Presidential Envy

"Whoever envies another confesses his superiority," Samuel Johnson

Kehinde Wiley portrait of Obama unveiled at Smithsonian Institute, 2018

Trump’s envy of his predecessor has become pathological. He apparently was so upset over Barack Obama’s nationally televised graduation message to seniors unable to attend commencement exercises in person due to the pandemic that he went on a weekend Tweet rampage, accusing the former president of all sorts of nebulous crimes his minions of Fox News are labeling Obamagate. He publicly stated that Obama was “grossly incompetent” (talk about projecting one’s own characteristics onto another) and has broken precedent by refusing to unveil the White House portrait of his nemesis. Richard M. Nixon’s envy of the Kennedys and fear of opposing Ted Kennedy in 1972 led to Watergate and resignation in disgrace; DT’s asinine accusations against someone possessing class, grace, and gravitas - traits noticeably missing in the current White House - have left him with no credibility at a time when the country desperately needs it in a leader. In the Washington Post Jennifer Rubin traced Trump’s efforts to de-legitimatize Obama back to the racist “birther” myth that he embraced and wrote: “As it becomes patently obvious that Trump’s presidency will go down as one of the worst in history and that his achievements are minuscule compared with Obama’s, Trump becomes even more frantic to position himself as a superior president. It is the sort of thing a narcissist crumbling under the pressure of his own humiliation would do.”

British writer Nate White wrote about what many of his countrymen dislike about DT:
Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honor and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief. Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humor is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.
Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

“Concrete jungle, animals are after me
Concrete jungle, it ain't safe on the streets
Concrete jungle, glad I got my mates with me”

“Concrete Jungle,” The Specials

Having fulfilled my obligation to post ten album covers of Rock and Roll favorites, I couldn’t resist adding an eleventh and mentioning a few more underrated gems. Produced by Elvis Costello, the Specials’ self-titled 1979 debut skillfully combined reggae and punk sensibilities into a ska classic that contained both original material and up-tempo renditions of Jamaican classics such as “Too Hot” and “Monkey Man.” Phil, Dave, their friends, and I practically wore out the vinyl disk dancing to the catchy songs. Other popular choices in the Lane household were: “London Calling” by The Clash with the angry punk classic “Clampdown”; “Better Days” by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes with appearances by Jersey shore buddies Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, and Jon Bon Jovi; Night Ranger’s “Midnight Madness” (1984) with “Sister Christian” and “(You Can Still) Rock in America.” My list did not include mainstream Motown classics or well-known albums mentioned by others by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elton John, Bob Seger, Prince, Michael Jackson, Ramones, Cars or Police. Had I focused on the CD era, I would have included groups that I currently have on heavy rotation, such as Traveling Wilburys, Weezer, The Head and the Heart, The War on Drugs, and The Beths (I have been a fan of so-called girl groups going back to the Chantels and Crystals and the Donnas and Go-Gos).

The War on Drugs

In a New York Review of Books personal Auroaborealis3 wrote: “SCRABBLE, SEX AND SPANAKOPITA – not necessarily in that order. Fabulous femme seeking soulful mate for love everlasting.” Spanakopita, I discovered is Greek spinach pie. Also, a Chinese-Russian grandmother listed her interests as tai chi, theater, Buddhist meditation and War on Drugs. Could she mean my favorite band?

Anne Koehler’s latest installment of her memoirs received dozens of likes and comments, including my wish to learn more about the man she married:

My husband had gotten a graduate assistantship to Syracuse University in 1961. I managed to get a job as receptionist first in the Overseas Center and later the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. It was an interesting time. Students protested against the ROTC on campus and the Vietnam war. During one such event the chancellor struck a student with his cane in anger. This made big headlines the next day. In 1964 Bobby Kennedy was running for Senator in New York. He ran against the popular incumbent Republican Kenneth Keating. During a visit to consult with the faculty Bobby Kennedy walked past my desk. He turned his head as he walked out into the hallway and said: "Good Afternoon". Unfortunately, I did not have my camera ready. Part of my job was to sort mail. I remember having for forward mail for later Senator Patrick Daniel Moynihan who had previously been on the faculty there. Syracuse University had many overseas connections from Japan to East Africa I remember meeting freedom fighter and professor Eduardo Mondlane from then Mozambique. He later got killed. We celebrated the liberation of Kenya "Uhuru" as well as an Indian wedding ceremony, performed by an Austrian who had become a monk. Jakobine and Alfred Hobbs became our friends. She was from Denmark and he from South Carolina. Together they traveled around the world in an old London taxicab. Their story was made into a documentary "Alfred and Jakobine.” They owned Tibetan dogs "Lhasa Apsos" for which we babysat at times. Their home was decorated with treasures from their trip and resembled an anthropological museum.

I will always miss the people and time at Syracuse University’

Eduardo Mondlane

Eduardo Mondlane (1920-1969) was a founder of the Mozambican Liberation Front (FRELIMO). Expelled from Portuguese East Africa, Mondlane eventually came to America, graduated from Oberlin College, and married Hoosier Janet Rae Johnson while studying anthropology at Northwestern. At Syracuse University Mondlane taught history and sociology. He was assassinated in Tanzania when he opened a package containing a bomb. Syracuse still hosts an annual Eduardo Mondlane lecture series on Africana studies.