Just when you think this year cannot get more depressing or bizarre; yet here we are. Carry on.
Former United States Senator Claire McCaskill used to be one of my favorite public officials. Many of you will remember when she was the Jackson County prosecutor. She used to go on Randy Miller’s radio show on Q104 and it was entertaining. At least her public persona had a little flair and fun. She seemed like a fun person with some grounded perspective.
But the United States Senate can change a person and she seems much different now. In fact, she seems old and bitter. Most of us get old, so I will not hold that against her, but perhaps she could shelve the “bitter.” This weekend, she tweeted, “Riots in 111 cities, $3.7 trillion deficit, 40 million unemployed, highest unemployment since the Great Depression, 103,800 deaths, TIRED of WINNING YET?”
Oh, Claire. The tweet is obviously aimed at President Trump and his supporters, but honestly it does not impress people for her to seemingly celebrate the current condition of the United States and world. It makes her seem small and bitter, similar to the very person she is trying to belittle. It is just a bad look. I miss the Claire on the Randy Miller show. She would have seen some light in the current clouds.
One of her supporters replied, “Claire I love you, but rubbing people’s nose in it is not the way to change voters, better question, is this winning, or is Trump what you thought he was, messaging is important.”
“Love” is a pretty strong, but maybe we could “like” Claire again if she heeded the advice of those who “love” her.
Before “Trumpers” get upset with me, this is a good time to remind everyone that Hillary Clinton was our other choice in 2016 and Joe Biden is the other choice in 2020.
If you do not like irony, we cannot be friends. I found the irony over the weekend to be near hilarious. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas was on the news all weekend. In live broadcasts, he was pleading with “protestors” to be respectful of the process to peacefully protest. Some canned public service announcements would then play immediately after the live shots that had him calling for us to social distance, wear masks and abide by the health department directives.
It is sad and laughable at the same time. I took my family for brunch this weekend and we were directed to sit at different tables; I have a small family (numerically), yet the city was clearing the streets for protestors to march through Kansas City arm and arm. The dichotomy of the entire comparison is laughable, sad and the height of irony on many levels, including comparing brunch seating with social justice protests; yet, here we are.
I have no answers.
I am looking forward to the eventual legal fall out of COVID-19. Lawsuits will be dragging through the courts for a decade. I am not a lawyer, but I have watched a great deal of Matlock in my life and it is pretty clear to me that health departments, mayors and county commissioners don’t have the legal authority to legally close most of the places that have been closed during this pandemic. The results of the legal battles over these orders and mandates will be interesting for years to come.
(Guy Speckman can be reached at gspeckman@me.com or watching Matlock reruns)