Who doesn’t remember “Who’s on first”–the comedy routine made famous by Abbott and Costello in the 1930s? Although I had not yet been born at the time, I have heard the routine many times and I never cease to be amused by it. The baseball routine is based on the attempt of Abbott to identify the players on the team for Costello by referring to the nicknames of the players. “Who” is playing first base, “What” is playing second base, and “I don’t know” is playing third base. Costello’s frustration mounts as he repeatedly asks “Who’s on first?” and Abbott replies: “Who’s on first!”
As I have thought about the state of this presidential campaign, Abbott and Costello have often come to my mind. Admittedly, in the case of the present campaign, one is more inclined to weep than to laugh. Still, a bit of comic relief is sometimes very welcome. So once again, I listened to the old baseball routine and applied it to our situation. Now that we know “who’s on first” (Hillary) and “what’s on second” (Donald), third base will undoubtedly become more interesting, although most of us consider a third party to be a position for “I don’t know”. Nevertheless, the choices presented to us by the establishment parties are so dismal that many Republicans and Democrats alike will be searching for alternatives. Although recent polls reflect a somewhat different picture, one would expect Democrats to gravitate to the Green Party, whereas the obvious turn for Republicans would be to the Libertarian Party.
Since the dubious nomination of Hillary Clinton, I have heard two nationally known progressive Democrats reject her nomination on charges of corruption and express publicly their endorsement for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Dr. Cornel West, the African-American professor, whom the DNC e-mails referred to as “trash”, said in an interview that he would gladly endorse Dr. Jill Stein over the “neoliberal disaster” Hillary Clinton. Similarly, Chris Hedges, the well-known progressive journalist, has endorsed Dr. Jill Stein and said that the policies of Hillary Clinton are not significantly different from those of conservative Republicans. He firmly believes–as I do–that Hillary Clinton will extend the war in the Middle East, approve wholeheartedly the TPP and take minimal measures to address climate change.
Looking at second base, “What” still strikes me as a black box. Although Hillary has a long, albeit disastrous, political record, Trump has no political record at all by which to judge him. Admittedly, we can criticize his business dealings with various groups including the Russians, but the same criticism can be leveled against other wealthy Americans who sought financial gain after the dissolution of the old Soviet Union. To be sure, campaign promises are notoriously unreliable measures, but nevertheless I think that Trump would be stricter on immigration than Hillary. However, his concept of “safe areas” for Islamic refugees is too extreme, and the building of the Great Wall of Mexico has as much chance of becoming a reality as the closing of Guantanamo that Obama promised eight years ago. On climate change and perpetual war, Trump’s policies would probably not differ greatly from Hillary’s. Regarding the TPP, he claims in his speeches that he wants to bring manufacturing back to the States, but whether he would really oppose corporate America on the issue remains an open question. The only point on which I feel certain is this: A Trump victory would result in a more conservative Supreme Court. Having witnessed the way in which the Supreme Court circumvented the democratic process on same-sex marriage, I personally would welcome a more conservative court.
Casting a glance at third base–well, “I don’t know”! My initial enthusiasm for Dr. Jill Stein and her advocacy for environmental issues was dampened when I saw her spray painting a bulldozer in North Dakota. It was perhaps an admirable demonstration for an activist, but it was not the right approach for a presidential candidate. I agree with her on the urgent need to address climate change, but she can’t spray paint the office doors of every member of Congress who opposes her! Then, there is Gary Johnson who would need to spend his first year in office taking a crash course in geography so that he can respond to questions about the Middle East. Still, Johnson has some interesting positions that are worth considering. As a Libertarian, he would reduce military spending and curtail our involvement in Middle East conflicts. He would accept Syrian refugees, but only after extensive background checks. Furthermore, Johnson would address the problem of national debt, which is projected to reach 20 trillion dollars in 2017.
Returning once again to “who’s on first” and “what’s on second”, I think that the New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd is right when she asserts that both of these candidates have a “wall” problem. Trump’s wall is a massive construction project on the border between Mexico and the US. In contrast, Hillary’s wall is a psychological one that she constructs around herself, an invisible wall that she maintains in order to protect herself from the outside world. In a recent interview, Dowd, who has followed the Clintons since their days in Arkansas, described the pattern of Hillary’s conduct in this way. When Hillary Clinton feels threatened, she reflectively buttresses the wall around herself; she retreats into a sphere of extreme privacy; she becomes depressed and hypercritical of those around her; and mysteriously, documents begin to disappear. If Hillary is elected President of the United States, we will have four years of complete blackout. We will never know what is happening at home or abroad until she is forced to reveal it. On the other hand, if Trump is elected, I really don’t know what to expect. There will probably be more transparency, but we may not like what we see.
It’s too bad that we don’t have a good candidate in right field. Since “Why” was disqualified in left field, I am beginning to identify with the shortstop!
Jack Brush is a Villager and frequent contributor to Villages-News.com. In his new book In Search of the Common Good: Guideposts for Concerned Citizens, he develops guidelines for balancing human rights with the urgent need to promote the common good in our society. For more information, see www.jackebrush.com.