#532 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday December 12)
Good morning,
Last week brought a number of news stories worth recalling while fresh in our minds:
Raphael Warnock was elected for a full term in the Senate, defeating Herschel Walker. Every other Republican running for state-wide office was victorious. Don’t kid yourself—Georgia remains a red state. Walker gave a contrite and gracious concession speech.
Brittney Griner was released from Russia in a prisoner exchange. Rather than basking in the victory, many on the right complained that she was let free only in exchange for an arms dealer. True enough, but that arms dealer had only five more years remaining on his sentence. The second complaint is that a U.S. military officer remains in prison. Why wasn’t he released? This is a fair question but let’s remember that he was in prison during the Trump presidency and Trump never once referred to the wrongfulness of his imprisonment or, for that matter, ever even acknowledged his predicament.
Arizona Senator Krysten Sinema announced that she was no longer a Democrat. She was registering as Independent. Since she has stated she wouldn’t caucus with the Republicans and since she doesn’t want to give up her committee assignments, she likely will caucus with the Democrats. This will preserve the 51-49 Democratic majority. While this move no doubt is a cynical political calculus by Sinema, it also belies the rift in the Democratic party. While I have my beef with some of her behaviors (including holding out her vote in order to preserve the “carried interest” exemption for hedge fund managers), she and her fellow-moderate Joe Manchin have been vilified by their own party for not being progressive enough. Does the left not see that, particularly in this age of an even divide in American politics, one must embrace those whom one does not rate as completely ideologically “pure”?
The German government thwarted a right-wing plan to overthrow Germany’s democratic government in an elaborate, multi-city round-up of the conspirators. It included Prince Heinrich XIII, putative head of state in a post-coup Germany, and fellow conspiracists. They had a treasure trove of weapons, an enemies list comprised of journalists and politicians. They long for the pre-World War I and a long-gone empire. Guns, conspiracy theories, lists of enemies, and a yearning for an imagined past. It sounds familiar. It’s a warning.
Donald Trump admonished Jews for lacking loyalty to him and “they should be ashamed of themselves.” He went on, “How quickly Jewish Leaders forget that I was the best, by far, President for Israel.” Meanwhile, that legislative giant, Marjorie Taylor Green, a purveyor of antisemitic tropes said of Trump, “I don’t care whose feelings get hurt, I don’t care what he tweets.” She went on to state that had she and Steve Bannon organized the January 6th insurrection, “we would have won.”
Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy. I’m a shameless partisan, but he clearly was the most deserving of candidates. We watched the ceremony, which highlighted the four remarkable young men who were finalists. Best line of the evening: “I won this award but y’all get to compete for the championship. You can’t win everything.” In the awards ceremony, prior Heisman awardees were acknowledged, but the name “Reggie Bush” was not uttered. While the announcer noted that Williams was the eighth Trojan to win the award, he is only the seventh who continues to hold it, as Reggie’s was vacated for what seems like silliness today. Reinstate Ricky’s Heisman and, while we’re at it, let Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame!
TRULY AWFUL SONGS
I read an article recently about the worst pop songs of all times—things that burrow their way into your ear and it takes hours for their cringe-worthy melodies and saccharine, often not understandable lyrics fade away. Here are a few of my choices for noteworthy catastrophes. This is a partial list, with another list coming out shortly:
“Copacabana,” by Barry Manilow. You can throw in “I Write the Songs,” while you’re at it…
“Who Let the Dogs Out,” by Baha Men
“Achy Breaky Heart,” by Billy Ray Cyrus
“U Can’t Touch This,” by M.C. Hammer
“Believe,” by Cher
“Ebony and Ivory,” by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (raising the possibility that two plus two equals one)
“We Built this City,” by Starship (proof of the theory of entropy. They began as Jefferson Airplane and then Jefferson Starship, ultimately declining to this incarnation)
“Macarena,” by whoever sang that song. Other than reminding me of the last dance craze—”The Hustle”—it has little to recommend it. The only songs worth dancing to are “The Time Warp” and “YMCA” (and that as much because the rednecks who join in don’t even realize it’s a Gay anthem).
“The Night Chicago Died.” by Paper Lace (“really, what a sight it really was…”—oh, the humanity…)
“Midnight at the Oasis,” by Maria Muldaur (actually, I have an odd attachment to this—it sends me straight back to the summer of 1974). As I think about it, I’ll retract this. And although it’s truly awful in nearly every way, don’t go dissing “Afternoon Delight,” by the Starland Vocal Band.
“Sometimes When We Touch,” by Dan Hill (“I want to hold you ‘til I die, ‘til we both break down and cry.”)
The lyrics of any song by America
COLIN POWELL ON GROWING UP IN A JEWISH NEIGHBORHOOD
Colin Powell grew up in a Jewish area of the Bronx. He worked in a Jewish store and considered their owners like family. In an interview, he was asked if he could speak Yiddish. He responded that no, he didn’t. Then he paused and added, “well maybe a bissel.” For those who don’t know much Yiddish “a bissel” means “a little.”
As I think about our current dearth of leaders, we certainly could use a few more like Powell…
Have a great week,
Glenn
From the archives: