Santa’s Political Gift Bag – “The Sunday Political Brunch”—December 27, 2020

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™

 

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One of my favorite Christmas songs is, “Everybody’s Waiting for the Man with the Bag” by Kay Starr, featured in some versions of “The Polar Express!” It’s about kids waiting for their Christmas gifts. Well how about gifts for all our political leaders? Let’s “brunch” on that this week!

 

“The Art of the Concession Speech!” -- In a sequel to his best seller, “The Art of the Deal,” President Trump will receive the gift of wisdom and finally deliver his concession speech to President-elect Joe Biden. Trump should do this from the Oval Office after Congress certifies the election on January 6th. He should congratulate Biden and talk about moving the nation forward together. But, if he wants to announce his 2024 bid against Biden, then let him. Still, a heartfelt concession from Trump would be a classy way to move on into what’s inevitable on January 20, 2021. My bet is it won’t happen, especially if he vetoes the latest stimulus bill. Hey, I’ll take $2,000 instead of $600 any day, but I doubt it will ever happen.

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“A Paper Shredder” – As crass and undignified as President Trump has been these past four years, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could equal him at times. Her utmost rudeness was ripping up his State of the Union Speech on TV, right after he delivered it (and, in fairness, we should note, he refused to shake her hand, in a “junior high-type mutual snub!”)  Maybe they had a secret crush? Oops, sorry for the visual! If so, at least they’re too old to produce offspring! Anyway, let’s buy the speaker a paper shredder she can put under the rostrum and slice and dice the speech in a more polite way! My bet: Doubtful, a shredder under the desk might look underhanded or go unnoticed!

 

“A Box Set: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!” – It’s no secret! Everyone in Washington, DC (and elsewhere), thinks Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) Kentucky, looks like a turtle. Even Rush Limbaugh calls him, “The turtle!” on his radio show. Hey, run with it! McConnell is not the most loveable, huggable guy in politics, so maybe pairing him with the Ninjas might up his love factor! I mean with his chubby, droopy cheeks, what’s not to love? Odds? Who knows, in politics anything can happen!

 

“Full Disclosure” – From President-elect Biden, we need some full-disclosure right-out-of-the-box. We know his son Hunter is now under investigation by the IRS over tax returns. Will they show favorable Chinese business dealings with Hunter, when his dad was VP? Put it out there, just as I have advocated the Trump kids should. I want to say this delicately. In the Biden storyline it is always mentioned that Hunter’s mom and sister died in the 1972 car accident, and that his brother Beau died in 2015 of brain cancer. Tragic. There is no other word. For Joe Biden to soldier all that is remarkable and inspiring. That said, he and Hunter’s dealings with Chinese business interests are fair game today for scrutiny by the press, the public, and the political community. Respond.

 

“Two for the Road” – For my former boss (1992-93), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, he would like nothing more than to win the two Special Election runoff races for U.S. Senate in Georgia. He needs to win both seats to become Majority Leader. These races are hard to predict. I mean it’s difficult to imagine a split result with one Democrat and one Republican winning. They’re the only two races on the ballot. Trump and Biden will be there to campaign hard, as will other prominent politicians. Republicans will be the most motivated, as they can’t lose all three “legs of the bar stool” in DC. Prediction: Independent voters will be decisive and at least one Republican incumbent, likely Sen. David Perdue, will win to keep the razor-thin GOP Senate majority.

 

“Does Anyone Have Pictures?” – Once upon a time in 2004 (or 2005-07), I had lunch with now soon to be Vice President Kamala Harris. She had just been elected District Attorney of San Francisco, and I was a Morning Anchor/Political Reporter with KTVU-TV2 in the Bay Area. It was a charity luncheon at renowned chef Bradley Ogden’s “One Market” restaurant in San Francisco. I think it was a fundraiser for a shelter dealing with victims of spouse abuse. Anyway, if anyone out there has photos, I’d love copies. DA Harris and I were seated together at lunch and had a great time. I was the emcee and she was the keynote speaker!

 

“The Patience of Job Award” – I fully expect Vice-President Mike Pence will be a presidential candidate in 2024, regardless if Trump gets in the race, or not. Pence is a legitimate contender. He spent 12 years in the House of Representatives, and four years as Governor of Indiana. Remember, in modern times, being a governor is the best path to the White House (think Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush II). That’s a collective 28 years, with only Bush I as the anomaly. Pence was a popular conservative radio voice, so he is very media savvy. That’s a big asset. But he’ll have to be a delicate dancer, appearing both loyal to the Trump agenda, but distancing himself from Trump when need be.

 

“Who Are You?” – One of the greatest rock‘n roll albums of all time was, “Who Are You?” by The Who, in 1978. I send this as a gift to current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) California. He has got to raise his profile. I swear, if he passed me in a shopping mall (or at the Capitol), I might walk past not giving him the time of day. That’s unusual for me after covering politics for 43 years. He needs to raise his national profile, not just in DC. I say this because the GOP gained 11 seats in 2020, with one race still undecided. Republicans need only a net gain of five or six seats in 2022, to wrestle the speakership from Nancy Pelosi. The party out of power in the White House usually makes gains in the first midterm election. McCarthy needs to seize on this opportunity.

 

What political Christmas gifts would you like to hand out? Snowballs, or lumps of coals, and to whom? Add a comment below.

 

This week’s column is dedicated to the memory of my late dad, LTJG Dr. William C. Curtis, USN.  Sunday December 27, 2020 would have been his 96th birthday. He loved chatting politics with me into the wee hours of the morning over drinks, (and reruns of “Green Acres!”) God bless you Papa, we will be cheering for the Packers against Tennessee, on your birthday Sunday night!

 

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Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is Chief Political Reporter for the six Nexstar Media TV stations serving West Virginia, its five neighboring states and most of the Washington, DC media market, He is a MINDSETTER political analyst for www.GoLocal.Prov.com and all of its affiliates.

 

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