Cross Town Thoughts
Debates? Nevermind. July 17. Save the date.
Caterer Alert. Anchor the catamarans. Carry the kegs back from the sand. Hamptons watch parties planned. If the resistance is real summer sojourns to Italy & Greece have been rescheduled.
Charcoal & steaks will be replaced by House committees grilling the Special Counsel. Obstruction. Collusion. Steele Dossier. Lovers Peter & Lisa. Must see TV. So. Pop a can. It’s Mueller Time!
Debates start this week. A new story for the media to cover. Or is it? Will they focus on the future of the Democrats. Who has the best ideas. Who has charisma. Or. Will it just be another chance to trash Trump.
The best commentary I’ve read on Journalism’s demise is by Gary Abernathy in the Washington Post –
“…I wanted Trump to break Washington… but as a longtime (Ohio) newspaper editor, I didn’t want him to break journalism… while the former has proved stubbornly resilient, the latter has crumbled like old newsprint…
… this new style of journalism … reporters injecting themselves into their stories rather than quoting other sources… gives the widespread perception that the media is out to get the president…
new rules of reporting … militarize fabled pens far beyond allegorical swords… returning to the glory days of unbiased, dispassionate reporting depends on a recognition that the old rules still work best… journalism is gasping for air…”
Mayor Pete Buttigieg was tested as he faced an angry and pain-filled room on Sunday. South Bend Town Hall to address a black man shot by a white cop. The force has gone from 10% – 5% African-American under his mayorship with a white police chief. Not good in a community rife with deep racial strife. How did Mayor Pete handle this test?
C – at best. His EQ as a calm and reasoned man worked against him. He seemed flat as he responded to the emotional questions. It’ll be interesting to see how it affects him in debates.
And. He should lose the Mormon boy white shirt and tie. Not good.
Yes. She is the only person who would be a shoe-in for President in 2020. Beats Trump in a heartbeat. People would trample each other like a sale at Filene’s Basement to get to the voting booth. Always said so. Now on last night’s Real Time even Bill Maher agrees.
Oprah Winfrey in a landslide. No contest.
Woman. Check.
Black. Check.
Center moderate. Check.
Capitalist. Check.
Celebrity. Check.
Pragmatist. Check.
Successful business leader. Check.
Popular with the working class. Check.
Great speaker. Check.
Any questions?
Major sigh as Trump squints at McCain-esque Hawks Graham, Bolton, Pompeo and Pence. Bomb. Bomb Bomb. Bomb. Bomb. Iran. He said no! Because people may die? Don’t remember hearing that before. So. Okay. Yes. Many faces of the President. But for now. We’ll take it.
Crying Wolfowitz and the Cheneys twisting on the wall.
Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado; former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey; Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind.; former housing secretary Julián Castro; Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York; former Representative John Delaney of Maryland; Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York; Senator Kamala Harris of California; former Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado; Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington; Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas; Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio; Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont; Representative Eric Swalwell of California; Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; the self-help author Marianne Williamson; and the former tech executive Andrew Yang.
Second night June 27 looks best.
Tonys the best TV show. Actual talent on display from old classics Oklahoma or Kiss Me Kate. James Corden. Who new? He was great.
Big Little Lies. Season 2. Abusive husband replaced by abusive mother-in-law. Of course. Celeste takes the bait. Evil and dark, Meryl Streep is even better in the role than I’d predicted. Real. Resonates.
Rory woke up and commanded Canada’s course. Welcome back.
Sexism Alert? It shouldn’t be a gender thing. But. Maybe it is. Bottom line. Bad voices attract us to people or can be off-putting. Why does Kamala Harris sound like a pedantic lecturer with a courtroom cadence. Elizabeth Warren a hyper-breathless school marm. Kirsten Gillibrand yelling in a small room. Do we react differently to women’s voices. Or. Are they just different. Rarely in a good way.
Okay. Bernie’s accent is annoying. And. Biden um’s and ah’s. So.
Trump & The Queen. He looks bored. Ivanka and Camilla seem to have chosen the same white ensemble. Awkward. Melania in white as well. It’s like a snow storm inside Buckingham Palace. Harry is there. To defend his wife’s honor? No. Don’t insult her as a victim. Charles Blow.
Meanwhile, Kirsten Gillibrand said her favorite part of campaigning is seeing lots of little girls on the trail because “Female is the Future”.
She happens to have two young sons back at home. Sad.
Archie & Edith are at it again in the remake of All in the Family. Or. Is it Donald & Nancy? 2019’s latest Bickersons. As was evident from watching the retro show. Everything old is new again. And. Nothing much has really changed in the past forty-plus years.
Racism. Sexism. Political schisms.
Side Trek . NYC 