Holding the great Bobby Cox against his will: A fan’s tale
From The San Diego Union-Tribune
President Trump’s chaotic first five months in office have driven his popularity ratings down, leading some Democrats to see Americans as coming around to their way of thinking.
But this is a delusion, because their party remains in a deep funk.
The same CBS News polling this week that showed Trump’s approval at a new low — 36 percent — showed congressional Democrats were even less popular — 30 percent. After Republican Karen Handel’s victory in a House special election on Tuesday in the Atlanta suburbs, Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, declared, “Our brand is worse than Trump.”
This may be an overreaction. As The Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. writes, while Republicans have won all four House special elections to replace Trump appointees, a case can be made that Democrats overperformed each time.
Nevertheless, comprehensive national polls continue to show the same underlying dynamic that has caused Democrats to hemorrhage seats at the local, state and federal level since 2010: Millions of Americans see the party as uninterested in their well-being — in Ryan’s words, “not being able to connect with the issues they care about.”
A new analysis by the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group shows Trump made huge inroads among the 29 percent of voters who classify as populists — people who feel left behind by what they perceive as a rigged economy and wish Democrats paid more attention to job creation than identity issues.
Hillary Clinton lost 41 percent of the populist voters that Barack Obama won in 2012 — and lost Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin and the election as a result.
Normally, years of Republican gains would trigger a sober self-assessment among Democrats. In 1992 — after three presidential elections in which the GOP won 133 of 150 states — the centrist ticket of Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and Tennessee Sen. Al Gore led the party back to the White House.
But that was a different, less polarized time. A quarter-century later, as The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat noted in a recent column, it’s hard to find a center bloc in U.S. politics any more. (This has troubling implications for Republicans as well as Democrats.)
Among Democrats, this polarization has led the party base to abandon big-tent politics in favor of binary judgments that ascribe moral failings to those with even moderate disagreements about cultural issues.
Hillary Clinton’s characterization of much of the electorate as “deplorables” was so resonant because it so neatly captured the views of many liberals.
America needs better from the Democratic Party. It needs a party that eagerly tackles the big issues of the day with realistic, pragmatic solutions.
It needs a party that admits the Affordable Care Act is deeply flawed and that works to improve health care instead of just jeering the deeply flawed Republican replacement measure. It needs a party that actively seeks to reduce income inequality by changing education to focus on creating more 21st-century job skills and by making it easier for older workers to launch new careers instead of being left behind by technological change.
It needs a party that pushes the Trump administration and congressional Republicans to do far more about the opioid epidemic.
But most of all, America needs a party more devoted to getting things done than to hating President Trump. Until that happens, Democrats will remain as unpopular as the president they loathe. ast week I held legendary former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox hostage until he took a photo with me. Here’s how it happened. I went to the Atlanta Braves game last Thursday with my friends John, Shannon resident Blake Silvers and my buddy Joey who’s a preacher but he gets on my nerves sometimes and I have to pray for patience when dealing with him.
It was raining in Cobb County when we got there so we decided to walk around the new SunTrust Stadium (which I’d never been to before). It’s a really nice stadium. If y’all get a chance to go soon I urge you to do that. It’s a fan’s stadium. It’s so much easier to navigate and there are all sorts of great restaurants and stores and activities for all ages. But I digress. So, after the game is delayed for about an hour or so, the rain finally lets up and we move to our seats in the 116 section. Not bad seats at all. We’re getting settled in our seats and taking photos of the field when all of a sudden Blake grabs my arm and says “look who it is.”
There, a few feet away from us, was legendary Braves manager Bobby Cox. He’s climbing the stairs toward us. A few people realized it and star snapping photos on their phones while Bobby Cox keeps walking up toward us.
Lo and behold — he stops next to our row. I’m three seats away from where he’s standing. Blake urges me to get a photo with him but I’m hesitant. Other people were already standing around him and gawking at him and I didn’t want to be the type of person that bothers a famous person when they’re just trying to enjoy the game.
But then Joey grabs me and shoves me toward the end of the row saying “Do it. You’ll never get this chance ever again.” As if something terrible is going to happen to me or Bobby Cox. Joey’s adamant that I’ll never get this opportunity again so I reluctantly place myself immediately beside Bobby Cox. Uncomfortably close ... for him. There’s a break in the other people asking him for photos so I lift my phone and am about to ask him if he can pose for a photo with me when the announcer says “And now, please stand for the singing of the national anthem.” So we freeze. Everyone is quiet because the anthem is about to start and I can’t very well take a photo during the national anthem because that would be disrespectful. I just stand
Former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox graciously poses for a photo with deranged fan, Severo Avila. SEVERO AVILA FEATURES EDITOR
there. I stand beside Bobby Cox during the singing of the national anthem and he looks straight ahead the entire time while I glance over at him occasionally to see if he’s still there.
Now the last words of the anthem are being sung and I realize it’s my chance. It’s now or never. He’s about to leave when the anthem’s over and according to Joey I’ll never ever get this chance again and I’ll have to tell my grandchildren that I COULD have gotten a photo with Bobby Cox but I was too chicken.
As the last words of the anthem are sung and the crowd applauds, I grab Bobby Cox by the arm and I say “Bobby, I’m a huge fan. Would it be ok if I took a photo with you?”
But Bobby Cox doesn’t hear me. So turns his back he starts pulling away. He starts moving to his seat.
Y’all I know he’s a 76-year-old baseball legend. I think he still holds the major league baseball record for all-time ejections. He led the Braves to the world series championship in 1995. Oh, and he also happens to be in the Hall of Fame. He’s an icon.
But I held on to that man’s arm like it was a tree branch over a raging river and I was about to be swept away to my death if I let go. Contributed photo
I guess he realized he was being held against his will because he turns to look at me with more than a little bit of concern on his face.
But I suppose he could tell I was more of an idiot than a threat to him so he relaxes and I say “I’m sorry to bother you but can I please get a photo with you?”
And he smiles and nods his consent. I immediately lifted my phone and took a photo of us. In the photo, I’m beaming with pride and happiness because I get to hold this over my buddy Josh Brown’s head since he’s the ultimate Braves fan, taught me all I know about the Braves and here I am holding Bobby Cox against his will so I can get a picture. Also in the photo, Bobby Cox has a sweet — if bewildered — smile on his face while my friend John (who has no idea who that ‘old man’ is) can be seen photo-bombing us in the back.
After I take the photo, I say “thank you so much” and Bobby Cox nods his head and smiles. I watch him turn away but then he looks back at me and looks down at his arm. I realize I’m still grasping his arm tightly and he can’t get away. I blurt out an apology and release his arm. But for some dumb reason, after I release it, I stroke it gently like you would a cat. I guess I wanted to make it better since I’m sure I caused some bruising. I’m probably on some watch list at SunTrust Stadium now because of it. So although the rain had delayed the game, it turned out to be a pretty good night. The Braves beat the Giants 12-11 and I got a great souvenir photo with a true legend. He may even have the bruises to prove it.