The photo above came from the New York Times, illustrating a story about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has finally announced his willingness to be elected U.S. President. A thankless job if there ever was one, but for some reasons attractive to certain personality types.
The Lamestream Media has suggested that, for the past five months, Governor DeSantis has been rather patiently absorbing attacks coming from former President Donald Trump (also a candidate?) without firing back. Hoping Trump would run out of ammunition? (Not likely.)
But maybe that strategy is changing?
Reportedly, in the photo above, Governor DeSantis was discussing his primary election competition. (That is, Donald Trump.)
To judge from the photograph, the smiling Governor appears to be referring to some object that measures about 2 1/2 inches long.
I read the entire New York Times article by Nate Cohn (which is available here, if you have a subscription), hoping to find out what small object the Governor was talking about. But in vain.
But we all know politics can get pretty dirty as the campaign season gets into full swing.
If anyone knows how to play dirty, it’s Donald Trump. That’s why we like him. He reminds us of the guys down at the neighborhood bar (which, here in Pagosa, happens to be the Pagosa Bar. I can definitely imagine Donald Trump hanging out at the Pagosa Bar. If he lived here.)
But we also know that Ron DeSantis knows how to play dirty, if you happen to be a theme park owner, or an LGBTQ person. (Possibly, those two are the same thing.)
We celebrate the guys who are not nice.
Back in July 1946, Leo ‘the Lip’ Durocher was managing the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. A team that knew how, with Durocher’s encouragement, to play dirty.
But they were in first place.
Over on the other side of town, the rival New York Giants were in seventh place. Next to last place.
One day, during a batting practice at the old Polo Grounds stadium, Durocher was dissing the Giants and their manager Mel Ott to some reporters, and one reporter asked Durocher, “Why don’t you be a nice guy for a change?”
Durocher replied:
“Nice guys! Look over there. Do you know a nicer guy than Mel Ott? Or any of the other Giants? Why, they’re the nicest guys in the world! And where are they? In seventh place! Nice guys! I’m not a nice guy – and I’m in first place.”
After pacing up and down the visitors’ dugout, the Dodger’s manager waved his hand toward the Giants’ dugout.
The nice guys are all over there, in seventh place.
The quote was later modified (by newspaper reporters) into, “Nice guys finish last.” But actually, they were in seventh place, which was ‘next to last’. Goes to show, you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the newspaper.
There are currently seven Republican candidates running for the 2024 presidential nomination. So in this case, it looks like seventh place will, indeed, be last place.
What is also fairly certain is that last place will go to some nice guy. Or gal.
The guy who is not nice will come out on top. And that’s how it should be.
Just ask Leo the Lip.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all.