San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Biden needs enthusiasm, not just scorn for Trump
As mail ballots begin to go out in some states, the race for the White House remains very much a referendum on President Trump — with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris unable yet to generate much enthusiasm on their own.
The Democratic ticket is still floating on the bad feelings that many voters have for Trump. The problem is that voters can express their displeasure with Trump just by staying home. Democrats need to get those antiTrumpers to take the further step to actually vote for them.
Otherwise the stayathomes will help Trump, because his people will vote no matter what.
I did a Zoom roundtable the other day with the Lincoln Project, which is made up of Republicans trying to
defeat Trump. Their take was that Democrats are depending on the public remaining upset with his disastrous handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
People are definitely worried about staying healthy. But they’re also worried about keeping their jobs, or finding one if they’ve already been laid off.
And if they think Trump can deliver on that front, the pandemic worries could fade, especially if there is legitimate word of a vaccine forthcoming.
Book it: It’s amazing that a book filled with hours of recorded interviews with President Trump is now a bestseller. Even more amazing is that I paid $39.99 (just short of $45 with tax) for the audio version.
But that is just what’s happening with Bob Woodward’s new book, “Rage.”
Much of the interest in the book was generated by the revelation that Trump downplayed the deadly nature of the coronavirus from the start.
But as I listen to the audio, I have to say it wasn’t worth the money: The big news it contains was out there for free already.
If you build it: The bulk of the building projects in San Francisco right now consist of conversions of parking spaces in front of restaurants into outdoor dining rooms.
The colorful and creative parklets often reflect the character of the sponsoring restaurant.
Check out any of the 20 or so structures that now line Chestnut Street between Divisadero and Fillmore, or in North Beach, where Washington Square has taken on the look of an Italian piazza.
The parklets do have their downside. The other day, someone made too sharp a turn onto Broadway outside Tomasso’s and took out half the structure.
TV time: Looking for something to watch? Check out “The Social Dilemma” on Netflix. It’s a documentary about how social media platforms are destroying our everyday lives.
It speaks volumes of the need to regulate the media giants and how too much time on social media can lead to depression and even suicide among teens.
For something more entertaining, check out the reruns of ABC’s “Designated Survivor,” also available on Netflix, or “After Truth” on HBO, a clever presentation of the fake news debate.
The problem is that voters can express their displeasure with Trump just by staying home. Democrats need to get those antiTrumpers to take the further step to actually vote for them.
A real jewel: Ann Getty was one of the most brilliant and authentic women I’ve ever met.
For years, the Sunday night dinners she personally cooked for those of us who had no place to go drew the likes of then-bachelor Gavin Newsom, the Symphony’s Michael Tilson Thomas, Charlotte Shultz and a host of newspaper and radio types.
There were always great conversations.
Ann, who died Monday, was very close to “Beach Blanket Babylon’s” Jo Schuman Silver, and she was probably the No. 1 creator of scenes in the show. My favorite memory of Ann was when she and her husband, Gordon Getty, hosted a group of us on their private jet on a trip to my hometown of Mineola, Texas, to dedicate the town’s first train stop.
Ann had to leave early, so she took a commercial flight back to San Francisco. When she landed, she called to say she had left the bag containing her jewelry at the bed and breakfast where she stayed.
“Are you kidding? There must be half a million dollars worth of jewels in that bag,” I said. “What makes you think it’s still going to be there?”
“Don’t worry. No one will believe they’re real. Just pick it up,” she said.
So I went over to the B&B. “Yes, it’s right over there,” the clerk said.
“The costume jewelry is a bit much, but it’s a really beautiful bag.”
And it was: Louis Vuitton.