On Kevin McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Benedict XVI, Pelé, and more
Let me say a word for ambition: We need it. Ambition, properly harnessed, can lead to great good. What did William Herndon say about his law partner, Abraham Lincoln? “His ambition was a little engine that knew no rest.” You could say the same of Winston Churchill — who ran for office in the Oldham by-election of 1899 and never stopped running until 1964.
Look: If you take ambition out of politics, you have no politics.
Kevin McCarthy wants to be speaker of the House. I understand this. I have desires in life too. But at what point does the chase become humiliating? At what point do you say, “It’s simply not worth it”?
As far as I can tell, McCarthy does not have strong beliefs, outside the success of his own career. If the Republican Party is Romneyite, he is Romneyite. If it’s Trumpite, he’s Trumpite. That’s how it goes.
Margaret Thatcher spoke of “conviction politicians.” There aren’t many of them. (And there’s something to be said for the more pragmatic sort.)
McCarthy bent over backwards for Trump and Trumpism. Trump referred to him as “my Kevin,” with justice. Unusually for a party leader, McCarthy intervened in a primary — to endorse the challenger, against the incumbent. That was in Wyoming last year.
As you remember, McCarthy endorsed Harriet Hageman over Liz Cheney. “This is a very special case,” he said. He hosted a fundraiser for Hageman. On Primary Day, he flew to Wyoming, presumably to spike the football in Cheney’s face.
McCarthy has done everything possible to make himself palatable to MAGA. But sometimes people are unpleasable and unappeasable. What else is he supposed to do? Join the Russian army and help subdue Ukraine?
For all his efforts, McCarthy has not really been able to win MAGA’s affections, or even respect. And MAGA lately has been stymieing his ambition. It would take a heart of stone not to laugh — or at least emit a soft chuckle.
• “Gaetz is laying down ultimatums.” That is a phrase used by Olivia Beavers, a congressional reporter for Politico. When Matt Gaetz is laying down ultimatums — that tells you something about today’s Republican Party.
• Let’s pause for a language note. Do you like “ultimatums” or “ultimata”? Both are fine — but I prefer the former, probably because it sounds more English. Long ago, I heard Senator Pat Moynihan say something remarkable. He was speaking in some committee. And he said, “Let’s not have hidden agenda here.” He was using “agenda” in the plural. Was he also in the habit of saying “agendum,” for just one? I don’t know.
• Part of the Republican drama — or comedy — is a bitter rivalry between Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. Both are queen bees of MAGA. I think of an old expression: “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.” Who will be La Pasionaria of MAGA? I think we have dueling pasionarias.
(To refresh your memory on the original Pasionaria, go here. She was Dolores Ibárruri, a Spanish Communist in the Civil War.)
• This week, Donald Trump has written a number of tweets, or “truths,” as he calls them on his site, “Truth Social.” Here’s one:
If Republicans are going to fight, we ought to be fighting Mitch McConnell and his domineering, China loving BOSS, I mean wife, Coco Chow.
Here’s one more, in the same vein:
There is so much unnecessary turmoil in the Republican Party, in large part do to people like the Old Broken Crow, Mitch McConnell, his “wife”, Coco Chow, who is a sellout to China, and their RINO allies . . .
Donald Trump was, and is, adored by millions. He became the hero of the party and movement of Ronald Reagan, Bill Buckley, et al. Some of us find this — no less than sickening.
• Sticking with the theme of sickening: “Right Wing Magazine’s Disdain For Ukraine Leads Outlet to Publish a Propagandist For China.” That is the headline over a column by Isaac Schorr. The present era has given rise to an interesting phenomenon: the right-wing tankie. The right-wing apologist for, or ally of, Communist regimes or Communist-like regimes.
In all likelihood, it comes down to a disdain for liberalism. The attitude might be summed up as follows: “The enemy of my enemy — my enemy liberalism — is my friend.”
• A report from the Associated Press — datelined Marathon, Fla. — begins,
More than 500 Cuban immigrants have come ashore in the Florida Keys since the weekend, the latest in a large and increasing number who are fleeing the Communist island and stretching thin U.S. border agencies both on land and at sea.
The report continues,
It is a dangerous 100-mile trip in often rickety boats — unknown thousands having perished over the years — but more Cubans are taking the risk amid deepening and compounding political and economic crises at home.
One Cuban is quoted as saying, “I would prefer to die to reach my dream and help my family. The situation in Cuba is not very good.”
That dictatorship has been brutalizing and immiserating Cubans since 1959 (New Year’s Day). When it falls, that will be a great day for all mankind — Cubans first and foremost.
• Let me link to a related report, also from the AP: “Facing migration flood, U.S. resumes services at Cuba embassy.” Here. That is an interesting development. I expect to have more to say about it in due course (a favorite phrase of Bill Buckley’s: “in due course”).
• “Iran releases Oscar-winning film actress held over protests.” A dollop of good news. (For the article, go here.) The actress is Taraneh Alidoosti, who was in Evin Prison for nearly three weeks. Evin Prison is almost the closest thing there is to hell on earth. Has been for decades.
• A different headline, out of Italy: “At Benedict’s summer home, a town mourns its beloved visitor.” The article says that “residents up and down this picturesque hilltop town” — Castel Gandolfo — “reminisce about hearing him play the piano behind the palace walls on cool summer evenings.”
Hearing Pope Benedict play the piano on cool summer evenings — kind of neat.
• In my column on Monday, I spoke of Pelé — the late, great Pelé — whom I encountered once, memorably. Here is an article about his burial, and all those who came to pay tribute to him. Says one man — one tribute-payer — “Pelé is the most important Brazilian of all time.”
That is an interesting claim, or feeling. Who would be Pelé’s competitors for this title? Heitor Villa-Lobos? (I would think of him.)
Once upon a time, soccer was not quite the worldwide sport it is today. And the sport was synonymous with one man — one nicknamed man: Pelé. If you knew nothing about soccer, if you could not name one other player, you knew who Pelé was.
He was born in 1940 — black and very, very poor. His parents named him “Edson Arantes do Nascimento.” They named him after the American inventor — but they omitted the “i.”
How did this fellow get to be called “Pelé”? The story is somewhat convoluted and need not detain us.
Speaking of detaining, I should wrap up. About Pelé, I will mention one more thing: In 1999, the International Olympic Committee named him the “Athlete of the Century.” That was a helluvan accolade — especially considering that Pelé never played in the Olympics.
Oh, one more thing — one more one more thing: Johnny Carson hosted Pelé on The Tonight Show in 1973. Johnny handles it splendidly. So does Pelé. What wonderful television. Watch it here, when you have the time.
• A bit of music? I recently attended a concert on whose program was a piece by Sir Lennox Berkeley — which reminded me of a story told to me by David Pryce-Jones. (His parents once rented the top floor of the Berkeleys’ home.) I wrote up the story in a quick blogpost, here.
• More music: For my “New York chronicle,” in the January New Criterion, go here. A slew of issues arise — and performers, and composers.
• As longtime readers know, I have a thing about names. I mean, I like them. The other day, I received a press release from the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. (Who doesn’t?) The orchestra’s youth competition was won by Bhargava R. Kulkarni, a cellist 14 years old. “Kulkarni.” Because I suspected it meant something interesting, I looked the name up.
It does. Let me quote the relevant entry in Wikipedia, Source of All Knowledge:
Kulkarni is a family name native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. The name “Kulkarni” is a combination of two words (kula and karni). Kula means “family”, and Karanika means “archivist”. Historically, Kulkarni was the title given to the village record keeper.
Excellent stuff.
• Thank you for joining me today, everyone. I hope you have a good weekend. There was an obit in the New York Times: “Rabbi Haim Druckman, a Leader of Religious Zionism, Dies at 90.” We might leave the rabbi’s politics to another time. I would like to quote the final paragraph of the obit (which is penned by Isabel Kershner):
He recounted that his life had been saved three times: Once when Nazis entered the family’s house but failed to find them in their underground hide-out; when they safely crossed a swelling river while escaping to Romania; and when one of three boats carrying refugees to Palestine was sunk by the Germans. He was in one of the two that made the journey across the Black Sea to Turkey. Having received his life as a gift three times, he said, he was determined to fill it with meaning and purpose.
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