DR. ESP NOTE: As soon as I learned of the merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, I began drafting a response much of which, not surprisingly, has been more than covered by in print and on broadcast media over the past 24 hours. I do not know what else I can add except it reminded me of the adage, “We all know what we are, we’re just haggling over the price.” We now know Jay Monahan’s price was $11 billion in Saudi blood money. The only remaining question is whether the stars of the PGA Tour and the corporations which sponsor its tournaments will bed down with this present day Heidi Fleiss.
For the record, I will reclaim up to 16 hours of free time each week beginning this Thursday as I have decided to boycott broadcasts of PGA Tour events. I hope, though doubt, popular audience draws such as Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, John Rahm, Jordan Spieth and corporate sponsors such as FedEx, AT&T, Waste Management follow suit.
OUR MAIN STORY
Yesterday was a busy news day. It ended with former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie launching his bid for the GOP nomination for president at a CNN townhall meeting. Or should I say Christie’s request for voters to pardon his behavior over the past seven years.
Pardons are generally granted based on the following three conditions.
- Admission of guilt.
- Change in behavior.
- Remorse.
Christie started by telling his audience he made mistakes. “If you are in search of the perfect candidate, it is time to leave. I am not it.” And you can be sure, other contenders for the nomination, including Donald Trump, will remind potential Christie supporters of those mistakes. How he became one of the first major GOP figures to endorse Trump in 2016. How he begged Trump to make him chief of staff. How he defended Trump during the first impeachment. But Christie’s most grievous “crime” was his role in the re-election campaign, including prepping Trump for his debates with Joe Biden, despite quietly telling insiders, as early as March 2020, Trump was planning to steal the election. The timing of his admission of guilt is suspect, but it is an admission none the less, the political equivalent of a “deathbed confession.”
Christie also made an honest effort to satisfy the second criterion. CNN political reporters Gregory Krieg and Shania Shelton point out the former NJ governor distinguished himself from other candidates by his willingness to name names. “That group, Christie added, treated Trump like the “Harry Potter” villain Voldemort, whose name the books’ protagonists are banned from speaking.” Attacking the former president’s character flaws, Christie left no doubt about whom he was talking.
The person I am talking about who’s obsessed with the mirror, who never admits a mistake, who never admits a fault and who always finds someone else and something else to blame for whatever goes wrong, but finds every reason to take credit for anything that goes right – is Donald Trump.
Which brings me to criterion #3 and why voters should not yet put their signature on Christie’s pardon application. He says he is remorseful, but talk is cheap. There is only one way he can prove it. Participants in the first GOP candidates’ debate in Milwaukee this August must pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee. Agreeing to such a condition defies remorse. This applies not only to Christie, but to everyone on that debate stage. Trump may agree to it, but of course he will be lying and renege on his pledge if and when he falls behind in the delegate count. For any non-Trump candidate, raising your hand when asked if you will support the eventual nominee is just more evidence Republicans put party and power over country and the Constitution.
If Chris Christie wants to be taken seriously, here is the answer he must give the RNC when asked to affirm his loyalty to the winning candidate. “I will support any eventual nominee who did not attempt to overturn a free and fair election and never refused to participate in the peaceful transfer of presidential power.” Until then, we should come prepared with a “REJECTED” rubber stamp and red ink pad.
POSTSCRIPT
As I was drafting this blog, I thought about the friends and family with whom I have not spoken since the 2016 election. Many media pundits suggest it is time to reach out to them. Forgive them for having supported Trump. In biblical terms, turn the other cheek. However, what they really suggest is that we issue them an unconditional pardon. No admission of mistakes. No change in behavior. No remorse.
I am sorry. I am not ready to do that. Not when the future of American democracy still teeters on a precipice. I have re-engaged with those I know voted for Trump once, but not twice. However, anyone who still thinks a second Trump residency at the White House is a good idea, is not yet worthy of redemption. I do not expect them to go on national TV and denounce Trump a la Chris Christie nor must they vote for Joe Biden in 2024. Minimally, if faced with a choice between Biden and Trump, they can leave that ballot line blank or write in a another name.
For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP
Dear Dr.,
I too have lost several friends and have strained relations with some family members regarding their support of Trump. Perhaps more egregious, is their willingness to forego their manifest intellect and education and swim in the sea of obvious disinformation.
Although I too wish for reconciliation with these folks, unconditional forgiveness for at least tacitly endorsing acts intended to destroy our democracy is misplaced. Though not religious myself, I seem to remember that repentance is a precondition of forgiveness. That is, one must turn away from his transgression(s) and seek forgiveness. Only then is one obliged to forgive. Regrettably, I remain unoptimistic that true reconciliation lies in the near future.
P.S.
Although not a golfer, I too will never have anything to do with the PGA. Normally, one seeks to remain unseen when selling one’s soul. The PGA’s calculus that its members/fans will remain steadfast is a damning indictment of the state of our fellow citizens.
Hope it doesn’t come down to a choice between Biden and Voldemort, but if it does, leaving the box blank or writing in someone else’s name is, in fact, one less vote for Biden (or other human being) and a vote for Voldemort.
As always, I enjoy your essays – and really not being a golf fan, learned something new about the ‘sport.’