This picture is not an AI or photoshop creation. My wife Therese and I attended the big March 28 Democratic fundraiser at New York’s Radio City Music Hall (where I hadn’t been in 60-odd years).
Never actually met a president in the flesh before. Three together was kind of surreal. Each warmly greeted us and shook hands. I thanked them for doing this. Therese was tingly with excitement that President Biden had put his hands on her shoulders.
A surprise was the photographer being the world famous Annie Leibovitz! (We learned that afterward, through mention on The Daily Show.)
Only late the night before did an email instruct download of our tickets through Ticketmaster. I couldn’t get it to work on my computer. We tried again on my wife’s phone at our hotel; I gave up after a while, but she, bless her, persisted, and finally succeeded. Good thing: Radio City was barricaded by cops, demanding to see tickets.
In the hotel I met with Orin Kramer, a Democratic operative who’d started out working in the Carter White House. It was Kramer who’d contacted me as a past donor and persuaded me to step up again. We two had a great conversation about the political scene. Then my wife and I were visited by Wisconsin Democratic Chairman Ben Wikler and sidekick Jill Strauss (I’d made a special Wisconsin donation in 2020). Wikler is a terrific guy who’s done great work countering Republican voter suppression.
Landrieu
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At the pre-event reception, Chuck Schumer was working the room, but we weren’t on his radar. I did say hello to Democratic National Chairman Jaime Harrison and reminded him of a phone conversation we’d had. Also was delighted to encounter Mitch Landrieu, a really great guy, and laud what he’d done removing Confederate statues as New Orleans Mayor.* Landrieu was very gracious.
Well, enough name dropping. I hadn’t remembered just how huge Radio City is; 5000 people in that hall. The program featured some star performers including Queen Latifah, Lizzo (striking for her energy and verve), and Ben Platt (whose pretentious gyrations seemed just ridiculous).
The main event was Stephen Colbert conversing with the three presidents. Though there was some levity, I was surprised by how serious and substantive it mostly was. Highlighting Trump’s threat to everything good about America, but also Biden’s positive story: so much accomplished, with a really strong economy. Making inexplicable so many voters’ attraction to so perverse an alternative.
Biden mentioned Trump’s rallies opening with the national anthem sung by imprisoned January 6 rioters whom he now calls “patriots” and “hostages,” pledging pardons. Whereas on that day (after doing nothing to stop the violence) Trump had actually denounced them as un-American lawbreakers who’d properly be punished.
There was a big pro-Palestinian protest outside the hall; and even inside, loud disruptive shouting. Biden deemed it okay for them to be heard (while Obama admonished them to listen as well as shout). All three, though acknowledging the October 7 horror, also recognized the unacceptable suffering of innocent Gazans, while stressing how very hard it is trying to resolve this complex intractable conflict.
At least Biden is indeed trying, bringing to bear all his human decency, compassion, experience, and wisdom. We mustn’t replace him with a mentally ill bull in a china shop devoid of morals.
I’m always thrilled visiting New York, the very capital of civilization. A civilization whose future is on the ballot in November. And while it was a thrill to meet three presidents and some other great people, that doesn’t compare with the thrill of having so wonderful a wife at my side.
*Read about that here: https://rationaloptimist.wordpress.com/2018/08/02/mitch-landrieu-and-confederate-monuments/
