Chuck Schumer is concerned about what will happen if the government is shutdown for a prolonged period of time. He’s not steely-eyed enough to go head-to-head with someone as erratic as the spray-tanned mob boss in the People’s House.
He must think Republicans will just take an extended vacation while the government grinds to a halt and the bombastic bamboozler who imagines himself as a modern-day Andrew Jackson without the good hair will just spend the rest of his time ‘in office’ golfing.
He’s essentially sending ‘thoughts and prayers’ when he ought to be doing political triage by calling the New Deal destroyers’ bluff and thereby winning the hearts and minds of a rapt nation that will only remain rapt if there’s a bloody row to watch.
Chuck Schumer is older than me but not by much and, unlike me, Chuck Schumer doesn’t hang out with anyone who doesn’t know who Margaret Thatcher was.
This is the age of spectacle.
There was a time — long long time ago — when people read newspaper articles. Can you imagine?
My dad subscribed to The Dallas Morning News AND The Times Herald. I’ve only recently surrendered my paper habit in physical form and that was only because I live in a rural area. By the time The Seattle Times reaches my door, it’s practically yesterday’s news.
But back to the devolvement of news…
Then came the era when they read a portion of the article and that was the time when the expression “burying the lede” came into fashion. If the real grist of the story was several paragraphs into the article, most readers would never get there.
And then it was just the headline and the first sentence. When I was considering journalism I was told the who, what, when and where needed to reside in that first sentence. This was so, at least, the news consumer would have some idea of what transpired that was — supposedly — news.
Meanwhile newspaper articles were dumbed down in order for the lowest common denominators to understand them. News had to account for Americans whose reading comprehension had maxed out in third grade. This is not very far from “See Dick and Jane. See Spot run. Run Spot run.”
(Maybe the news should be in graphic novel form?)
Now, newspapers are barely a going concern. Those few who still read news, they generally just read the headline. And move on.
Skimming, skimming, skimming.
Clicking, clicking, clicking.
Getting further and further away from what originally sparked their attention.
Schumer still has the mindset of the earliest eras. He doesn’t do spectacle. He imagines people like to get deep into the weeds. He imagines time heals all wounds.
It’s no surprise. He’s ancient. He’s not inclined to think beyond the geriatric parameters he’s willingly set up. You can’t be supple or nimble when you are literally and figuratively brittle.
He’s let the old man out.
There will be no taking chances. There will be no derring-dos. There will be no spectacle.
He thinks the only option is to negotiate with the terrorist. Even though the terrorist has proven over and over and over again that he’s going to behave like a pigeon in a chess match — he’s going to knock all of the pieces over, crap all over the playing board and then strut around like he won.
There’s no negotiating with terrorists.
There’s no playing chess with pigeons.
And there’s no chance of winning the hearts and minds of pissed off Americans once you’ve conceded the field to your opponent.
Sorry, Chuck. You’ve exceeded your ‘sell by’ date.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshears ought to be on your radar — assuming there will be elections in the future. Self deprecation is high on my list of attractive traits — in any human!
Also, for your listening enjoyment…
Hasagawa's General Store in Hana, Maui has sign that says
"if you want today's paper, you will have to come back tomorrow"
Dan Graydon