. And that using a trampoline can detoxify the body. Djokovic has embraced these attitudes, and has been an outspoken anti-vaxxer, including about not taking a vaccine for the coronavirus. He also has stated that he holds a strong friendship bond with a fig tree in Brazil. And he supports his wife's belief that the coronavirus is part of a conspiracy involving 5G broadband technology. So, y'know, when he writes that they organized the tournament "believing that the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met" -- well, yeah, not so much. Among other things, for example, players hugged each other, there was high five-ing with fans, there was no social distancing in the stands, and parties were held at night Yes, I know. It's pretty ghoulish, most especially as far as meeting safe conditions goes. And Djokovic also took time to relaxing playing some basketball with other tennis pals during a break in the tournament, here on the right along with Grigor Dimitrov. Oh, by the way, it may not shock you to learn that Grigor Dimitrov is one of the four tennis players who, with Djokovic, tested positive for COVID-19. So, yeah, "believing conditions for hosting the Tour had been met" requires a very flexible defining of the word "believing." And "met." To be completely honest, I'm very sorry that anyone gets COVID-19, and I hope everyone at the event has a healthy recovery. Good luck to them all. However, the issue isn't having a tournament, which is what Djokovic is apologizing for. The issue is the willful disregard of science protocols for safety at the event. Hugs, parties, no masks, no social distancing, high-fives, basketball. It put OTHERS not at the event at risk -- of spreading infection and death. So, on full consideration, while the apology some nice things in it and which seem heartfelt, it's largely apologizing for the wrong thing. At best, as standards go for the Apology Institute of America from Nell Minow and myself, I initially decided I could give this a C- by stretching kindness as far as I could because of him being infected along with his wife, his philanthropic intent, and his sincerity of what he is saying -- though after more thought, it gets downgraded to a D+ because of what it doesn't say and when you remove the sympathy factor and good intentions for putting others at risk of their lives and then prorate for the photos and total disregard for science, which he tries to whitewash. If perhaps he had noted "I was a total asshole and will work hard the rest of my life, which I hope is long, to make up for this and will be donating time and money to the World Health Organization," he might have gotten a bump.. Mainly, though, this isn't about apologies. This is about reckless stupidity. No Djok. We have another episode of the wonderful Reunited Apart online series from Josh Gad. It's from a little later in their run, but the second for us. In this episode, he reunites the film Ghostbusters and brings back together the cast, filmmakers and some small surprise guests. It's a little different from most, where usually the show begins with the main star and then one-by-one, he brings in additional guests to the surprise of those already there -- not to mention the audience. But this time, there's pretty much a smorgasbord at the beginning, and most everybody is there for the fun throughout. However, Gad is still able to bring in a few unexpected appearances along the way. And also has a fun quiz on the lines, along with a lot of clips. Very enjoyable.
There's always oh-so much to choose from, even when tossing out the evergreen stories that are simply part of the ongoing stream that is Trump. So, throwing our dart at the official Wheel of Trump Dartboard, we come up with this for our topic of the day.
Consider for a moment --
Rudy Giuliani, who is the attorney for the head of the Republican Party, says publicly, while knowing that cameras are on, that Black Lives Matter is "anti-American." If anything speaks to the mind of today's Republican Party, that is it. Yes, I know that "Black Lives Matter" is the name of a specific organization, and that's what he's referring to. I also know, however, that he's speaking to the GOP base, and I've seen very little from him or especially his client sitting in the Oval Office who is head of the Republican Party that doesn't carry that same thought beyond just the organization to the full meaning of the words in general. Black Lives Matter, he says, is "anti-American." To be clear, only to the far-right wing of the Republican Party. Which is pretty much the bulk of the Republican Party these days. And until we hear any outraged disagreement from the remaining part of the GOP, we'll just have to check off that it's close to the full Republican Party, as well. (I like to leave a little wiggle room out of fairness for the few Republicans wandering around in the desert who are mortified.) And that is just SO sick since Republicans like to let you know with great, bursting pride that they are the Party of Lincoln. Sorry, "were." Speaking of great, bursting pride -- I'm glad that this tweet and included footage comes from a third party and not directly from Laura Ingraham, on whose show Giuliani appeared. I say that because I am blocked on Twitter by Laura Ingraham, and would never have seen her tweet otherwise. |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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