In the movie A Bronx Tale, the character played by Robert De Niro tells his son that “the saddest thing in life is wasted talent.” Yesterday, the actor appears to have forgotten his own cinematic advice in a bizarre press conference organized by the Biden campaign in front of the Manhattan courthouse during the trial of former President Donald Trump. In a raving, disconnected press conference, De Niro predicted the end of democracy and then the world if Trump is not stopped in New York.
De Niro offered a rambling monologue and exposed the danger of an actor speaking without a script:
It’s a good time to reflect on how Americans fought and died so that we may enjoy the freedoms guaranteed to us by a democratic government, a government that as President Lincoln said of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth.
Under Trump this kind of government will perish from the earth.
I don’t mean to scare you.
No, no, wait, maybe I do mean to scare you.
If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye that we all take for granted.
And elections, forget about it.
That’s over.
That’s done if he gets in, I can tell you right now, he will never leave, he will never leave.
You know that he will never leave.
De Niro has gone full Travis Bickle. However, now 80, it came across as De Niro screaming at the courthouse for Trump to get off his lawn.
The diatribe is consistent with the messaging of Democrats, including President Biden, that “democracy is on the ballot” and that this may be our last election. De Niro was not satisfied with that alarmist message and decided to take it to an apocalyptic level in predicting a global meltdown.
As I have previously written, it is a narrative that ignores our history and our values. To suggest that this may be our last democratic election is to suggest that both branches (and the population at large) would stand idly by as a president assumed tyrannical powers. That did not occur, even when this country was united by wars and national emergencies. With the nation now divided right down the middle, it is even less likely.
That is why the “democracy is on the ballot” claims border on defamation against our Constitution. We have the most successful and stable democratic system in history. The success of that system is not measured by those who would riot or challenge our values. It is measured by how the system responds. Our system works because it was not only written for times of relative unity and calm, it also was written for times like these.
What was particularly weird is that the Biden campaign succeeded in reinforcing the view of this case as lawfare, an effort to stop Trump at any cost.
That message was also reaffirmed by President Biden stating that he will hold a press conference on the verdict. After the third highest ranking official in the Biden Justice Department joined the prosecution to bring the case, the announcement only magnified the view of a case that is being used for political purposes.
De Niro walked away pursued by hecklers and proceeded to exchange profanities.
The question for the Biden campaign lingered as to what was achieved by the chaotic scene outside of the courthouse. I am a great fan of De Niro’s artistic work, a legacy of great movies that are now an indelible part of our culture. That is precisely why, as I watched from the Fox camera location near his presser, I was more sad than surprised by the spectacle. As another De Niro character said in the movie Stardust, “reputations, you know, a lifetime to build, seconds to destroy.”
I never realized what a short little fella he is. It doesn’t take much intellect to be an actor, it seems a low IQ is a prerequisite for being a member of the Democratic Party. One thing they are good at is cheating. Seems there is a level of ethical and moral responsibility for both sides. Seems the left has a much lower standard than the right but after all corruption is a human condition.
“…a low IQ is a prerequisite for being a member of the Democratic Party.”
Aristotle posited 3 kinds of intelligence,, Technical (meaning I suppose much knowledge and a high IQ), craft (including things like art, carpentry, blacksmithing, mechanical skill etc), and wisdom (one might interpret that as simple common sense).
The fact is there are many high IQ democrats.Just look at today’s academia. But by and large they have no wisdom, nor even common sense. It’s a sad and tragic spectacle. But there you have it. Ideology eats away at reason like some sort of acid. (Today’s postmodern version of Marxism.)
DeNiro has proven himself to be nothing more than a tool of the oppressors.
The Left’s policy “judge,” Merchan, now tells us that that blob on the prosecution’s canvas is a violation of NY Election Law 17-152. That is the mysterious “another crime” that magically revived dead misdemeanors and elevated them to felonies.
That “crime” was not named in the indictment. Was not adjudicated during the trial. The defendant, in violation of his due process rights, was not given the opportunity to defend himself from that government claim.
That amounts to: “Surprise. Here’s your crime” — sprung on a defendant *after* the trial, by the judge, during jury instructions. That is not the American system of jurisprudence. And that is not the rule of law.
Further, that (sort-of) alleged “crime” is a misdemeanor, also with an expired SOL, that is inapplicable to a federal election.
Then, to fully politicize his courtroom, Merchan tells the jury: You may or may not deliberate about that state crime. You may or may not reach a conclusion about whether the defendant is guilty of committing that crime. And you don’t have to agree unanimously that Trump is guilty of that crime. In a *criminal* trial. (?!)
If you need an explanation of why that is utterly corrupt, you are beyond hope.
In contradiction to Boy George, that’s how it gets to the SC. Violation of Trump’s civil rights.