“Momentum? Momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher,” sneered Hall of Fame baseball manager Earl Weaver. And ol’ Earl had a point: Eventually, all hot streaks come to an end. For all the ballyhoo in sports about the “magic of momentum,” it’s probably more a byproduct of a well-oiled, well-run team that’s already firing on all cylinders.
Like Weaver said, if tomorrow’s pitching sucks, yesterday’s momentum means absolutely nothing.
But sports and politics are very different.
Sports are an empirical, closed system with rigid rules and a scoresheet. The entire conceit is that the outcome ought to be determined by the players — and not outside happenstance. (Which is why we get so upset when the refs, or shoddy field conditions, influence the final score.)
Politics isn’t like that.
Rules?! Ha! We don’t need no stinkin’ rules. “All’s fair in love, politics, and war — especially love and politics.”
Politics is Thunderdome, baby!
And in politics, perception, momentum, storytelling, and imagery are all essential ingredients.
In yesterday’s column, we explored the possibility of Trump sacrificing Tulsi Gabbard, his nominee for director of national intelligence, and/or RFK Jr., his choice to run the Department of Health and Human Services. As we noted:
In the short-term, it’s better for Trump if Gabbard and RFK Jr. are confirmed, for victory creates its own momentum — as does defeat. You almost always want to stay on a positive trajectory.
But in the long-term, it would probably be better for Trump’s brand — and worse for the Democrats’ brand — if Gabbard and Kennedy were Borked. Sure, they would’ve served a valuable role in Trump’s cabinet, but there’s still great PR value in being a martyr.
Sometimes political substitutions work out very nicely. Not too many conservatives are complaining today about Matt Gaetz being swapped with Pam Bondi for attorney general: in retrospect, it was a net win for MAGA. Bondi is capable of doing everything Gaetz aspired to do, but her political brand makes her a less appealing target for the left. That means she can implement Trump’s agenda with reduced friction, pushback, and outside interference.
Meanwhile, it’s not as if Matt Gaetz has left the planet. He’s still here! And the way he exited congress for the AG office — albeit briefly — left him with a stronger public image than before. And because of it, he’s still supporting the conservative cause on television and the top-drawing podcasts.
So if RFK Jr. or Tulsi Gabbard get Borked by the senate, they’ll still be MAGA assets. Like Gaetz, they’re not gonna suddenly leave the earth’s orbit. Clearly, both Bobby and Tulsi are highly motivated to remain in the public eye; that much is obvious.
The only difference is, instead of helping Trump as cabinet members, they’d be supporting Trump him as political martyrs.
And if anyone must be sacrificed, I hope it’s Tulsi Gabbard.
The Kennedy brand is in serious decline. One of the astonishing moments of the RFK Jr. senate hearing was watching Sen. Elizabeth Warren lambaste poor Bobby. Imagine that: The Democrat senator — from Massachusetts! — was attacking… a Kennedy!
Just 15 or 20 years ago, that absolutely wouldn’t have happened. Especially in New England, the Kennedys were untouchable. They could literally get away with murder. (As well as rape.)
I hope RFK Jr. is confirmed, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he isn’t. Whatever happens, his utility is limited: he’s got more baggage than a jumbo jet; he struggles to communicate; and each year, the number of people impressed with his last name shrinks.
Tulsi Gabbard, on the other hand, is a star on the rise.
She a very attractive woman — and yes, that matters. She’s also a minority with military credentials.
Combined with her personal story about the Democratic Party abandoning her, lying about her, and mistreating her, she’s probably more valuable to MAGA as an outside advocate than a federal employee. More than one person can capably perform the duties of director of national intelligence, but only Tulsi Gabbard can tell the Tulsi Gabbard story.
And if she’s defeated in the senate, her story will suddenly become even more compelling.
That’s the power of martyrdom.
“If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine,” Obi-Wan Kenobi warned Darth Vader. In the classic film “The Ten Commandments,” Rameses said something similar to Nefertiti, when he opted to exile Moses and not kill him: “I will not make him a martyr for you to cherish.”
The vicious, personal, mean-spirited attacks that the Democrats unleashed against Gabbard won’t be forgotten. Because, as a MAGA martyr, Tulsi Gabbard would have a free hand to remind ‘em over and over again.
Either way, her story is just beginning.
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