The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

A Politically Incorrect Journey

Posted on | May 20, 2019 | Comments Off on A Politically Incorrect Journey

Portrait of R. Emmett Tyrrell in The American Spectator office.

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia
Because I have a story to cover tonight in D.C., I decided to beat Washington’s notorious rush-hour traffic and drove down to the offices of The American Spectator in the historic Old Town section of Alexandria. Along the way, it occurred to me how much political incorrectness I encountered along my route. I drove down George Washington Parkway — named for a slave owner — and past CIA headquarters, a notorious bastion of American imperialist hegemony. Then down past Arlington, once home of Robert E. Lee and now site of the Marine Corps Memorial, another celebration of militant nationalism. I passed the Pentagon and then Ronald Reagan Airport — how right-wing can you get? But as I entered Alexandria, the landmarks became downright reactionary, as monuments to the British colonial era were embodied in the names of Princess Street, Queen Street, King Street and Royal Street. How is it that Antifa mobs aren’t demanding that these historic tributes to hereditary monarchy be renamed? If the memory of slavery is hateful enough to make General Lee persona non grata in the 21st century, why is it still acceptable to memorialize British royalty?

Well, let’s not give the Left any ideas, eh? These thoughts occurred to me as I walked two blocks to purchase beverages, as the young Spectator staffers had not been warned of my arrival and had thus not prepared for a thirsty political correspondent. Selecting a pale ale from Flying Dog, my official brand, I returned to the office to file this brief update.

The National Affairs Desk in the Spectator office.

The New York Times is miffed because President Trump pardoned California Republican Patrick Nolan after “The American Spectator, a right-leaning publication . . . last year published an article that urged Mr. Trump to pardon him.” What? We’re merely “right-leaning”? We lean so far we’re nearly perpendicular! If the Spectator wasn’t pissing off the New York Times, we’d consider ourselves a discredit to our legacy.

Anyway, the reason I’m in the D.C. area tonight is because Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson is having a townhall event in Washington. Recall that, when I traveled to South Carolina to cover her campaign visit there two months ago, I was the only reporter covering her campaign. Since then, however, she’s hit the 65,000-donor threshold necessary to qualify for the DNC debates next month in Miami, and continues attracting media attention, e.g., “Marianne Williamson Is a Lefty With Soul” (New York magazine) and “‘I’m for Capitalism with a Conscience,’ Says Williamson” (Bloomberg News). Meanwhile, by contrast, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand still hasn’t hit the 65,000-donor mark, and shook up her campaign staff last week to try to catch up with Williamson, whose claim to fame is being known as “Oprah’s spiritual guru.” Can I pick ’em, or what? Williamson’s event in Northwest D.C. starts at 7 p.m., so I’ll have to pack up and get rolling, which means there’s only enough time to remind you that the Five Most Important Words in the English Language are:

HIT THE FREAKING TIP JAR!



 

Category: American Spectator

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