The Corsair
Trump is not as nimble in his bigotry as the younger xenophobic model, Ron DeSantis; Junot Diaz is a Damned Jerk, not a Sex Criminal; and -- Media Bits and Bytes
On Trump’s Anti-Semitic Friendsgiving Dinner
When he was a bit younger Trump used to be so much more, well, nimble in deflecting accusations of bigotry. He was your typical New York proto-bigot, able to talk about Crime without directly employing the N-word. He learned his lessons from the New York Post, the Giuliani administration and WABC talk radio well. He was an A-student in saying to the media what outer-borough bigots thought in the quiet of their xenophobic hearts. But nowadays the fire, the pro-white supremacist audacity is gone. In fine, the new, Florida-based DJT is no Lee Zeldin.
Where has all the racial magic gone?
When he first ran for President, just off the Trump Tower anti-Mexico escalator, the crypto-bigot was damn well spry. David Duke? Who that? And, later into his Presidency, Charlottesville? Both sides-ways! Anti-Semitism? My grandson, my favorite daughter and my son-in-law are all Jewish! Plus — Netanyahu adores me!
That was then; this is now.
Since then, Trump has lost a step in hiding exactly what and who he really is. His comparative awkwardness seems to stem from his very public loss and his seething on the sidelines of History. Since trapped in his quarters at Mar a Lago, smothered in loser-dust, DJT has become increasingly, astonishingly bitter. Positively citric is the best way to describe it. There is almost a serpentine hiss to his communications nowadays. Why don’t American Jews revere me? he asks, with all the savoir faire of a weekend Confederate re-enactor. I was just giving a meal to a troubled man -who happens to be a Black! he explains, clumsily, of his dinner with Ye and that other bigot.
The old Trump would never, ever have had such a public tete-a-tete with such ardent on-the-record sleazeballs. He was just too clever by a half in the old days. And even if he did something of the sort, he would condemn it publicly — as advisors, apparently warned him — rather than digging in, like an alligator burying its eggs. This new Trump has no longer the populist fire of the younger, swifter ‘gators in the glades. DeSantis, in particular, is the biggest anti-Woke alligator in the Florida swamp. Even media proprietor Rupert Murdoch, who is infamous for trading in older models for younger ones, seems to recognize the urgency of DeSantis’ insidious crypto-bigotry.
Clearly the dinner has become a major issue — a flashpoint, if you will — on the health of DJT’s nascent re-run for the Presidency. But will the fallout of this Friendsgiving Bigot Dinner seep into the newly elected Congress, like swamp vapors? Kevin McCarthy, who had no joy on Election Night despite fulfilling a lifelong ambition, cannot be brimming with enthusiasm. Steve Clemons of SEMAFOR writes:
But Trump’s antisemite dinner party couldn’t have come at a worse time for Kevin McCarthy, who has been quiet on the matter. McCarthy needs support from the conservative House Freedom Caucus to become Speaker. Unfortunately for him, two of the most prominent members, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. participated in a white nationalist conference with Fuentes last year. They later pleaded ignorance. Democrats and some Republicans voted to strip them of their committee assignments over separate violent social media posts, a decision McCarthy is set to reverse.
Especially after a weak midterms for MAGA candidates, the prospect of two years of Trump-laced outrages might give moderates more motive to try to seize control of the caucus.
All that having been said, it remains to be seen whether DeSantis, who appears to be the newly appointed “White Knight” of Murdoch Media, can ride his culture war right up into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue’s hind quarters …
Junot Diaz — A Jerk, Not Sexual Criminal
Evan Smith posted this interview with Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Junot Diaz, which never aired on PBS. The first few minutes dives pretty sharply into the degree to which the author’s characters — some real seedy womanizers — reflect on Junot Diaz. Diaz, skilled with words, escapes the Smith’s net, but only by a whisper. It reminded me a bit of the late, great butterfly catcher Vladimir Nabokov — another skilled scribbler — who absolutely refused — refused! — to be compared to Lolita’s Humbert Humbert, one of the best-known perverts in modern literature. Gore Vidal once cleverly suggested that Nabokov’s time teaching young, nubile fresh(wo)men in Introductory Literature courses at Wellesley early in his career might perhaps — perhaps? — have contributed to the narcissistic pedophile protagonist’s “motivation.”
It is always interesting when authors vehemently deny that there are any autobiographical elements to the inner consciousness of their creations. Heaven forfend! they protest — always too much, imho — this is just the artistic imagination at play. And don’t you dare bring up that “witchdoctor” Freud when speaking about Nabokov’s literary creations! Authors, of course, conjure out of sugar and spice and everything nice. Of course.
From what we know about Diaz, he has quite a bit in common with the womanizers he conjures up oh so effortlessly.
This is not a crime, to be sure, but is the tried and true sign of a damned jerk.
Unless you go in for that sort of thing, ladies … (Averted Gaze)
George Takei says Star Trek cast didn't get along with 'cantankerous' 'prima donna' William Shatner. (EW)
The postliberal crackup: The GOP’s post-midterm civil war starts with the New Right. (Kathryn Joyce/Salon)
“United States Senate elections may soon be the state of Georgia’s third largest industry.” (Chris Smith/VF)
Will Smith sincerely hopes Emancipation is not penalized for The Slap. (THR)
“Discord was originally designed for chatting while playing video games, but it’s become a kind of group-chat collecting tool. It’s a bit like joining a dozen work Slacks at once, but they’re about fun rather than work.” (Dirt)
“‘My impression of Semafor is that what they’re trying to do is to be international in the way that the FT is international, which is to say, not defaulting to America as the frame for every story,’ Jonathan Shainin, an editor at The Guardian, said.” (CJR)
Why I quit Elon Musk’s Twitter (Jelani Cobb/NewYorker)