Just Be Cuz
The top of my head has been blown off by the Trump convictions yesterday, but I am weirdly not inclined to spend much time writing about it, perhaps because so much has already been said and written about it and also because it is so startling that it has taken 77 years for a guy with Trump’s despicable lack of character to have his comeuppance. The one thing I am inclined to say at this moment is that I am disappointed that the Wall Street Journal has published an article saying that we are setting a dangerous precedent convicting a politician on such a sketchy legal theory. Wait a fucking moment! Do we doubt the man had sex with Stormy Daniels? NO. Do we doubt that he had a “Catch and Kill” plan in place with David Pecker? NO. Do we doubt that he used smarmy tactics with the National Enquirer to effectively defame his opponents and aggrandize his own image? NO. Do we doubt that after the Access Hollywood tape that his candidacy was teetering with the public and politicians all wondering if they could stomach a president with such lousy moral fiber? NO. Do we doubt that he would seek to pay off Stormy Daniels for reasons of keeping her quiet before the election? NO. Do we doubt that he coerced Michael Cohen to make the payment for him? NO. Do we doubt that Cohen and he were thick as thieves figuring out how to do it in the shadiest possible way to delink it from him? NO. Do we doubt that he induced the rigging of his company books to accomplish the concealment? NO. Do we doubt that he falsified financial records specifically to impact his image and thus the election, thereby lying to the electorate? NO. Do any of us feel that is acceptable behavior for a presidential candidate? I hope the hell not. So why would the WSJ make comment about the legal “tactics” being used here when the tactics are all political on the part of Republicans and sympathetic Trump supporters? The only answer I can give is….because. Because Republicans are way past any ethical standards of discussing what is right and wrong, appropriate or inappropriate and even desirable and undesirable in terms of leadership and governance. They are only interested in winning and control and have absolutely allowed the ends to justify the most deplorable of means.
But like I said though, I want to minimize the repetition of opinions on what the implications are of a Trump conviction. It seems we are in limbo on the issue for a month or so until the sentencing hearing set for July 11th. By then we will undoubtedly have more polls that will attempt to get at the public reaction to the conviction, and with that occurring 4 days before the RNC Convention, we should also know if this all has moved the needle of the GOP in its nomination process (not expecting any such rational outcome as that). So, I would like to shift gears and talk about the world that keeps turning despite the Trump flailings. I have the advantage on this hilltop of having our friend Melisa as my guru of political minimization. Her amusement, bordering on disdain, for political news updates is hard to miss. Yesterday, I was actually over at Mike & Melisa’s house as the jury announced that it was returning with a verdict. I had just left as she and Mike started their walk with Rex (their German Sheppard) and when I heard the news on my truck radio, I turned around and pulled up next to them to tell them the news. Mike, who sticks to his discipline of not listening to news until 6pm (it was 1pm) was mildly interested to hear the interim news that a verdict was at hand (we all knew that meant that a conviction was imminent and Mike has no love lost for Herr Trump). But Melisa just threw her head back and laughed in a way that told me that it was less the news that amused her, but rather the fact that I would turn around and drive back to deliver such inconsequential news to her. Melisa has an admirable focus on family and friends and what is closest to her daily life. Studies on happiness would suggest that such near-term focus is the clearest path to a happy life.
Melisa is, indeed, a happy person and I suspect that a big part of that is because she is clear on what she cares about and what she does not. Politics falls distinctly into her “not” category. That is not so different from the way Kim and I considered politics for most of our lives, but that all changed in 2016 when Trump won the presidency. That was the first time we ever gave or attended an election night party and I remember the wet blanket that was cast on our gathering when Trump was announced to be the winner. Since then, both Kim and I hang on every piece of political news as it gets released. It’s been a big change in our lives, which happens to coincide with retirement and moving closer to our extended family here in California. That creates an interesting juxtapositioning. Our focus on politics has risen as our focus on family has also risen. If we assume that focus is a finite human resource, I guess what that says is that politics was filling the void from decreased focus on work even though some of that void was also being filled with family orientation. Are the two in contradiction with one another? Despite my desire to argue that my worries about Trump and politics these days is mostly about what kind of America will be left for my grandchildren, it is hard to deny that focus on politics is taking away from my enjoyment of family…at least at the margin.
On Wednesday of this week, my nephew Jason, who lives in Las Vegas, came for an impromptu visit. In my kids’ generation, Jason is a favorite cousin. Besides being very low-key and pleasant, he is particularly creative and has made magnificent and prized mosaics, murals, antique signs, customized sneakers and hooked rugs for other family members. While it was last minute, his presence gave rise to Kim’s nephew Will, my brother-in-law Bennett, my nephew Alex and his wife Natalie and kids Charlie and Jack to come over for a chili and Mac & Cheese dinner. The young kids played in the play area and Hobbit House and the big kids hit the beer and wine and told tall tales. The jury may have been out on the Manhattan Trump trial, but there was no mention of the pending status of our country, its democratic foundations, its judicial system, the rule of law or the 2024 election. The only focus was on reconnecting with family members that we only get so many chances to see.
Why do we wake up each morning and go about our day in today’s world? It is not (for most of us) about what happens in Washington or a New York City courtroom. As galvanized as our politics are and as vocal as Trump supporters tend to be online, the scene outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan or even up on Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower was paltry when the conviction came through. Maybe they didn’t have time to gather and maybe they have truly lost passion and interest. I know that when I gather with family, I am reminded of why Melisa’s outlook may be the best one to have. I think the purest form of family interaction that is optional is between cousins. We are blessed in that our next generation (and hopefully the one younger than that) the cousin connection is strong. I saw that on full display on Wednesday night and if anyone asked me why we are here on this earth, it would not be because we need to pay attention to the Donald Trump’s of the world, but more so connect with our cousins……why?….Just Be Cuz.