Articles: Politics

In the fictional 1880s of novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, London was confronted with the strange case of the affable, capable Dr. Henry Jekyll, who periodically used a potion to transform himself into Mr. Hyde, a beast whose personality expressed the good doctor’s darkest instincts.

What does the new movie “Hustlers” have to do with the Democratic debates? It seems that Jennifer Lopez and her crew accomplished something more than just talking and complaining, and actually punished Wall Street misdeeds. None of the Democratic candidates — except, arguably, Joe Biden — appears to have accomplished anything like that.

In the presidential campaign, in his trade and diplomatic negotiations, and in domestic policy fights, President Trump’s personal circumstances and the unwitting American media have dealt him a huge advantage: Although he is an impatient person, he is in no hurry.

Welcome to Venezuela, the tyrant’s paradise for America’s adversaries — China, Russia, Iran, Cuba (call them the CRIC) — who have been a perpetual annoyance to the Trump administration. And yet, could our rivals be showing signs of political hemorrhagic fever?

While the self-indulgent “social justice” warriors and flag-stompers run wild, more than a dozen of the Democratic presidential candidates promised the Rev. Al Sharpton that they would push through a program of “reparations” for “descendants of slaves” if they were elected president. For that, let me be the first to give them an F for political, not to mention intellectual, IQ.

It’s almost as if Las Vegas has come to Washington, D.C., and the hugely popular magic tricks always feature misdirection. The audience’s attention is drawn in one direction while the real action is somewhere else. Nowhere is this becoming more evident than in the nearly three years of President Trump’s successful foreign policy show.

Joe Biden is right. We should learn from a past era when Congress, including segregationists, moved the country forward through major social justice legislation. Biden was roasted by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and others — all of whom, ironically, have done nothing of consequence for the country in the areas of fairness and equal opportunity, especially in contrast to the legislators and political leaders of the 1960s and ’70s who worked together to get things done.

Trying to avoid the Democratic presidential debates, I went to the San Francisco Opera’s production of “Rusalka” last week. Bad choice — same politics, but more painful to watch.

In the old poker movie, “The Cincinnati Kid,” wily veteran Edward G. Robinson bests the young poker shark Steve McQueen and delivers the final punch line: “Doing the wrong thing at the right time — that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it, kid?”

With the Democrats still trying to throw a Hail-Mueller Pass with time out on the scoreboard and with the economy humming, it’s time to confront the central issue: “Has Donald Trump been an awful, OK, or great president?”