I’ve been following Andrew Cuomo’s comeback attempt. It’s yet another attempt to walk in a bigger and better man’s shoes: his father Mario Cuomo who ran and lost for NYC Mayor in 1977. The son claims to worship his father but views Mario’s political career as a cautionary tale. The father’s devout liberalism has been replaced by the son’s ruthless assholery.

New York voters decisively rejected Cuomo’s comeback bid last night. He began his campaign as the favorite but finished a poor second in the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani is a democratic socialist endorsed by AOC and Bernie Sanders. He ran a solid campaign and rode a wave of enthusiasm among younger voters to a first place finish in the ranked-vote primary. His lead is likely to increase after the ranking stuff is looked at. Don’t ask me for an explanation: my understanding of the process is limited at best.

Shorter Adrastos: While it’s still not a done deal, it looks good for Mamdani.

I’m delighted that New York Democrats rejected two scandal plagued assholes: Cuomo and Trump puppet Eric Adams. Mayor Adams plans to run as an independent and Cuomo may stay in the race as well. The Empire State has a multi-party system so Cuomo may still run and lose in the general election. Stay tuned.

As a film buff, the thing that interests me the most about Mamdani is not that he’s on track to be the first Muslim mayor of New York City but that his mother is the film director Mira Nair. Nair directed such classics as Mississippi Masala and Monsoon Wedding.

M is for Mira and Mamdani.

Just say no to the asshole wasn’t Mamdani’s slogan but it could have been. Cuomo’s rejection made me think of a post I wrote earlier this year: Assholery Is Not Strength.

In that post, I used John Wayne and Donald Trump as exemplars of assholery. Since mayor-in-waiting Mamdami’s mother is a movie director, I decided to make this a hybrid post. As the Duke might have said at this point, spanks for the memories.

Assholery isn’t a word, but it should be. It captures the essence of MAGA malakatude. It’s a movement that confuses bluster with eloquence, macho swagger with strength. That describes the Kaiser of Chaos in a nutshell. He’s a man who incites violence but never participates in it. That makes him a fraud and a poser like John Wayne.

Say what? That’s right, John Wayne.

In certain circles, Marion Morrison DBA John Wayne has long been considered the personification of American manliness. It was all a facade: The Duke was a selfish careerist who dodged the draft during World War II. Who does that remind you of?

That Trump-like act nearly destroyed Wayne’s relationship with director John Ford who served in the Navy during the war against Fascism. Wayne later overcompensated by becoming a Vietnam War super-hawk fond of making baseless allegations. That’s right: John Wayne was into owning the libs. He was a big star; he was also a right-wing asshole who made few good movies that weren’t directed by his muses: John Ford and Howard Hawks.

Another proto-MAGA quality possessed by both the real and reel Wayne was misogyny. Like Trump, Wayne was surrounded by sexist sycophants, one of whom was screenwriter James Edward Grant. Here’s how Grant described the John Wayne formula:

“All you gotta have in a John Wayne picture is a hoity-toity dame with big tits that Duke can throw over his knee and spank, and a collection of jerks he can smash in the face every five minutes. In between, you fill it with gags, flags, and chases. That’s all you need. His fans eat it up.”

Grant wrote the screenplay for the lousy Wayne Western, McLintock. The featured image is of Wayne spanking Maureen O’Hara who was the hoity-toity dame du jour in that movie. I recall seeing it on TV with my parents as a kid. The spanking scene confused me, so my mom explained that was not how a real man behaved, and I shouldn’t be afraid of strong women. I never have been: I was raised by one.

President Pennywise is afraid of strong women. He overcompensates with trash talk and false bravado. He says he loves women as he demeans them by saying shit like, “I wouldn’t grope her because she’s not hot enough.”

When strong women like Letitia James, E Jean Carroll, Stormy Daniels, or Elizabeth Warren call him on his bullshit, he freaks out and shifts into Insult Comedian mode. I have no respect for anyone who can dish it out but can’t take it. That’s the definition of a bully. The only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them.

Repeat after me: Appeasement never works.

The pandemic led to an explosion of bro-culture. Democrats are being told that we must bathe in the blood of toxic masculinity to win presidential elections. Talk about MAGA bluster and bullshit. This is a 50-50 nation; we don’t need to encourage bad and stupid behavior to win. That’s what Republicans are for.

When I was a kid, there was a lot of talk about role models; professional athletes were expected to set a good example for young people. Baseball was still the national pastime back then, so let’s use some Hall of Famers as examples. Stan Musial was a good role model; Ted Williams was not. Henry Aaron was a good role model; Mickey Mantle was not.

The Insult Comedian is the worst role model imaginable; he’s everything I was taught not to be by my parents, yet somehow millions find this creep appealing. I find that appalling.

My colleague Jamie O wrote a fine piece on the subject of assholery last summer, Tim Walz Demonstrates Non-Asshole Masculinity. Here’s how he opened:

“My father raised me to do a lot of guy stuff. I played sports, especially baseball and football. While he stopped hunting when I was little, we did a lot of fishing. He taught me how to drive, how to be responsible, how to be strong, and how to deal with bullies.

But he also taught me to be respectful of everyone, including women. That was who he was.

He didn’t teach me to be an asshole.

Unfortunately, for way too many American males, being an asshole is key to being a man. In fact, among the American right-wing, being an asshole is the epitome of existence.”

Cory Booker’s record breaking speech inspired this post. In contrast to Donald Trump and John Wayne, Cory Booker is a model of modern masculinity. He has all the qualities Trump lacks: wit, charm, intelligence, kindness, and moral clarity. The Insult Comedian probably thinks moral clarity is a hair product since he’s utterly amoral.

I wish there were a solution to assholery but as long as the spotlight lingers on the Kaiser of Chaos and Reich Chancellor Murk there will not be. All we can hope is that bro-culture will fade, MAGA will be discredited, and we can finally elect a woman president. Kamala Harris would have been an excellent role model for men and women alike. That goes for Tim too.

Is there any parent out there who thinks an Insult Comedian with a dead nutria pelt atop his head is a good role model? If there are, stay away from me. I’m not fond of those who confuse assholery with strength.

The last word goes to The Who: