While every week under the Trump regime feels like a test of our collective endurance, this past week also broke our hearts with the double-whammy losses of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry within 24 hours. GenX is having a particularly difficult time, because we literally grew up with both of them before the internet was even a thought.
Read more Trump threatens ‘city will die’ if it defies his demand for federal troops
Being able to grieve together on social media was incredibly cathartic, and the tributes to both legends leaned heavily into what good people Dolly and Tim were. Their talents were celebrated, but that felt somehow secondary to their kindness, generosity, positivity, warmth, and all-around basic human decency, which were at the forefront of every eulogy.
We’re still learning about cool things they did for other people when no one else was looking, but the throughline remains consistent: Is there anyone who’s as universally beloved as they were? “Preservation lists” began circulating as we looked to our elders to be an example of the kind of goodness that Dolly exuded everywhere she went. Mel Brooks, Dick Van Dyke, Carol Burnett, Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick…we still are incredibly lucky to have them and others with us.
Meanwhile, narcissistic loser Donald Trump tried to co-opt the love for Dolly that he’ll never get, and Bill Maher whined about people grieving her when “so much is going on.”
I’m old enough to remember when goodness and kindness were traits to admire in famous people. We’re certainly starved for those qualities from our elected officials after more than a decade of Donald Trump’s dumbing down of our democracy. Now it’s all about who can tweet the meanest zinger the fastest as Democrats are being forced to engage with their Republican rivals at the lowest intellectual levels.
Remember how good we had it under President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden? They were (and still are) wonderful husbands and fathers as well as selfless public servants who genuinely cared about the American people. They always made us feel safe, and thanks to both of them having fantastic senses of humor, they also brought joy everywhere they went.
People were always happy to see them, and there was truly nothing that made Americans smile more than the many “Obama and Kids” photos. MAGA hates this.
We’re a nation starved for goodness (and a ton of food we can’t eat now thanks to RFK Jr), but there’s a glorious example of what all leaders should be right now in New York City: Democratic Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
A young and energetic 34-year-old, Mamdani is the most popular NYC Mayor since the legendary Fiorello LaGuardia, aka the “Great Builder of New York City,” who served during the Great Depression and World War II. Mamdani’s approval rating is currently at a whopping 69%, up from 58% in June and 56% in March.
Trump’s current approval rating is at a historic all-time low of 28%.
Mayor Mamdani is doing an amazing job of taking care of his constituents with the kind of energy, joy, kindness, and productivity that the city hasn’t seen in years. Most significantly, he’s massively popular with younger New Yorkers, especially schoolkids. Check their reaction when he “eliminated bedtimes” so they could stay up and watch the Knicks clinch the NBA Championship.
Read more Trump demands Congress drop everything for a staggering cause: ‘Get this done!’
And then there was the time he brought his buddy Barack with him to visit some kids at school, immediately gaining him “Mamdani and Kids” status.
I love watching kids watching them, their faces lit up with excitement as they’re watching these adult Men of Color treat them with respect and kindness. That kind of engagement can’t be faked. These men understand the assignment is to inspire kids, not traumatize them.
And the kids innately know this. They’re attracted to the beacon of light shining from within these good men, as evidenced by a brand-new video circulating of Mamdani being swarmed and hugged by a group of very excited kids at a camping event at Inwood Park.
If Trump did that, the kids would be traumatized instead of energized.
And of course, since Mamdani is Mayoring While Brown, MAGA is beyond triggered by his success while Trump is flailing like never before.
Mamdani has already made a major impact on Manhattan and the other four boroughs he oversees. Instead of vandalizing monuments and threatening to tear down JFK Memorials, he’s fixing roads and water fountains.
From free buses and babysitting, the mayor is just embracing and implementing the aspects of socialism which were already built into our government. And he still rides his bike to work every day, WITH A HELMET ON, thanks to the concerned constituents who constantly called him out for not better protecting himself.
A politician who LISTENS to his constituents? The hell you say!
But it’s not all levity and photo ops with Mayor Mamdani. Crime is at a record new low barely eight months into his first year on the job. He’s tackled and superseded accusations of anti-Semitism, which I just don’t see as an American Jew. I may not live in Manhattan, but my Jewish mother and Jewish niece do, and I’m glad he’s their Mayor instead of the very Trumpy Andrew Cuomo.
The Mayor of New York City has absolutely nothing to do with the Israeli government, and yet too many people expect him to fix all of the ills that exist between Jews and Palestinians. But he still demonstrated strong leadership skills and spoke out when Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu was welcomed in D.C. by his fellow Putin-owned war criminal Donald Trump. Mamdani acknowledged their war crimes and lamented that he didn’t have the power to arrest Netanyahu, then stressed the federal government should take care of it.
Read more Trump’s secret splurge on White House bowling alley exposed in new documents: report
Yeah, Putin’s Puppet didn’t do that.
Weird, huh?
