By Sid Schwab / Herald columnist
Here are sentiments expressed by two recent presidents and a “president,” on Mothers’ Day (that’s the proper location for the apostrophe, in my opinion):
President Barack Obama: “Happy Mother’s day! I hope you take a moment to appreciate all the moms and mother-figures in your life — and be there for people who may be missing theirs. To Michelle Obama, thanks for being such an amazing mom to our beautiful girls. You set an incredible example for all of us.”
President Joe Biden: On Mother’s Day, we celebrate the moms and the women filling the role of a mother in our lives. … They believe in us so we can believe in ourselves. … They are there for us at our highest points and our lowest moments. … The lessons I learned from my mother … continue to guide me today. My wife, First Lady Jill Biden, has loved our children and grandchildren with abandon as well. She was the glue that helped put us together after my boys and I experienced profound loss. …”
Trump: “Happy Mother’s Day to ALL, in particular the Mothers, Wives and Lovers of the Radical Left Fascists, Marxists, and Communists who are doing everything within their power to destroy and obliterate our once great Country. Please make these complete Lunatics and Maniacs Kinder, Gentler, Softer and, most importantly, Smarter, so that we can, quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
Readers might discern differences in tone. Not to mention who’s included and who’s not. Subtle. Like the difference between sanity and lunacy. Normality and pathology. Ability to love and inability. Work on it: it’ll come to you.
As easy as it is, from the above, to discern who are decent human beings and who isn’t, and as much as you’d think no one could conclude otherwise, we know that such openness to reality has been expunged from the formerly rational and useful Republican Party. One expects and appreciates differences of political opinion, of course; it makes for good policy. But this … this level of divide augers poorly.
For example: Ever since they assumed the majority position in the House, Republicans have promised to expose horrifying corruption in the Biden administration. Most recently they announced the existence of a whistleblower who claims to have access to an informant who knows some … stuff. Barely containing their excitement, they’ve held presser after presser, promising historic revelations. Until their showstoppers went missing.
We don’t know if the sources ever existed; if they did, we don’t know where they went. Naturally, there are two general points of view: from the left, it was vaporous from the beginning. From the right, they’ve been kidnapped and, assuming they haven’t been drained of their blood, they’re imprisoned in George Soros’ basement, forced to hear drag queens reading history using only pronouns.
A less fanciful example of blindered divide is the just-released final report of independent prosecutor John Durham’s four-year, $7 million investigation of the FBI’s investigations of Trump. Durham was hired by Trump’s Attorney General Barr, who, unlike AGs like Merrick Garland, who keep arm’s length from special prosecutors to maintain independence, accompanied Durham around the planet as they sought to find proof of malfeasance. To prominent Republicans and their media mouthers, the report is a withering indictment of the FBI; a cause for eliminating the Bureau altogether; a reason for imprisonment of many people (Washington Post: tinyurl.com/Durhamflop4u).
To people able to read, which, in this case, amazingly, includes Trump-pardoned, ultra-MAGA felon Steve Bannon, the report amounts to a rehash of old news and conspiracies. Opinions aside, its only semi-substantive conclusion was that the FBI should first have done a preliminary investigation. Durham detailed no corruption and, tellingly, made no recommendations. In fact, his report omitted several high-profile, ultimately unrevealing inquiries he and Barr made. But he stated that the FBI treated Trump and Hillary Clinton differently. They did: they kept their investigation of Trump secret, as opposed to releasing information about Clinton right before the election, which probably contributed to Trump’s “victory.” Bleeding between the lines, Republicans see proof of … something. For those interested in facts, here are two in-depth analyses: (EmptyWheel: tinyurl.com/Durhamgaps; tinyurl.com/Durhamdepth).
Also emblematic of hopeless division are responses to the killing of Jordan Neely, a mentally ill black man, by Daniel Penny, a white man, on a subway in New York City. Subdued by an overly long chokehold as he was behaving erratically, Neely died. As expected, Penny has been lavished with rightwing adoration; Ron DeSantis raised millions of dollars for his defense; Nikki Haley demands a pardon. Like Kyle Rittenhouse before him, who killed peaceful demonstrators demanding human rights, Perry will become a star. Liberals have suggested he could have released his hold once Neely stopped struggling. They’re right. Doesn’t matter.
A final example for now: Trump says he’d re-hire pardoned felon, QAnon believer, Gen. Michael Flynn. Where’s the outrage from the right?
Email Sid Schwab at columnsid@gmail.com.
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