#872 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Wednesday March 6)
Good morning,
Well yesterday was “Super Tuesday,” with around 1/3 of the Republican delegates at stake. And because of the strong bias toward “winner take all” results in the Republican nominations process (largely the result of changes to delegate allocations in many states, orchestrated by the MAGA right), Donald Trump is now the prohibitive favorite to win the Republican nomination. It sure looks like the general election has begun. We now will suffer through eight months of a rematch of Biden-Trump. One pundit suggested this will be a battle of “the unfit versus the unwell.” And while this is a cute phrase, I’ll stipulate to Biden slowing down, which is a natural process. But he is far from being unwell, which I find to be a far-right creation fed by a media frenzy looking for a good story with “legs.”
As to Super Tuesday, I read several accounts on Tuesday that “nearly 1/3 of Americans will head to the polls today” (or similar language). This is, of course, untrue. There were states representing 1/3 of the registered voters in America but primary turnout since 2000 is a paltry 27% of registered voters, according to States Action United. This year, the South Carolina Republican primary turnout was only 23%. Caucus participation is even lower. Very few people are participating in either primaries or caucuses. And because of the disproportionate allocation of delegates, often “winner take all,” those not voting for the winner of the primary are effectively disenfranchised from the convention. It would be hard to create a system for nominating a presidential contender that would be so silly.
As depressing as it is to imagine that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee, those who believe democracy stands a chance should note that, while his wins were decisive, several were below predictions. Further, a large number of the Haley voters indicated they would not support him in the general election. If they come out to vote and they vote for Biden, as they’ve indicated, perhaps Mr. Trump isn’t as strong as currently thought.
SCRIPTER WINNERS
This past weekend was the 36th annual Scripter Awards ceremony, celebrating the best adaptations of a book, play, or other original work into a movie or episodic TV show. This is a wonderful tradition that I was lucky enough to co-found more than three decades ago! The magnificent Los Angeles Times Reading Room of historic Doheny Memorial Library is transformed each year into an elegant black-tie setting. The entertainment always includes USC Thornton School of Music students.
Some years are better than others. I felt the nominees were particularly impressive this year and any of the finalists would be worthy of the award. That said, there is only one winner in each category. The winners were:
Episodic TV. It was Slow Horses again! Mick Herron wrote the novel and Will Smith wrote the screenplay. The winner from last year won again this year. This is a Scripter first. It beat out The Last of Us, The Crown, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, and Daisy Jones & The Six.
Film. The winner was American Fiction. The screenplay was written by Cord Jefferson based upon the book Erasure, by Percival Everett. The other finalists were Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Killers of the Flower Moon and Origin.
If you haven’t seen Slow Horses or American Fiction, these are two extraordinary works of art well worth your time. They feature star turns by Gary Oldman and Jeffrey Wright, respectively, as well as strong supporting casts.
BOOKS THAT SHED LIGHT ON MENTAL HEALTH
Mark Brody suggests we all read The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions.
Called “…an act of tremendous compassion and a literary triumph” in The New York Times, it is the story of inseparable friends who went two different directions. Both were brilliant and each achieved success. One was a paranoid schizophrenic, who rose to graduate from Yale Law School, with a film of made highlighting his life’s successes, to stabbing his girlfriend to death. It is an indictment of the mental health care system and the approach to mental illness.
The book is one of the Best Books of the Year, according to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Slate, and People. It also was one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2023.
In the same genre is Hidden Valley Road, the story of a family genetically predisposed to schizophrenia (six of the 12 children developed the condition). The issue of nature vs. nurture is one that has perplexed generations of physicians, psychologists, and scientists. Schizophrenia is among the most debilitating and least understood of mental illnesses. In its case, it’s almost certainly primarily just the luck of the genetic draw. Its impact on the individual is tragic and the impact on family isn’t much better.
Have a great day,
Glenn