The Curse Of The Donald
Among the legends of Major League Baseball non is quite so enduring as the “curse of the bambino.” As any fan of the Boston Red Socks knows all too well, the legend involves the most famous baseball player that ever lived, George Herman Ruth, otherwise known as “the Babe.” In 1918 the Red Socks management made the colossal mistake (one on MANY, it seems) of selling “the Babe” to their arch rivals, the New York Yankees. It is well known the the Babe was NOT happy with the deal. Upon learning of it from his agent, Johnny Igoe, Ruth’s immediate telegram was: “Will not play anywhere but Boston.” But, despite the Babe’s inclinations, contractual obligations ended up forcing the transfer. And, to make matters worse, the Red Socks owner had the gross insensitivity to inform Ruth that “your best years are behind you.” Babe was EVEN MORE “NOT HAPPY” with that. Rumor has it that as he left the team office he uttered an incantation (“abracadabra alakazam”, or something like it) and so began the curse. Prior to this imprecation, Boston had won FIVE World Series Titles. After it, NONE!… for EIGHTY SIX YEARS! And, another name for “Babe” is, of course, Bambino, so the curse got a name.
At times I wonder if similar sorcery is now the provenance of our Commander And Chief. It sure seems that many of Mr. Trump’s enemies (and there are many!) have come to misfortune or woe after they have had the temerity to pique the President’s ire. If so, this magic deserves a proper name. The name “Bambino”, of course, would not apply. But what about the ”The Curse Of The Donald”? That’s got a ring to it! And we can put the term to use right away. Let’s see…
Just this week, a major foe of Mr. Trump has come to ruination. The latest member of the bewitched is none other than the now reviled Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló. Mr. Rossello, you may recall, was one of the most vociferous critics of President Trump in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria (Sept 16 to Oct 17, 2017). Despite the rapid mobilization of tremendous resources and aid to the island, Rosselló had nothing but scorn for our President. It has since come to light that this loud mouth appropriated considerable resources, mostly for the relief of HIMSELF (and his cronies). And, it further came to light that he and his cronies had grossly mismanaged Puerto Rico even before the hurricane. And, he recently was careless enough to use offensive language during recorded phone conversations. Calls rang out for his resignation. Reliable estimates are that FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND protestors gathered in San Juan to heap scorn upon HIM. Protests continued every day for over a week until Rosselló was forced to resign in disgrace. A case of the “Curse of the Donald?” Possibly. But there are more. MANY more!
The most famous victim to languish under the Donald’s spell is, of course, Hillary Clinton. This windbag has carried on incessantly from 2016 up to the present about how Mr. Trump was “unfit” for office, and that he would bring America to ruin, and that his supporters (myself included) were “deplorable.”, etc., etc. Well, as we all know, that the once “inevitable” “next President” crashed and burned in humiliating defeat. Her foundation and all the “pay to play” revenue immediately dried up, her stage appearances have been duds with many cancelled, and others poorly attended, and she (and her accomplice, Bill) are now BOOED at rock concerts. But more humiliating that that, the current crop of Democrat candidates REFUSE her support. “Curse of the Donald?”… Could be!
Then consider one of the most “in your face” Trump critics, creepy porn layer Michael Avenatti. As you’ll recall, Avenatti attacked candidate Trump on multiple fronts. Not only did he represent Trump accuser and porn star Stormy Daniels, he foisted another implausible accuser, Deborah Swetnick on us (This woman claimed to have witnessed dozens of separate occasions of “gang rapes”, unaware, apparently, how implausible this sounded). He then went on to berate Mr. Trump in dozens of interviews and sound bites across all media venues. He even indicated that he might challenge Mr. Trump by running for president himself! Unfortunately for Avenatti, as of April, 2019, he has been indicted on THIRTY SIX separate criminal counts stemming from multiple cases. These counts include fraud, perjury, failure to pay taxes, embezzlement and domestic violence!… It appears all but certain that he will be spending considerable time behind bars. The Curse of the Donald strikes again!
Next in line is the porn star herself, Ms. Daniels. Despite having reached a non disclosure agreement with Trump regarding her claims of illicit sex, and despite having been paid $130,000 for her silence, Ms. Daniels broke her commitment and went public with her allegations. Since that time, Ms. Daniels has fallen further and further into financial ruin. Recently she was arrested for performing as a stripper. The “Curse Of The Donald”, again!
Perhaps the most dramatic case of the “curse”, however, is the gotterdammerung of Special Council Robert Mueller. Mueller, of course, has been Trump’s bete noire for the last two years. Not only did he carry out his investigation in an extremely biased and partisan way (hiring a rabid anti Trump team, ignoring all pro Trump evidence such as the illicit way the investigation was started) but he used improper prosecutorial methods of intimidation to try to squeeze false testimony from witnesses. On Wednesday America, during his congressional testimony America, witnessed an individual who’s performance revealed that, as Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz put it “he was not the author of the report.” On repeated occasions it was obvious that Mueller didn’t KNOW what was in the report he signed. His credibility and integrity have been forever sundered. In addition to that, his performance was so horrible that even long term Democrat advocates were aghast. As in-your-face leftist Michael Moore put it, Robert Mueller was “a frail old man, unable to remember things, stumbling and refusing to answer basic questions”. A suspicion of Alzheimer’s disease was whispered among many! The “Curse Of The Donald” again.
Another dramatic case is that of former New York State Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman. As the New York Times put it, Schneidermann “established himself as a crusader against President Trump,” and, further, was a “one man wrecking ball.” (Authors Shane Goldmacher and Alan Feuer in the New York Times, May 8, 2018). On May, 6, 2018, Schneiderman resigned in disgrace as he was accused of sexual assault by FOUR women. The sordid details included slapping and choking. So much for this women’s “advocate.” The “Curse Of The Donald” yet again!
And, a rather flamboyant victim of the “Curse” is former cable news star Megan Kelly. Recall that Kelly had once been an esteemed member of the Fox News Network and was considered by many to be a rising star. During the first Trump/Hillary debate, she chose to go after Candidate Trump with a vengeance that startled even long time Fox viewers. She continued her harangues for weeks and weeks afterward. In January of 2017 however, friction at Fox resulted in her rather hasty departure. While she was rehired by NBC News, that position didn’t last long. In October, 2018, Kelly was fired by NBC for a combination of poor ratings and some injudicious remarks about black faced trick-or-treaters, no less. The once ubiquitous cable personality has, since, been unable to find work. Ah, the “Curse Of The Donald!”
And then there’s… James Comey…. And… Peter Strzok…. And… Lisa Page… And… Al Franken… And…, well you get the idea. So, Jerry Nadler, Maxine Waters, Rashida Tlaib and Adam Schiff, you better watch out! And, don’t say you weren’t warned.