What with the upset and upsetting results of the 2016 presidential election, our awarding of Oys! and Yos! has slipped. Not that we haven’t been collecting candidates! So, here they are with apologies for the datedness of some.
A five-star Oy! to the President-elect for considering former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for appointment as his secretary of state, a job requiring skills of finesse, diplomacy, wide knowledge of complex issues and empathy. Apparently Mayor Giuliani’s primary qualification was when he was still mayor announcing to the press he was splitting from one of his wives … before he told that wife. Finesse, diplomacy, knowledge and empathy. For this, the first five-star Oy! to the president-elect! Congrats, or something. Oy! Oy! Oy! Oy! Oy!
Before the election, which seems like ancient history now, Donald Trump spilled publicly some information from what are supposed to be classified briefings of the candidates by the CIA. He didn’t give away any strategic secrets but he did claim that he learned that President Obama, he said, did not heed advice from the briefers in some foreign policy matters and foreign policy types in the government were upset about that. First, the CIA doesn’t give policy advice, only facts to presidents and, second, Trump said he gained this knowledge from paying attention to the “body language” of the briefers. Now, he gets the same even more detailed briefing as the president gets, including what secret operations may be underway. For now a three-Oy! award. Oy! Oy! Oy!
According to the Wall Street Journal, before Trump named this third and final team of leaders for his campaign, he said efforts by previous campaign leaders to remake him into a politician were 'dishonest.' The Journal reported that Trump said he resisted these efforts at times by going off script. Since he was more comfortable with his new team, he said, he was following their advice, which in most cases is the same as the advice he was given by his previous team(s). Result: fewer headlines over impolitic comments (and an improbable election win). So Trump, like an immature child, didn’t like his previous parents and acted out against them but he liked his new parents so followed their counsel. Needless to say, Oy! Or, more to the point, three: Oy! Oy! Oy!
Trump named Steve Bannon, conspiracy theorist extraordinaire as his primary White House advisor (with all due respect to incoming Chief of Staff, typically the highest ranked White House job, Reince Priebus). Depending on who you listen to Mr. Bannon is an intelligent business genius or an anti-Semitic, anti-every-group, anti-media conspiracy theorist. Two Oys! only because we haven’t yet seen how Mr. Bannon performs in his new role, and we'll give him a chance. But we have a few Oys! on order for him because we have our suspicions. Oy! Oy!
NFL Quarterback Colin Kapernick took a knee effectively, months ago, during the national anthem to protest racial conditions in this U.S. That’s his right. Seems to me, though, that he could have avoided a lot of debate over his behavior – instead of debate over the real issue – by standing for the anthem and taking advantage of his platform as a former star QB by doing an ESPN interview or writing an op-ed for a national publication. Focus would have stayed on the real issue. One Oy: Oy! (Hey, it’s only football).
As we speak, we (I use the royal “we” because, well, I’m the only one here) have no Yos!? Nope, we’re in the Era of Oy! as we speak. But let’s be optimistic for the next time.
A five-star Oy! to the President-elect for considering former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for appointment as his secretary of state, a job requiring skills of finesse, diplomacy, wide knowledge of complex issues and empathy. Apparently Mayor Giuliani’s primary qualification was when he was still mayor announcing to the press he was splitting from one of his wives … before he told that wife. Finesse, diplomacy, knowledge and empathy. For this, the first five-star Oy! to the president-elect! Congrats, or something. Oy! Oy! Oy! Oy! Oy!
Before the election, which seems like ancient history now, Donald Trump spilled publicly some information from what are supposed to be classified briefings of the candidates by the CIA. He didn’t give away any strategic secrets but he did claim that he learned that President Obama, he said, did not heed advice from the briefers in some foreign policy matters and foreign policy types in the government were upset about that. First, the CIA doesn’t give policy advice, only facts to presidents and, second, Trump said he gained this knowledge from paying attention to the “body language” of the briefers. Now, he gets the same even more detailed briefing as the president gets, including what secret operations may be underway. For now a three-Oy! award. Oy! Oy! Oy!
According to the Wall Street Journal, before Trump named this third and final team of leaders for his campaign, he said efforts by previous campaign leaders to remake him into a politician were 'dishonest.' The Journal reported that Trump said he resisted these efforts at times by going off script. Since he was more comfortable with his new team, he said, he was following their advice, which in most cases is the same as the advice he was given by his previous team(s). Result: fewer headlines over impolitic comments (and an improbable election win). So Trump, like an immature child, didn’t like his previous parents and acted out against them but he liked his new parents so followed their counsel. Needless to say, Oy! Or, more to the point, three: Oy! Oy! Oy!
Trump named Steve Bannon, conspiracy theorist extraordinaire as his primary White House advisor (with all due respect to incoming Chief of Staff, typically the highest ranked White House job, Reince Priebus). Depending on who you listen to Mr. Bannon is an intelligent business genius or an anti-Semitic, anti-every-group, anti-media conspiracy theorist. Two Oys! only because we haven’t yet seen how Mr. Bannon performs in his new role, and we'll give him a chance. But we have a few Oys! on order for him because we have our suspicions. Oy! Oy!
NFL Quarterback Colin Kapernick took a knee effectively, months ago, during the national anthem to protest racial conditions in this U.S. That’s his right. Seems to me, though, that he could have avoided a lot of debate over his behavior – instead of debate over the real issue – by standing for the anthem and taking advantage of his platform as a former star QB by doing an ESPN interview or writing an op-ed for a national publication. Focus would have stayed on the real issue. One Oy: Oy! (Hey, it’s only football).
As we speak, we (I use the royal “we” because, well, I’m the only one here) have no Yos!? Nope, we’re in the Era of Oy! as we speak. But let’s be optimistic for the next time.
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