“Evening News” (February 17, 2023)

A Recycled Editorial From January 27, 2015

David Remnick: Portrait Of A Dupe

I used to read a bit. Some years ago a friend sent me a copy of “King Of The World: Muhammad Ali And The Rise Of An American Hero” by David Remnick.

The book was surprisingly great. It actually focused less on Muhammad Ali than on the forgotten characters around him. I wanted to cry after reading about the tragic lives of Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson. Select passages haunt me but I had forgotten the title of the book or the name of the author.

Years later David Remnick would capture my attention as an absurd, over the top Obama sycophant. The term hagiographer would understate his position. Reading Remnick, we lay witness to the literal deification of Barack Obama.

I don’t mind repeating my position. Barack Obama is usually an empty suit who seeks constant attention. He sometimes morphs into a stuffed suit and the stuffing is toxic. He is a malignant personality and a sad excuse for a leader. Time will tell that this guy just is not all that bright but that facet of his personality will be overshadowed by his buffoonery, his petulance, his bullying and above all else, his chronic dishonesty.

I know that smart people do stupid things. Cults like Scientology recruit from an upscale, accomplished population. We should not be surprised smart people fall for the charms (for lack of a better term) of Barack Obama. Still, it is troubling that a writer as perceptive as David Remnick could be so easily conned. Writers are supposed to be above this sort of thing, though clearly they are not.

Sometimes a single victim captures a story better than a detailed account of carnage. The senseless mob who voted for the purveyor of Obama phones doesn’t tell the story like one hapless victim of a flimflam artist. David Remnick, gifted and accomplished writer, might be remembered for his iconic value. He would make the perfect poster child for dupes the world over. Who wouldn’t send a contribution?