The Tribune

With CHARLIE HARPER

KAY and June had planned to go out for a late lunch on this rainy but still stubbornly humid day in a leafy New York City suburb. But host Kay had prevailed on her guest from Washington, DC, to stay in and have some tea and fresh orange and blueberry scones instead on her enclosed, air-conditioned porch. Kay started right in to get some capital-based insight.

“So Juney, what is going on with the Republicans? Are they still behind Trump, even with this new federal indictment? What’s happening with this debate coming up? Is McConnell going to resign? How about DeSantis and the others?” Kay explained that despite having the New York Times delivered to her door each morning, she found it overwhelming to try to keep up.

Her well-connected Washington-based friend from college could catch her up on everything she had missed.

June smiled. “Well, Keke, not so much has changed since we last got together in the spring. Yes, Republicans are still all in behind Donald Trump. He’s way ahead of everyone else. He doesn’t seem to have changed his message all that much, either. He’s trying to turn federal and state indictments into badges of honour, claiming at his rallies that he’s being persecuted and indicted on behalf of his supporters.

 “These crooked, Communist, fascist, socialist Democrats in the Injustice Department are attacking me because I keep supporting you,” he tells his rapt rally followers. “I am being indicted for you.”

“I don’t mean to sound sacrilegious here, Keke, but Trump sometimes sounds like Jesus. He sees himself as a kind of martyr-messiah. ‘I died for your sins’ seems to be his essential, subliminal message. He’s being prosecuted and persecuted for the sins of his followers. I think he’s lost his marbles, and not one of his supporters seems to care.”

June continued. “I watched his rally last weekend in Erie on C-Span. Remember Erie? In 2016, this once solidly trade union, deep blue northwest Pennsylvania city was a kind of bellwether for Trump, helping tip the state away from Hillary Clinton and toward Trump. Then, quietly, Erie flipped to Biden in 2020 and so did Pennsylvania.

“Anyhow, at his Erie rally Trump pounded on the following issues: Hunter Biden’s various corruptions; how only Trump could avoid World War III with the Russians because Putin respects him so much; how the federal Department of Justice, FBI and IRS have all been corrupted and turned into political weapons by Biden; how he has now removed the “Crooked Hillary” moniker from his vanquished 2016 foe and applied it to Biden.

“Trump said ‘I called her Crooked Hillary, but I’m now seeing so much graft and corruption with this administration that I’m going to forgo ‘Sleepy Joe’ and rename him “Crooked Joe.” Trump looked out smugly at his adoring crowd, basking in the adulation.”

Kay signaled for a pause with her hands. “Wow, Juney, that does sound pretty familiar. How does he look up there on stage?”

“I hate to admit it, but this guy does not really seem to be only four years younger than Biden. Trump is, well … he is vital. He exudes energy almost like he did when he first entered the presidential race eight years ago. He doesn’t fumble words. He sticks to his scripts a bit more carefully than he used to do.

“You’ve seen Biden. He walks like an 80-year-old, scared to death that he will fall and look his age. He’s got this stubborn tuft of gray hair that keeps sticking up on the back of his head. He has always fumbled with words to some extent, but now it just reinforces the impression that he would be very lucky to live long enough to serve out a second term as president. He just looks old, and hesitant.”

Kay was curious about other subjects Trump covered in Erie. “Well,” June said, “he spent time bashing Ron DeSantis, calling him DeSanctimonious and then DeSanctis. He crowed about his huge (56-17%) lead, but still spent a lot of time on the Florida governor, who is still by far his closest challenger. Trump boasted about his alleged trade gains with China, attacked ‘deranged’ special federal prosecutor Jack Smith, crowed about how he compelled Mexico to send 28,000 troops to its US border to stem the tide of immigrants seeking entry to the US”

Kay inquired about the forthcoming GOP presidential candidates’ debate in Milwaukee, now less than two weeks away.

June replied. “I read in USA Today that in addition to Trump and DeSantis, five others have met the requirements to participate. They are Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy and Doug Burgum.”

Kay looked up from her tea. “Who are those last two?”

June laughed. “Burgum is the current governor of North Dakota. His main fan so far seems to be (veteran conservative pundit and columnist) George Will, though Will does make a persuasive case that Burgum is by far the most rational conservative in the race.

“Ramaswamy is a handsome biotech and financial services entrepreneur from New York with a beautiful, accomplished doctor wife. He is campaigning on promises to abolish the ‘useless’ June 19 US federal holiday and to pardon Trump on his first day as president.’”

“What about Mike Pence? Isn’t he running?”

“Yes,” June replied. “But he is lagging pretty far behind. I’m guessing he’ll make into this first debate field, but he isn’t strong now.

“You asked about McConnell. He looks older and frailer than Biden. He actually resembles what Trump calls him – an ‘old crow.’ Did you hear that he got heckled at a rally in Kentucky the other day? The crowd, echoing Trump, shouted that he should resign.

“McConnell’s 20-second brain freeze while the TV cameras were rolling during a news conference last week really looked bad. You probably saw the news clips. McConnell has also supposedly been using a wheelchair as a precaution when he moves around in crowded airports.

“You know he also cracked a rib and was concussed in a fall at home earlier this year, and reportedly fell again on an airplane in July. Of course, his staff tries to keep this all quiet and out of sight.”

End of one era, and the start of another for US women’s soccer

For the past two weeks, the women’s soccer World Cup has edged toward centre stage on the sporting scene. More viewers than ever have been tuning in. Fox is televising almost all games live from venues in Australia and New Zealand, where it is mid-winter. Morocco’s team made history by advancing to the round of 16.

But by far the biggest story from Down Under is the unceremonious dismissal of the two-time defending champion US team at the hands (and feet) of Sweden, a team very familiar to the Americans from many previous tense encounters.

It may have been inevitable. The American women have bossed around the rest of the world for decades. Their stars have inspired girls around the world. They are greatly admired not only as players but because of the social and economic issues they have eagerly embraced. These include most notably the achievement of equal pay with the US men’s team, which has never approached their success on the field. But these women have also spoken out consistently against homophobia, racism and gender-based discrimination.

The US women’s team has probably achieved more sociological influence than any other professional sports group apart from the NBA players association.

But this United States team is now at the end of one era and the start of another. The latest group of talismanic stars has faded and the next has not yet taken full charge.

Among the reasons for the Americans’ failure were: too many injuries; poor in-game management and player selection by the manager, who will likely be fired; a lack of team chemistry; overconfidence, and the evident fact that much of the rest of the world has closed the talent gap on the Americans.

Dutch manager Andries Jonker asked an interviewer from The Athletic “what is left of the American women’s team’s superiority” beyond fitness? As his team took an early lead in an eventual tie with the US, he proved prophetic: His answer was ‘not much.’

Canada and Brazil are also gone. Ahead of the August 20 final, watch out for the English women. They look like potential winners.