Kennedy Center Horrors

2025 Kennedy Center Honorees and Trump
supporters.

This year's low-rated, horrible Kennedy Center Honors were like an auto accident on the freeway--I couldn't stop myself from looking at the wreckage. Trump has turned what was once a national honor into his own ego-driven, self-gratification ceremony. Probably because he felt slighted by the Center during his first term and refused to attend. It has since been revealed that once he got into his second term and appointed himself Chairman of the Board, he changed the rules of the board so only those he appointed were allowed to vote and thereby stacked the deck to get his name added. Then he announced he would be hosting. The honorees were figures he liked and who had hit their peaks decades ago. The resultant fiasco ceremony was a true embarrassment. 

For the broadcast, Trump made live opening and closing remarks. His opening speech was over 20 minutes and included the usual rants on tariffs, and lies about the 2020 election which he still can't admit he lost. CBS cut the political stuff and left Trump's bloviating about his supposedly saving the Kennedy Center and how this year's honorees are the greatest entertainers to ever walk the face of the earth. Really, Donald? Gloria Gaynor and Sly Stallone are on a par with William Shakespeare, Greta Garbo, and Charlie Chaplin? 

The remainder of Trump's mummified remarks were taped at the White House so Trump and Melania could be seen seen sitting next to the winner being spotlighted. BTW, there was a commercial for the $44 million dollar Amazon documentary on Melania that no one will go see in theaters. 

Trump Wants Us Divided

Have you noticed that Trump never (Or almost never) addresses the entire country on TV? (The only time he does apart from the State of the Union is to brag about bombing Iran.) Growing up, I remember whoever was president--LBJ, Nixon, Carter, Reagen, both Bushes, Clinton, etc.--would periodically go on TV and talk to ALL the country about the current crisis. (I didn't always agree with them but at least I felt they were trying to include me in their decisions.) When Trump is down in the polls or there is a crisis, Trump doesn't do that (or rarely). He usually stages a rally in friendly territory and speaks to his MAGA cult like he did in Pennsylvania just now. And just after Charlie Kirk was killed, he was asked by a Fox host, "How do you unite the country?" His reply was "I couldn't care less." This shows he does NOT want us united. He wants us divided. Rather than appeal to the greatest number of citizens by comprising or being moderate, he plays up to his base and the rest of us can go to hell as far as he's concerned. He wants to punish those who dare disagree with him.

Should US Citizens Be Fleeing the Country?

The Marseillaise scene from Casablanca.

Nine months into Trump's second term and the big question is should sane, liberal people be planning to leave the US or would that be an overreaction? This has been a source of controversy and conflict between me and close friends. I don't believe my safety and freedom are in danger, that we're headed for a Third Reich or that becoming an expat is our only means of survival. But those close to me who disagree think we are in the equivalent of the Weimar Republic or the early days of Hitler's dark reign. They say it's only a matter of time before all our rights will be taken away and those who publicly disagree with the Orange Fascist will be rounded up and sent to El Salvador, South Sudan or Uganda. 

An American friend who lives in a foreign country recently received a call from a friend of his in a panic, expressing desperation about the need to leave the US as soon as possible. He knows of another couple who are planning to move to Panama from the US. We had a debate on whether these people are legitimately concerned or being hysterical. My expat pal pointed out people were being snatched off the street by masked ICE agents and John Bolton, a former high-ranking official, had his home raided by the FBI. Jews in 1930s Germany were having the same conversation we were and look what happened to them. I said yes, undocumented immigrants with no criminal records were being harassed and detained and the former National Security Advisor who had criticized Trump was the subject of unfair investigation. But I said that doesn't mean US citizens are going to be disappeared just because they are Jewish. The conclusion both parties reached was that there was not going to be a Nazi-like Holocaust. But that Trump is a threat to our democracy.

If you wanted to leave the country as a protest because you don't like the way Trump is running the government, that's an understandable, if somewhat extreme action, but I don't think we're not going to turn into 1930s Germany. Yes, undocumented aliens and people with visas are in trouble whether they have a criminal record or not (in the supermarket recently I heard a radio commercial with Kristi Noem, dog-murderer and Secy, of Homeland Security, touting the harsh immigration policy and urging all undocumented residents to turn themselves in for deportation and MAYBE they could return some day. It sent chills down my spine.)  But I don't think white, well-off US citizens should be panicking and packing their bags.

On a related note: On a recent airplane flight, I watched Casablanca for the 100th time and my eyes actually started to tear up during the singing of the Marseillaise. I started thinking about what's happening in our country and how Trump is trying to take over not just the government, but our cultural, medical and social life. While we are not in danger of winding up like the refugees fleeing the Nazis and waiting for a precious exit visa in Rick's Cafe, we must keep on singing our equivalent of the Marseillaise in defiance. His reign will end and we will still be here.

Les Miz Cast Plans to Boycott Trump at Kennedy Center

The cast of Les Miz.
Credit: Matthew Murphy

10 of the cast members of the touring production of Les Miserables are planning to boycott a June 11 benefit performance at the Kennedy Center because Trump will be there. Trumpy and the right-wing blogosphere are blowing their top. Richard Grenell, interim director of the Center, is furious and calling for a return of the McCarthy-era blacklist of artists suspected of disloyalty to the current regime. 

"Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed," Grenell fumed in a statement. "In fact, we think it would be important to out those vapid and intolerant artists to ensure producers know who they shouldn’t hire — and that the public knows which shows have political litmus tests to sit in the audience....The Kennedy Center wants to be a place where people of all political stripes sit next to each other and never ask who someone voted for but instead enjoys a performance together" 

If they haven't already, the actors in question should issue of a statement of their own explaining their reasons. What Grenell is missing is that these actors are not intolerant of those with differing views. They are protesting Trump's anti-art and anti-diversity policies. The Center has cancelled all LGBTQ programming the week of Gay Pride in DC. Trump is cutting NEA grants for theaters across the country. He's threatening to defund Public TV and National Public Radio. All of those points should be put out and plainly stated. I'm guessing they would be happy to do the show if Trump weren't there and would not ask every audience member who they voted for. At least, I assume that's why they are boycotting. That's why they should put out their own statement. They should also point out that Les Miz is about the struggle of the poor for social justice and the overthrowing a corrupt government. Ironic, huh?

It might have been more effective for everybody to call in sick just before the performance and issue a statement afterwards. 

An Open Letter to JD Vance

Dear JD,

Protestors at Vance's Vermont ski trip

I hope you enjoyed your recent Vermont ski trip and that the protestors who lined the road to the ski lodge and to the airport for your exit weren't too much of an inconvenience for you. I also read that this weekend, you and your children were followed by a group of pro-Ukrainian protestors and you had to ask them to back off while you were with your kids. I agree that following you when you are with little children is inappropriate and I'm glad you spoke with the protestors civilly and worked out a solution. But I hope it made you think about Ukrainian children whose lives you are helping to shatter by supporting Putin's invasion of their country. 

Billy Mumy in The Twilight Zone
episode "It's a Good Life."

I'm writing to you because you don't seem to be a total nutcase like your boss. You at least might listen to reason. I can't fathom how you and the president can support the thug-like Putin over the courageous Zelinskyy. In the weeks preceding the disastrous White House meeting with the Ukrainian President, it struck me that Trump is like the character played by Billy Mumy in the classic Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life." Mumy is a spoiled little boy with supernatural powers. All the adults in the community indulge his every childish whim for fear he will turn them into jack-in-the-boxes. Macron and Starmer were like the frightened adults, offering the powerful brat Trump flattery and gifts like a state visit to King Charles. Zelinskyy was not prepared to fawn or supplicate in front of Trump or pretend Putin is not such a bad guy. Perhaps that was a diplomatic mistake, but it does not merit your humiliating treatment of him. Trump's withdrawal from USA's traditional role as a strong supporter of world democracy will have tragic consequences and lead to a less stable world. He only sees the world in terms of transactions rather than morality. I know that's how it is in business, but the world is not a business. If you make a deal with the devil (Putin and Xi), he will never honor it.

I also wanted to bring up your recent statements about the left and mischaracterizing us as totalitarian ideologues who want to impose wokism on everyone. You said we want all men to be "androgynous idiots." I don't want that. But I also don't want anyone who is androgynous to be afraid to be themselves openly. When I was growing up, it was a bad thing to be effeminate and I was bullied mercilessly. There's nothing wrong with being androgynous. Just as your idea of a "real man" who likes to drink a beer and tell jokes with his pals should not feel judged or condemned, LGBTQ people should not be socially ostracized. I don't want everyone to think exactly like me, but I want the freedom to conduct my life as I see fit without social or political repercussions as long as I don't infringe on anyone else's life. My being openly gay does not do that. 

In a recent appearance on Fareed Zakira's CNN show, Bill Maher said that the reason Trump won is because MAGA and moderate voters were convinced that the left is worse that anything Trump would do. Really, JD? Having to list your pronouns is worse than unnecessary trade wars, eggs at $14 a dozen, gutting the federal government with a meat axe and dismantling vital social programs, foreign aide, and potentially life-saving scientific and medical research? 

Just something to think about.

David Sheward

More Oscar Catch-Up: I'm Still Here, Nosferatu, The Apprentice, Etc.

The race to see as many Oscar-nominated films continues as odds for the winners continue to shift. Anora has suddenly surged to front of the pack with major wins at the Critics Choice, DGA, PGA and WGA, plus Mikey Madison unexpectedly won Best Actress at the BAFTAs. Emilia Perez and The Brutalist have slipped behind. Conclave surprisingly won big at the BAFTA Awards with prizes for Best Picture and Best British Picture and next week's SAGs will offer more trends. (Separate blog on the BAFTAs to come.) I think Conclave may win the ensemble award at the SAGs, but that's not necessarily a predictor for the Best Picture Oscar. 

Selton Mello and Fernanda Torres in
I'm Still Here.
Credit: Sony Pictures Classics

This week I had jury duty, but was let go after only one morning when I wasn't chosen and all the other cases were either settled or dismissed. Since I had a free day, I took the subway from the courthouse to Kew Gardens for a 1:30PM showing of I'm Still Here, the Brazilian film nominated for Best Picture, Actress and International Feature. (Not to be confused with Sondheim's song from Follies.) I've now seen all the Best Picture nominees except for Nickel Boys. I'm Still Here is a moving portrait of a real-life family devastated by Brazil's military dictatorship. Fernanda Torres won the Golden Globe for Best Dramatic Actress but will probably lose the Oscar to Demi Moore. Now that I've seen all the Best Actress nominees, If I were a voter, I'd go with Torres. But I'm still miffed Marie-Jean Baptiste was not nominated for Hard Truths. I'm Still Here could win Best International Feature since previous front runner Emilia Perez has been surrounded by controversy because of leading actress Karla Sofia Gascon's anti-Muslim and anti-Black tweets surfaced. 

Nosferatu is nominated in four categories (Cinematography, Costumes, Production Design, Hair and Make-Up) so it seemed like a good idea to take it in when a lead performer in an Off-Broadway show I was scheduled to review wouldn't going on that night. This is a hypnotically mesmerizing horror film, instilling terror. The scariest parts were not horrific blood sucking, but the shadow of Count Orlock appearing on fluttering curtains. Kudos also to the rat wrangler.

Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan in
The Apprentice.
Credit: Tailor Films

Memoir of a Snail was the final film of the Animated Feature category. It's a charming Australian film about a introvert, snail-obsessed woman dealing with loneliness. Then, last night, we watched The Apprentice on Amazon Prime for $6. I was really reluctant to watch this Trump bio because I'm sick of seeing and hearing him. But I'm glad I did, Ali Abbasi's penetrating portrait of greed charts charts rise to power in the New York real estate world from the 1970s to the 1990s. The focus is on Trump's relationship with cutthroat lawyer and power broker Roy Cohn. Screenwriter Gabriel Sherman's theme is that Trump learned his wolfish strategies for success from Cohn's ruthless mentoring. There are several prophetic moments where Trump's behavior as President is foreshadowed. Cohn's three rules for success are drummed into Trump: always be on the attack, deny everything and admit nothing, and never acknowledge defeat. Sebastian Stan nails Trump's quirks and gestures and Jeremy Strong is stunningly evil as Cohn, a hollowed-out, hypocritical demon. 

Scoundrel Time in the 21st Century

Lillian Hellman

In her memoir of the 1950s blacklist era Scoundrel Time, Lillian Hellman quotes her letter to the House UnAmerican Activities Committee where she was expected to name colleagues as Communists. When called as a witness before HUAC, she wrote a letter to the Congressmen saying she would answer for anything she had said or done, but would not name others whose careers and lives could be ruined. "I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions." She meant that in the 1930s in the depths of the Depression when capitalism was seen as a failure to many American citizens, it was okay to join the Communist party, but at the time of the McCarthy and HUAC hearings, it was not only unfashionable, but down right traitorous to hold to Marxist ideals. Many former party members were turning in their ex-comrades to save their own reputations. Hellman was not a perfect person. She played fast and loose with the truth in her memoirs, but she was right on this.

I thought of Hellman's words in the days and weeks following the second Trump inauguration. Many tech and communications giants are acting like the friendly HUAC witnesses and dropping their liberal stances to kiss up to Trump's authoritarianism. People and entities like Jeff Bazos, Mark Zuckerberg, ABC and CBS were giving money, directly and indirectly, to Trump because evidently they didn't want to get on his wrong side. Bazos paid several million dollars to Melania Trump for her life story for Amazon. Zuckerberg settled a lawsuit with Trump out of court over banning him from Facebook right after his dangerous bogus claims of really winning the 2020 election. ABC also settled Trump's lawsuit over George Stephanopolous' saying a judge had adjudicated the Orange Felon as a rapist. CBS is probably going to give him money over his suit for editing a 60 Minutes story on Kamala Harris to make Trump look bad. Zuckerberg said you can go overboard in hiring women and there should be more "male energy" in the work place. WHAT? What is he talking about? If he means there should be more aggressiveness and ruthlessness in the work place, there are plenty of women who can be just as ferocious as men. Does he mean women are too nurturing? There can be too much kindness in his offices? 

We are now seeing the results of this ass-kissing with Trump slashing and destroying vital programs in the federal government. Okay, stopping minting pennies which cost more than their face value is not a bad idea. But stopping shipments of food to starving people and letting it rot is not. Claiming the US should "take over" Gaza, exile its people, and turn it into a luxury resort for rich people is not. Making yourself chairman of the Kennedy Center because they hosted one or two drag shows is not. Turning over all the keys to the kingdom to an unelected billionaire who has a financial interest in the outcome of his government actions is not.

I haven't written about politics since the election, but I had to get my thoughts out.

Politics Not as Usual

Trump and Musk:
The new Tsar and Rasputin?

I've been avoiding writing about the political scene because it's so damned depressing. Trump is not even in office yet and he is already sowing seeds of sedition and destruction. He and his Rasputin Elon Musk are trying to sink a budget deal and shut down the government. He won a settlement from ABC over George Stephanopoulos's calling him an adjudicated rapist. (I guess George should have said he was gulity of sexual assault and left it at that.) Trumpy is suing an Iowa newspaper for publishing a poll putting Kamala Harris slightly ahead of him during the last months of the election. These last two are the most dangerous. ABC settled the suit for $15 million, fearing reprisals and a possible loss of their license from Trumpy once he was in office. Trump is now emboldened and ready to sue any press outlet that made him look bad (as the Iowa poll did.) This will have a chilling effect on a free and open press. If you're worried about revenge from the President, you tend not to criticize him. Trumpy is probably hoping one of these cases may go to the dictator-friendly SCOTUS and they'll reverse the Sullivan v. NYTimes decision, making it easier to sue unfriendly journalists. Also Trump and his minions are making noises about charging Liz Chaney with something. What did she do that was illegal except oppose Trump? As Anne Applebaum of the Atlantic has continually reminded us, these are the first baby steps towards authoritarianism.

But Trump supporters don't seem to care about that. They want lower grocery prices and tighter borders. (Those were the two big issues which put Trumpy over the top and defeated Harris, according to a relative visiting over the holidays, reporting what his Trump-voting friends said.) But what will happen when the Orange Hitler imposes his tarriffs and deports everybody and their grandma? Prices for eggs and gasoline are probably not going to go down any time soon. Even Trump admits that. And when millions of undocumented workers are snatched away from the labor market, who will pick the crops, clean our hotel rooms, build and renovate our buildings, and mow our lawns?

Maybe our democracy can weather four more years of Trump's fascistic tendencies, but with everyone from Morning Joe to Jeff Bezos to even some Dems such as Fetterman caving in to him to one degree or another, what will be left when he's finished in 2028?

 

Pre-Election Day Outlook: Cautiously Optimistic

It's the day before the 2024 Presidential election and I am mildly hopeful about Harris winning and Trump losing. The polls all indicate a 50-50 race with a few trends such as Iowa favoring Harris slightly. Given Trumpy's criminal convictions, atrocious record on abortion rights and tarriffs, siding with dictators and wanting to be one, cognitive issues and being as old as dirt, I'm astonished that it's still this close. But I think she will win due to recent statements and actions in the past few days which will push the few remaining undecided voters into her camp. Speaker of the House Johnson has said they will get rid of Obamacare and the CHIPs Act if the GOP retains the House. Elon Musk has stated Trump has promised him a top position, managing government budget cuts which will result in crashing the economy. Musk has openly stated there will be a down turn in the economy, but that's OK. It's only short term and everything will work out in the end. Certifiable loon RFK Jr. claims he'll be a Health Czar and you know what that means: no more vaccines or fluoridated water. Didn't Sterling Hayden warn about that in Dr. Strangelove? 

In the past week, I've had run-ins with pro-Trumpers which froze my blood a bit. Last weekend, I unwisely engaged with a vendor here in Jackson Heights. He was an older white guy selling crap outside the supermarket. A young passer-by asked him if he wanted to buy a Harris T-shirt. I know I should have stayed out of it, but I joined in the conversation and the vendor proceeded to go off on racist rant about Trump saving the country from invading hordes of immigrants. I tried to be reasonable, citing statistics that crime was down and that communities benefitted from new people, but there was no way this guy was going to listen to logic or even a differing opinion. He denounced me as a traitor to my race and cited the fact that in 1920, Queens was 90 percent white and now it was only 52 percent or something. Therefore, the white race was being eliminated. "Wow," I said, "You're going to say that in Jackson Heights? You're going to openly admit you're a racist in this diverse neighborhood?" This guy wanted to sell his junk to people he despised and feared? I realized I never should have said anything and backed away.

A few days later, I overheard a similar confrontation and this time I kept my big fat Democratic mouth shut. I was sitting in Herald Square at the public tables and, at the table next to me, two co-workers, one white, one Hispanic, were disagreeing about the race. The white guy was playing the inflation card, saying gas was $4 a gallon (I pay $3.19), prices were all outrageous and Puerto Rico did have a garbage problem, so what's the big deal? The Hispanic guy was just smiling and shaking his head. I wanted to tell the white guy it's a good thing he lives in NY and therefore his vote doesn't count because of the electoral college. But I didn't. 

I don't know if I'll watch the election returns. The tension might destroy me. So maybe an old movie instead.

Chief Wiggums and Mrs. Mooney in Springfield

Chief Wiggum

When this whole Trump-Vance lie about Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio started, I made a joke on Facebook about Mrs. Mooney from Sweeney Todd being responsible. You'll recall, Mrs. Lovett in her first big song, "The Worst Pies in London," sings, "Mrs. Mooney has a pie shop/Does a business but I've noticed something weird/Lately all the neighbors' cats have disappeared/Have to hand it to her, What a coarse enterprise/Poppin' pussies into pies." 

Then it was revealed all the fuss was started when a Trump supporter in Springfield named Anna Kilgore, filed a police report that her kitty Miss Sassy was missing and she suspected her Haitian neighbors of kidnapping her for a snack. Ms. Kilgore subsequently discovered Miss Sassy was in the basement the whole time. She apologized to her neighbors, but Trump and Vance are still sticking to their lies. 

Angela Lansbury as
Mrs. Lovett in
Sweeney Todd

I posted on Facebook today that I wondered if Chief Wiggum (the incompetent police chief of fictional Springfield in The Simpsons) would release Mrs. Mooney. I accompanied the post with a picture of Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett since there was no picture of Mrs. Mooney since she is never seen in the musical. 

A FB friend responded there was a picture of Gale Gordon as Mr. Mooney, Lucille Carmichael's short-tempered employer on The Lucy Show. I noted that we never saw this Mrs. Mooney either. Mr. Mooney always made comments about how unattractive she was. Perhaps the two Mrs. Mooneys are the same person. Think about it, there were never in the same room twice. (That's about as logical as JD Vance's crazy accusations.) So we have six degrees of trivial separation from Chief Wiggum to Sweeney Todd to The Lucy Show.

Hopefully, the American people will see how ridiculous and dangerous Trump and Vance are.

Gale Gordon as Mr. Mooney
on The Lucy Show

Pre-Debate Anxiety; Word Salad

If Trump were held to the same standard as any normal politician he would disqualified right now. If

Graphic from CNN

Harris had given his gibberish, word-salad answer to a question about childcare, she would be out of the running. So why does these MAGA morons still support Trump? Vance's respond on a similar query wasn't much better. He said Grandma, Grandpa, Aunties, or Uncles should be called upon to help with daycare and if none are available, the authorities should lower the standards for getting a child care license. 

Trump claims he's not rambling, he's weaving separate bits of info to create a beautiful tapestry of meaning. Who does he think he is, Rachel Maddow? She can do that--talk for 20 or 30 mins on seemingly unrelated topics, but stitch them together into a brilliant narrative. Trump juts spouts words like Bart Simpson giving a book report on a book he didn't read. (OK, I got that bit from Morning Joe this morning.)

This has me worried because if Trump can put together a coherent sentence and doesn't look like a total blithering idiot, expectations for him are damn low, he will be seen as winning Tuesday night's debate with Harris. Plus the mics will be muted so he won't be tempted to talk over Harris and the moderators and sound like a rambling jerk. 

Another news flash which infuriates me: the judge in the hush money case has postponed sentencing till after the election, almost at Thanksgiving. What if Trump wins? How will the sentence be carried out? Will he have to wear an ankle bracelet in the White House (This picture is amusing and would work for an SNL sketch but not for reality.)

On top of that, Trump held a 45-min. rant and called it a press conference, re-opening the E. Jean Carroll case, castigating her and the other woman accusing him of sexual assault. Time for a third lawsuit, Donny? I repeat, how can anyone support this guy to lead our country?

The Campaign of Vibes and Feelings

This Presidential race will not be won on policy, but on vibes and feelings. Trump won in 2016 because he made MAGA supporters feel seen, even if his policies didn't impact them particularly or made them actually richer or safer. He made them feel their concerns and fears were justified. Hillary couldn't do that. Obama made a connection with voters that Romney didn't. Right now as the Democratic National Convention turns into a dance party celebration, Harris is selling hope, and perhaps more importantly, normalcy. Walz's description of their opponents as weird is striking a chord. Trump and Vance's extreme stances on abortion and family life are outside of the mainstream. But, this does not guarantee a win for Harris.

There is still a sizable chunk of voters who like Trump and how he makes them feel. CNN recently profiled a cross-section of Iowa voters who were for Halley, but are now resigned to voting for Trump. They were interviewed by John King and they sounded as if this were a normal election, weighing the positions of each candidate. King did not ask them about Trumpy attempting to overthrow a legal election and instigating a violent mob to invade the capital. To them, Trump best represented their interests. One farmer said she felt the people in Washington didn't care about her or listen to her, but Trump did. He made her feel seen. I don't want to speak for her, but it seems she didn't care about his being a threat to our democracy, or she didn't believe he is.

I have also heard of some Jewish voters turning away from the Dems and towards Trump because their children are the subject of anti-Semitic attacks at college from their pro-Palestinian classmates and they feel the universities' administrations are not doing enough to protect them. They feel Trump will make their kids safe.

Harris' joyful vibe might be enough to counteract Trump's fear-filled rage. The first two nights of the DNC have been an ecstatic love fest as opposed to the RNC's cult of American carnage. Trump's advisors keep telling him to stick to the issues, but what has he got? He killed the bill to strengthen the border because it would have made Biden look good. Violent crime is lower now than when Trump was in office. Employment and stocks are up and inflation is down. But those people in Iowa feel he is there for them. Harris must convince enough people in the middle she is the one for them. Hopefully, this sugar-rush of Dem excitement will continue until the debate (apparently there is only one both parties have agreed to) when she will crush him (I pray).

Book Review: The Conspiracy To End America: Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy

(Bought at the Time and Space Limited Store in Hudson, NY): Former GOP campaign strategist Stuart Stevens lays out the sad slide of his previous party into anti-democracy. He details his disillusionment with the Republicans going from the party of espousing character and decent values to the transactional, grievance-filled, race-baiting mob of today. He argues that Trump is not the cause but merely a symptom. Trump tapped into the racist irrational fear that aggreived white voters will have rights taken away if minorities gain political power--and how the GOP, seeing no other way to maintain dominance, exploited that fear. Rather than reach out to make their tent bigger, like Reagan kind of did, they are stacking the deck with voter suppression and other tactics to institute an autocracy. The five ways of the subtitle are addressed in the five chapters: Propaganda, The Support of the Party, The Financiers, Legal Theories, and The Shock Troops. He offers plentiful evidence the Repubs tried to overturn the 2020 election and are getting ready to do the same thing--or more effectively--in 2024. Stevens paints a bleak picture of greedy entrepreneurial idealogues like Peter Thiel buying influence and installing proteges like JD Vance in high positions so they can play them like violins. I don't believe that every single Trump voter is a racist or doesn't care that he'll be a dictator. I think they've been taken in and Stevens makes a convincing case that the only way to break the Trump stranglehold on his former party is for them to lose soundly and repeatedly.

Now I'm Getting Scared; VP Race

Trump on Fri. Night in West Palm Beach, FL: “Christians, get out and vote! Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years. You know what? It’ll be fixed! It’ll be fine! You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians. I love you, Christians! I’m a Christian”

What is he even talking about? What will be "fixed"? His campaign put out a cryptic explanation that he was talking about "uniting the country." It sounds like he means once he's president again, he intends to stay president forever like his pals Putin, Kim Jong Un, Duarte, and Orban. They aren't even saying he was joking anymore.

Rachel Maddow and Tony Kushner,
because I didn't want to run
another picture of Trump.

Now I'm getting scared. On a long drive to Cooperstown this weekend, we listened to Season Two of Rachel Maddow's Ultra podcast about previous right-wing conspiracies to take over our small "d" democratic government. In a conversation with Tony Kushner, who is working on a screenplay based on Season One for Steven Spielberg, Maddow outlined historic earlier successful takeovers of democratic governments in Europe. She explained that the stages are gradual and subtle. First you make formerly outrageous behavior and speech part of the mainstream (like saying there are "good people" of both sides of fascism and anti-fascism.) Then you assume power in a normal, democratic way (like by running as a Republican rather than as a member of the Hitler Youth Party). Once you are in power, you change the institutions of government to suit your own ends and then it's too late to change them back to democratic ones. She cited Mussolini and Hitler being elected before they took over and being handed more power by the King of Italy and the Weimar government respectively. We are already in the second stage and Trump is sowing doubt about our institutions among his followers. The Congress can't be trusted. The courts can't be trusted. I alone can fix it, he says. That's why I'm scared. Trump is saying the quiet part out loud. I never thought he would succeed in circumventing the Constitution, but these recent remarks indicate that's what he wants.

Kamala to the Rescue?

The Prosecutor Vs. The Felon

Joe Biden's dropping out of the 2024 Presidential race was the right thing to do. If he had stayed in it would have resulted in a devastating and embarrassing defeat and a tyrannical shift to the right. The Senate and the House could have gone to the Republicans and even more right-leaning judges would have left an indelible mark on the courts, further eroding reproductive, marriage equality and LGBTQ rights. I was sitting in a restaurant on Sunday afternoon with my friend Diane eating a veggie burger when the news of Biden's decision broke. Team Trump and many in the mass media were expecting chaos to ensue. They thought there would a scramble to replace Biden since there would be objections to Harris taking the top slot because her gender and race would not make her the perfect candidate. 

But within 24 hours, Harris had smashed records in fund raising and volunteers, acquired the endorsements of almost every major Democratic leader and most of the delegates necessary to cop the nomination at the convention. Joe Manchin made brief noises about maybe being interested in challenging her, but that was shot down quickly. 

The burst of enthusiasm is due to the huge relief Dems and progressives felt after being saved from a disaster by Biden's selfless stepping aside. A blue win is by no mean a slam dunk, but at least now there is a chance we can win. Harris can benefit from the shake-up because of the double-haters--voters who despise both previous candidates. Ironically Nikki Haley made a Cassandra-like prediction during the Republican primary by saying whichever side retired their 80-year-old candidate first would be the winner. (I hope she's right.) In a further ironic side note, Republicans who hate Trump have formed a PAC called Haley Voters for Harris. Haley has issued a Cease and Desist Order to change the name since she is for Trump (like the toady she is.) The PAC has responded that they are not speaking for Haley so they shouldn't have to change their name. We'll see how that shakes out.

Reaction to Yesterday's Events in Butler, PA

Let me just say the assassination attempt on Trump was horrible and I condemn it. No one deserves that and it's terrible that someone was killed as a result and two people are in critical condition. But it's ironic that Trump, an instigator of political violence, is now the victim of it. And while I hope not, he will probably learn nothing from this horrible experience and instead of using it as a means of calling for national unity, he will likely use it as a rallying cry to divide us. Now Biden and Dems are in an awful position. They will no longer be able to criticize Trump's authoritarian tendencies. Even now, Repubs are blaming Biden and the media for this. Unfortunately, this terrible event will strengthen Trump's position. Also, he'll say nothing about getting AR-15s off the streets.

ab.

Where Are We Now? The Slow Slide to Autocracy

Will Biden stay in the race?

Are we slipping slowly to autocracy? If Trump wins a second term will our democratic institutions crumble? Will there be a silent, bloodless coup, accomplishing what Jan. 6, 2021 did not? What will America become? What exactly does Trump threaten us with?

Before the disastrous debate, I was confident Biden could win the election. But now, it looks really bad. It's not just a question of the president having a bad night. He appeared to be a doddering old man on the edge of dementia. There are reports this is not a "one-off," that he's been this way before. An announcement that he will not schedule any meeting after 8PM and he will get more sleep does not help. That paints a picture of an incompetent, daytime president. And will Biden be able to do the job at least competently through an entire second term at the end of which he will 86? 

This is not "elitist" panicking at a poor debate performance or a drama-obsessed mainstream media stirring up conflict in a mindless rush for ratings and clicks. That characterization is unfair. Maybe it works to shore up Biden's support among minorities and labor unions by calling the top brass of the Democratic Party, the chattering pundit class, and Hollywood millionaires like George Clooney clueless rich people who are not attuned to the common man. But the media is just doing its job by reporting the truth and the top Dems are justifiably nervous about Biden's ability to defeat Trump and consequently, their ability to take back the House and keep the Senate.

Biden Debate Debacle, Trump Immunity Decision

It is with great difficulty that I write about the current state of the presidential election. Last Thursday, I had no plans to watch the debate with Biden and Trump. I knew it was going to be unbearable no matter what happened. I couldn't stand to see Trump lying and I feared Biden would appear too old for the job. So I decided to see another form of political theater and attended N/A, Mario Correa's two-character play about Nancy Pelosi and my Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But the reality of the debate was a hundred times worse than my fears. The play was only 80 minutes and it was still light out when it finished at 8:30. By the time I got home, there was still 30 minutes left in the debate and Biden was wobbly, hesitant, appeared confused and spoke in a whisper. He was like a a doddering, tired old man who needed a nap. Trump continued to lie his ass off, but no one was paying attention to that since that's what he always does. 

I was heartened by Biden's speech the next day in Raleigh, NC where he was energetic and focused. But then I heard reports that he is on point only during the day and at night he tends to slow down. A shockingly bad poll followed with over 70 percent saying they didn't think Biden was mentally fit to for his office. Of course, they were not asked if they still vote for him or not given the alternative.

Cries for Biden to step aside started right away and have intensified. Today's Supreme Court ruling that Trump has some immunity in the Jan. 6 case further confounds the picture. Scotus did not say which of his acts are official and which are not, leaving that to the district court, further delaying the case. A delay is considered a win for Trump. It's obvious to me that scheming to put in fake electors and encouraging an insurrection are NOT official acts and he should be tried for them.

But Trump's sentencing in the hush money case is coming up next week. Hopefully, it will be severe, but I have a feeling there will be no jail time.

Things don't look good. Frankly, Biden should have dropped out a year ago so a viable Democratic candidate could emerge. If I were an average voter, paying more attention to prime-time Let's Make a Deal than to politics and having no convictions, I would say, "Look, I don't like Trump, but Biden is a tired old man. At least Trump is awake. I don't care that he slept with Stormy Daniels and paid her money to shut up about it. And so what if he kept some documents and stored them in the shower. What difference does it make. I'll hold my nose and vote for the convicted felon. Or I'll stay home and watch The Price Is Right." 

I have a bad feeling Biden is not going to drop out. Maybe it won't make a difference, but I tremble to think what happens if he goes through with another debate in September.

Thoughts on Civil War and Trump Conviction

Caellie Spaeny and Kirsten Dunst in
Civil War (A24)

I was going to write something about Alex Garland's Civil War film which we saw last weekend at Regal Kaufman-Astoria, but then Trump's 34-count guilty conviction erupted all over the news. The two events seem connected. Civil War imagines a dystopian near-future of America at war with itself and the jury verdict demonstrates our actual internal cold cultural-political war. 

Civil War is an effective action thriller with thematic overtones of the role of photojournalism, but wants to have it both ways politically so as not to offend either side of the spectrum and thus alienate a potential audience. We're in some future time where 31 states have seceded. It's never explained why. Most of the action follows a group of journalists driving to Washington DC from NYC to interview the beleaguered President (Parks and Recreations' Nick Offerman) before he is captured by the insurrectionist Western Forces of Texas and California. Director-screenwriter Garland deliberately confuses us as to who is on which side and whom we should sympathize with. The traveling reporters and photogs encounter brutal racists and incredible violence without identifying whether the combatants are with or against the authorities. The subtext of this part of the film focuses on the status of the neutrality of the journalists. They are just there to record the facts and images and let their public decide. The main character Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and her colleague reporter (Wagner Moura) work for Reuters and  make no statements of allegiance to either side.

Shocker: Biden Eats Ice Cream!

Joe Biden eats ice cream. How dare he!

At brunch today with a group of friends in Queens, we were discussing Biden's precarious position with Israel. The waitress was taking our orders as the confab began and she said she was concerned that Biden was eating ice cream while discussing the Gaza situation. She expressed dissatisfaction with his seemingly casual attitude while holding forth on matters of international concern. I immediately leapt in with "So you'd rather have Trump? A man who was found liable of sexually assaulting a woman and then lying about it, fomenting an insurrection, trying to overthrow our democracy, committing business fraud, screwing up the government's response to the COVID pandemic, paying off a porn star, etc. etc." The waitress said she wasn't thinking about that, she just wanted to criticize Biden (not in those words, but she didn't even appear to consider Trump's many flaws in comparison with Biden's minor ones.)

I said, "This is the choice--Biden or Trump. That's it. I would rather have a 1 Biden eating ice cream, than 1,000 Donald Trumps eating hamburgers and throwing them against the wall." I could see I was getting nowhere and cut the talk with her short. I did leave a nice tip.

There were also shrieks of despair from Dems over the "Uncommitted" protest votes in the Michigan primary from voters unhappy with Biden's stance on aiding Israel and not pushing hard enough for a ceasefire. Yes, Michigan has a large Moslem-American population and they are unhappy about Biden's apparently unconditional support of Netanyahu. But will they really vote for Trump in November--or just as bad, stay home on election day? Trump's even more pro-Israel than Biden. Will they forget about his Moslem ban? 

Biden's in am impossible position. If he doesn't push for a ceasefire the left will dessert him. If stops aide to Israel, the Jews will be furious. Hopefully he can force Netanyahu to commit to a ceasefire. Unfortunately, Netanyahu will probably not concede to a two-state solution which looks like the only way to solve this situation in the long term.