Zoomland

Every so often I think about the good old days when music, films, and tech seemed important to our sense of how life was going. Music in the 50’s was serious and motivating; the 60’s were something altogether different. Miles Davis, then the Beatles, then everything else. Nixon was afraid of John Lennon, Lenny Bruce was a renegade pilloried for his out of control act and lifestyle, the Stones were targeted by the powers that be, and CBS censored Elvis, Dylan, even the Smothers Brothers. The only way you could tell what was going on was by the intensity with which the government counter-attacked.

The 70’s saw Hollywood go mobile, and ‘84 saw tech in the famous Apple ad signal the arrival of the computer revolution. The intersection of disco and Saturday Night Fever cemented the merging of music and the movies, and laid the groundwork for what we see now as the streaming reboot of television and media. But nowhere is that feeling of inevitability, that music or media or technology can improve our lives in any deeper way than the rapid accumulation of money and power.

If I thought this was the end of an era, or the loss of hope, or the decline of possibility for the next generations, I wouldn’t admit it. These forces need no acceleration or acceptance. Instead, I struggle to figure out how to make any kind of difference, wondering whether the real victim here is my naïveté. Social media, look out. Comedy, what’s that? The trudge of the newsletters, please. Guess I’ll start at the bottom, the political race for 2024, the debate.

I have to admit I’m enjoying it. Trump is so dominant he has nowhere to go and nothing to do. Pence is engaged, but it adds up to no traction in the polls. The rest are a rerun of the (1)7 dwarves of 2016. Nikki Haley over-performed, but she is exactly not what the Party wants. What do they want? Someone with a time machine who can emerge after the primary with a message that he or she has seen the other side, and it’s going to be OK. Think different, no further details. I like Chris Christie and Bill Barr and even the 38 year old from MadLibs. They are the Greek Chorus that comments on the action: yes, he’s a jailbird, no the 14th amendment won’t work, then what happens? The best plan: assume Trump wins and move into CostCo AirBnB. I’m serious. Check into the CostCo Hilton and set up a private ZoomBucks network.

I could go on with this work-from-home schtick, but give the soft landing a little time to develop and the truth will out. What’s holding things up is the lack of capitulation. Trump will get the nomination. Vivek will tie the media up with his newsletter policy skein, and Biden will get older and older. Will he be too old to run for president, let alone win? As Labor Day arrives, so too does the dawning realization that Trump will win, ankle bracelet withstanding. Regardless of whether the country can keep him out of the Oval Office, he can operate just as effectively from his golf clubs. So here’s the campaign calendar:

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Labor Day: Trump lead grows to 60%, Vivek joins Truth Social Dancing with the Stars streaming network. Chris Christie re-endorses Trump, joins ticket. Nikki Haley switches to Democratic Party. Elon Musk secretly buys Republican Party in cash transaction.

Election Day, 2024: Trump wins, pardons entire country, quits presidency as it becomes a depleted husk of a former democracy. Bill Barr reveals he had his fingers crossed behind his back in all 2023 appearances, installed as Acting Vice President. Barr pardons Trump.