The Week UK 21.03.2020

14 NEWS Best of the American columnists

THE WEEK 21 March 2020

Our president

needs to have a

creaking brain

Graeme Wood

The Atlantic

Howoldistoooldtobe president?ThatquestionispreoccupyingmanyAmericanstoday,says

GraemeWood.With goodreason. DonaldTrump, 73,istheoldestfirst-termpresidentyet,buthe’s

a“springchicken” comparedwiththe twomenvyingtoreplace him–BernieSanders,78, and Joe

Biden, 7 7. Wereeitherofthemto win thepresidency,they’dbeolderontheirfirstday inoffice than

RonaldReaganwason hislast.It’safactof lifethat ourcognitiveabilitydeclines over time.The

president faces ablizzardof complex decisionsevery day,and we’ve allseenolderrelativesstruggle

withaTVremote control.Butthenagain, inthesame scenario, howmanyolder Americans have

watchedayoungerrelative’simpatience,and theirinability to tame their desire “toflip channelslike

amadman”?It mayin fact be thecasethat“the creaky machineryofanageing brain mightmake

apresident better at thejob”. Studie sshowthatolderadults “are better atkeeping their emotions

and impulsesincheck”. Whilethey may beslower than youngstersatprocessingnewinformation

andlessenergetic,“fogies” do tend to displaysuperior judgement.A“really old” presidentwhois

“economical inhis actions andlaconicinhis t weetsdoes not soundallthatunwelcome rightnow”.

Why the virus

spells doom

for Donald

Jonah Goldberg

Los Angeles Times

Whatareversal of fortuneDonald Trump hassuffered, saysJonahGoldberg. Untilafortnightago,

the president’sre-ele ctionchances werelooking rosy. The economy wasroaring,he’d signedapeace

dealwith the Taliban, andthe Democratslookedsettonominate thesocialist BernieSanders as his

electionopponent. Now, though,arecessionlooks“almostassured”; theTaliban deal is unravelling;

andthe Democrats have swung behind JoeBiden, thecandidatehemostfeared.Worsestill,there’s

the coronavirus outbreak–acrisisthat could havebeentailor-made todamage Trump.Not only

is he “famously germophobic”; the virus alsoprimarily threatenshis keyvoter demographic:the

elderly. Allthoseralli es that Trump lovesholdingwill likelyhave to end soon. The presidenthas

“a number of superpowers–shamelessness,agiftfor entertaining hisbase, theability to bring the

worstoutofhis enemies”–butnoneare anyuse in apublichealth emergency.Nor will br agging,

overpromisingordemonisinghis enemiesdo himany good.Thelessonof theTrump presidency

is that “hecan’t change to fit the circumstances;hemakes thecircumstances fit him”. Until now,

that has“worked surprisinglywellfor him”.But in Covid-19, he may finally have methismatch.

WoodyAllen’s lifestoryisofficially“cancelled”, saysRogerKimball.WhentheHachette Book

Groupannounced earlier this monththatitwould shortlybereleasing the director’s new memoir,

AproposofNothing,dozens ofHachetteemployeeswalked out inprotest.Adaylater,thebook

was pulled.It seems Hachette “forgot tocheckwiththe feminist commissars” toseeifAllen“passes

musterinthe ageof#MeToo”. Hedoesn’t, becauseaquarterof acentury ago,duringamessysplit

withthe actress MiaFarrow,Allen wasaccusedofmolesting theirthenseven-year-oldadopted

daughter,Dylan.Thefacts aremurky:areportbysexualabuse expertsconcludedthatDylan wasn’t

abused, butajudgecastdoubton thatreportanddenied Allencustody. Dylan,now34,periodically

revivesthecharge against heradoptive father,asdoesAllen’sson, the investigativereporterRonan

Farrow, who ledthecampaign againstthememoir.Farrow accusedHachette–thepublisherofhis

#MeTooexposé–of assisting“efforts byabusive mentowhit ewashtheircrimes”. Buthere’sthe

thing: “thereareno crimes,notevencharges against Allen,onlyallegations”.Sadly,thesedays,the

principle of“innocentuntilproven guilty”hasbeen replacedwith“innocentuntilaccused”.

#MeToo does

aHachette job

on Woody

RogerKimball

TheWallStreetJournal

“IfGodexists,shemustbeapolitical

scientistwithasenseofhumour,”said

MaxBootinTheWashingtonPost.

Howelsetoexplainthe2 020

Democraticprimaries,which“seem

designedtodisproveeverycommonly

heldnotionofhowyouwina

presidentialrace”?Thecandidatewith

allthe“mediabuzz”atthestart,Beto

O’Rourke,didn’tevenmakeittothe

firstprimary.Sincethen,theracehas

lostthe“supernaturallyarticulate”

PeteButtigieg,thesupremelyrich

MichaelBloomberg,andthematchless

debaterElizabethWarren.Itseems

onlyamatteroftimebeforethemost

passionatecandidate,BernieSanders,bowsouttoo.Thatleaves

JoeBiden,an“inarticulate,uninspiring,gaffe-prone”politician

withnearly“everythinggoingagainsthim”.Threeweeksago,

hiscandidacylookeddeadinthewater.Butafteranextra-

ordinaryturnaround,he’sallbutcertaintobethenominee.

TheDemocratbasehasconcludedthatBidenis“thesafebetto

winagainstDonald Trump”, saidLibbyWatsonin TheNew

Republic.Butishe, really? While Biden ispopularwiththe

older generation, hehas“shockinglylittlesupportfromvoters

under40”:theymassivelyfavouredSandersoverhim. Some

seniorDemocratsarealsoworried

aboutBiden’s“increasinglybaffling

speechpatterns”–somuchsothat

plansmaybeafoottolimithismedia

appearances.Thebiggestproblem

withBiden’scandidacy,though,isthat

itoffersno“rebuttaltothesicknessin

AmericathatexistedbeforeTrump

becamepresident”.Bidenappearsto

believethatTrump’swinwassimply

an“aberration”andthateveryone

wouldbecontenttoreturntothe

statusquo.

Butareturntonormalityisexactly

whatmanyvoterswant,saidRoss

DouthatinTheNewYorkTimes.Sandersallowedhimselfto

be“tuggedtoofartotheleftonculture-warissues”.Hehoped

towininadividedfield,withasurgingyouthturnout,buthe

got“aconsolidatedfieldandnoyouthsurge”.Thefrenzied

controversiesoftheTrumppresidency–nottomentionthe

coronaviruspandemic–haveprompteda“flighttosafety”by

voters.Democratsareinnomoodforarevolutionrightnow,

agreedMichelle Cottle inthesamepaper.They’veembraced

acandidatewho is“peddlingreassurance,unity,moderation,

empathyand civility”.True,Bidenhas neverbeenthemost

excitingchoicein thisrace.“Butthatis kindofthepoint.”

JoeBiden:“peddlingreassurance”

TheDemocrat race:embracing the gaffe-prone candidate