There are few sports teams that I dislike more than the St. Louis Cardinals. They are the main rival of the Chicago Cubs, of course, and they are presently managed by Tony LaRussa, a guy who has always struck me as a pompous blowhard. But, generally speaking, I can keep things in perspective. I didn't like it much when the Cardinals won the 2006 World Series, but it didn't keep me up at night or incite angry rants from me about the state of baseball.
Meanwhile, I have a more difficult time staying calm when it comes to politics. Our political culture is so corrosive that it is a constant struggle to retain some optimism that we can somehow do better. If you've even glanced at this blog, you know that I not only lean to the left politically; I practically fall over in that direction. Nevertheless, I have great deal of respect for the fact that a perfectly reasonable, compassionate, and intelligent person might lean (or even fall over) to the right. This is not the case, however, when it comes to the cluster of political voices that are grouped around two entities: the Tea Party and Fox News. And no one disgusts me more than Glenn Beck.
What in the world do the St. Louis Cardinals have to do with Glenn Beck? Well, perhaps you've heard that Beck has organized a "Restoring Honor" rally to be held at the Mall in Washington, D.C., and it "just happens" to correspond with the anniversary of Martin Luther King's remarkable "I Have a Dream" speech delivered in 1963. In addition to Beck, the rally will feature former Vice Presidential candidate and Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who runs a close second to Beck on my list of most contempuous Americans. Part of the festivities planned for the rally is a ceremony honoring, among others, St. Louis Cardinals superstar Albert Pujols. His manager--LaRussa--is defending the appearance of his best player (and, arguably, MLB's best player) by stating:
"I made it clear when we were approached: I said, 'If it's political, I wouldn't even approach Albert with it.' I don't want to be there if it's political." He added: "I don't know who's going to be there, who's going to accept [the award]. But the gist of the day is not political. I think it's a really good concept, actually."
I will not detail the many reasons for my distate for Beck and Palin. The reality is that, reprehensible though I may find them to be, they are perfectly entitled to believe in so-called conservative politics and to speak on behalf of those beliefs (I say "so-called" because their notion of conservatism is grossly distorted). So, for the moment, let's not worry about whether or not Beck's politics are correct. Instead, let's agree--and really, on this we should be able to agree--that it is impossible for Glenn Beck to hold a rally in the nation's capital on the anniversary of the signature speech by the signature figure of the civil rights movement to be understood as anything other than political. It is the very definition of political.
Thus, LaRussa's comments are laughable. What "good concept" might he be referring to? Add to this that the rally is to include a "faith-based" message (which helps explain Pujols' interest) and one cannot escape the careful articulation of evangelical Christianity with conservative political positions (such as being opposed to abortion, same-sex marriage, stem-cell research, and so on) that has become so influential in American politics in the past three decades.
Is LaRussa in denial? Or is he stupid? Or does he simply want to play dumb in order to deflect any criticism that his star player might be subjected to? I'm not sure what the answer here is. What I do know is that Albert Pujols has every right to attend Glenn Beck's rally. But, rest assured, we all have the right to call him--and LaRussa--out for what it really means.
3 comments:
Wow. I'm a lifelong Cards fan (Mike knows this and continues to associate with me) and I'm truly disappointed that La Russa would make the statement that he did. I'm less surprised that Pujols would go to the rally (or ceremony or whatever it is) and accept the award at a "nonpolitical" event. He tends to embrace that kind of publicity-the seemingly positive rally/award ceremony. Funnily enough, some St. Louisans also went to it and are quoted in a story in THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, the daily newspaper in St. Louis. They talked about their concerns with government spending and how they were expressing their concern by attending the rally. So, not political for Beck and La Russa, but political for the attendees. It was also political for the 30 or so individuals who, on Saturday, protested outside Busch Stadium. One protestor apparently carried a sign reading "I had a dream baseball wasn't political." By the way, the rally/ceremony was titled "Restoring Honor." This is not the way to do so, at least to the Cardinals.
I once had respect for Tony La Russa. Then he was arrested for drunk driving. Then he practically begged McGwire to return to baseball. Now this. A disappointing day for a Cards fan, indeed.
Yeah, I don't just think you're right about this, I think you've identified the Right's best trick.
This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last time that the conservative political agenda presents itself as apolitical. FoxNews is, of course, premised on the very idea. "Fair and Balanced," in addition to the oxymoronic logic of both reporting your own ratings domination (in shameless, gratuitous ways), and then positioning all your programming as critical of "the mainstream news media."
Glenn Beck reminds me of the fear-mongering talking head from V for Vendetta. He's really a very old-fashioned ideologue. Throws around words like "tyranny" while couching all of his nativist resentment in appeals to tradition and divine authority. What makes ideologues so dangerous is that they depoliticize themselves: "It's not a political issue, it's a moral issue. We don't have a political difference, we have a difference in values. We protect the common good, you are the threat within."
I don't know if Tony LaRussa is in denial or if he is stupid. Good bet? Both. 'Cause when you're both, it's easy to be duped by the ideologues.
Stephen, if I did know you were a Cardinals fan I must have purged it from my memory. At least it isn't the White Sox...
As for the protestor saying, "I had a dream baseball wasn't political," I wonder if s/he participates in the national anthem ceremony? Or applauds the flyovers? Or sings along to "God Bless America?" So on...
Abe, this reminds me that I really need to see V for Vendetta. And you've tapped into what really irks me about all this--it isn't that I disagree with the right-wing positions (though I, in fact, usually do disagree), it's that they are so often presented with such disingenuineness.
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