On American volatility; the ‘feelz’ in politics; the GOP’s texts to Mark Meadows; a story from Vin Scully; the consumption of chicken feet; and more
Last summer, a friend of mine, a veteran golf pro, said, “Something’s wrong with the public. People are incredibly nasty and rude. So demanding. Such an attitude of entitlement. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
I understood. And I thought of my friend when seeing this report, from the Associated Press: “Amid increasing abuse, officials flee youth sports.” Here is how the article begins:
When one looks at the ugly bruise encircling Kristi Moore’s left eye, it’s not surprising so many refs and umps are hanging up their stripes.
Why put up with incessant taunts and threats from out-of-control parents?
Why fret over potential violence — even the chance of losing your life — because someone thinks you blew a call at a 12-year-olds’ softball game?
Good question. The article continues,
America is facing a crisis in prep and youth sports, where fewer and fewer people are willing to take on the thankless job of officiating games.
“The veterans are quitting by the droves. They’re sick of it,” said Moore, who oversees fast-pitch softball umpires for the state of Mississippi as well as the city of Laurel.
Can you tell the health of the nation by the temperature of youth sports? Maybe.
• Too little attention, I believe, is paid to the factor of violence in our politics. Usually, people are willing to hear about violence, and threats of violence, when those things come from the other side. But when they come from their own? People get very annoyed. I know from experience.
Here is a headline: “GOP Rep. Upton says death threats made bipartisan votes ‘frightening.’” (The article, from Axios, is here.) This is a very serious topic. More of us should be on the case, I believe.
• I was interested in the analysis of the recent French election by John Leicester, of the AP. In his view, Marine Le Pen scored a victory, though she won only 41.5 percent of the vote, and President Emmanuel Macron was reelected with 58.5. Le Pen’s share — that 41.5 — is a helluva lot, given her views, given what she represents.
What does she represent? Vichy, in short. There are many political strains in France — many political tendencies, many political tempers — and this is one of them. Yes, France is the home of De Gaulle. It is also the home of Pétain — and of this Communist and that Communist, and various others.
Not to be forgotten, if we are to see realistically.
• I repeat something I’ve often said — something I learned from others, years ago. (David Pryce-Jones was one.) It is this: If “mainstream” parties don’t address popular concerns, with honesty and clarity — concerns such as immigration and national identity — then voters will turn to extremists, making everything worse. It will be, at least in part, the fault of the mainstreamers, for having their heads in the sand, or in the clouds.
Today, Marine Le Pen is certainly mainstream. She made the second round of the presidential election two cycles in a row.
• I doubt that voters — American voters — care much about policy outcomes. Improvements in various areas of public life. What we want is the “feelz”: psychic and emotional rushes. “Are our guys stickin’ it to the other side?”
This is the theme of a very interesting column by Paul Waldman in the Washington Post. The heading: “Abbott and DeSantis reveal the new GOP perspective on capitalism.” In my observation, voters today don’t give a rat’s about economic policy: about growth, prosperity, debt reduction, entitlement reform, and all the rest of it. They care about culture wars.
Is Abbott stickin’ it to the truckers coming from Mexico? Is DeSantis stickin’ it to Disney? Are the libs squealing?
This is where the votes are, I think. This is where the media approval is. I would like to be wrong. (I believe it has happened before.) (Not sure.)
• Some people speak of themselves as “constitutional conservatives.” Some of them aren’t, but that’s not what I’m addressing right now. In my view, “constitutional conservative” is a redundancy, in the American context. What are you trying to conserve? I will quote a friend of mine, a conservative scholar: We should beware exchanging the philosophy of liberty and law for a mentality of tribalism, power, and war.
I also think of Gerald Ford — who liked to say, Remember! A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.
This kind of thinking is outmoded today. But I trust that people will rediscover it, sooner or later, as history cycles through . . .
• “Kevin McCarthy’s January 6 Lie.” That’s the heading over an article in The Dispatch by Haley Byrd Wilt (lovely name). In my experience, people are blasé when a politician on their side lies. “Oh, that’s politics. And you have to think of the greater good” — which is beating the other side. And when a politician on that other side lies? Bad, of course.
This is the tribal way.
Question: If Kevin McCarthy is damaged among Republicans, is it because he lied, flagrantly? Or because he was critical of Trump, briefly, and in private?
• “Gentlemen do not read other people’s mail.” This is what Colonel Stimson said. (Henry L. Stimson was secretary of war under Taft, secretary of state under Hoover, and secretary of war again under FDR and Truman.) Stimson frowned on the interception of diplomatic communications.
Yes, gentlemen do not read other people’s mail — but have you seen these texts, sent by an array of Republican politicians and media personalities to Mark Meadows, President Trump’s chief of staff? They make for fascinating reading. They provide a window into how the political game is played. They draw back the curtain. They are more instructional than any PoliSci class.
Here are the texts from Mike Lee, the Utah senator, and Chip Roy, a Texas representative. (Again, all the texts are to Meadows.)
Lee: “And if it’s helpful to you for you to leak it, feel free to do so.”
More Lee: “Please give me something to work with. I just need to know what I should be saying.”
One more: “Please tell me what I should be saying.”
Ah, message coordination. Heaven forbid anyone just say what is true.
More texts to Meadows, from various personalities, can be read here.
Here is Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia congresswoman, on January 6, as the Capitol is under assault: “Mark we don’t think these attackers are our people. We think they are Antifa. Dressed like Trump supporters.”
That attitude is widespread. (How do Trump supporters dress, by the way? All the same? Is there a uniform?)
Then there is this instant classic, also from MTG:
In our private chat with only Members, several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall law. I don’t know on those things. I just wanted you to tell him. They stole this election. We all know. They will destroy our country next. Please tell him to declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else.
Republicans are embarrassed by the publication of these texts. But I doubt the revelation will hurt any of the texters with the voters. And the texts are, for sure, a political education.
• If you play golf, and read about golf, you probably know the name of Bob Rotella. He is a sports psychologist — psychologist to the stars. Also to the general public, through his books: Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, for example, and Golf Is a Game of Confidence.
I was interested to read what he had to say in this article. He says that his psychological advice applies to any and all athletes, playing their assortment of sports. But “I write books about golf because people buy golf books.”
Ha, stands to reason, right? Because people can play golf beyond their school years — well beyond. The other sports, not so much. (We can duff around on the tennis court a little, true.)
• Have you seen a video from Vin Scully? He is a national treasure (pardon the cliché). And he was telling about “the most emotional home run I ever called.” It was hit by Larry Miggins, of the St. Louis Cardinals, off Preacher Roe, of the Brooklyn Dodgers, in 1952.
Vin and Larry were friends in high school. Larry dreamed of being a big-league player; Vin dreamed of being a broadcaster. Their dreams came true — and intersected in that interesting, wonderful way.
To watch Vin Scully’s video, go here. And he reminded me of Jim Nantz and Fred Couples.
They were roommates at the University of Houston. Fred aimed to be a PGA Tour player; Jim aimed to be a broadcaster. They talked of the day when Fred would win the Masters and Jim would broadcast the victory.
Lo, it came to pass.
Kind of neat.
• When I heard that Wimbledon would ban Russian players, I thought, “Oh, come on. That’s ridiculous. Terribly unfair. These athletes are individuals. They are not responsible for their government. Now, a national team might be a different story — in the World Cup, in the Olympics, what have you. But tennis players are individuals, certainly at Wimbledon. Daniil Medvedev is the No. 2 player in the world. You’re going to ban him? Come on.”
Then I read a column by Sally Jenkins, of the Washington Post: “Wimbledon’s ban on Russian players is unfair, personal — and exactly right.” She makes a case. Excellent columnist, and fearless (which is part of her excellence).
What do I think now? Not sure. But, thanks to Sally, I know there are two sides, at least.
• Oh, I’ve got a jillion more items, but you’ve got to get on with your day. My eye caught this story — wincingly: “Woman rescued after falling in toilet trying to get phone.” You want details? You got ’em, baby:
A woman who accidentally dropped her cellphone into the hole of an outhouse in a national forest and fell in while trying to retrieve it had to be rescued by firefighters in Washington state.
Brinnon Fire Department Chief Tim Manly said the woman, who was at the top of Mount Walker in the Olympic National Forest northwest of Seattle, had been using her phone when it fell into the toilet on Tuesday . . .
If you read further, you will find that she fell in headfirst . . .
Incidentally, I love that the fire chief’s name is “Manly.”
• I am a different man from the man I was when I last wrote an Impromptus. The reason? I have now eaten chicken feet — on the right there, in New York’s Chinatown. Good, too.
I will make my annual joke, as these blooms appear in Central Park: “As the French say, ‘Allée! Allée! Allée!’”
Another brief lil’ shot of spring? Some delicate purple? Voilà:
Have a great day, y’all. See you soon.
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