Dem
49
GOP
51
In 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon both appeared at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, and exchanged some good-natured ribbing of one another. That set a custom, and in most presidential election cycles since then, the nominees of the two major parties have attended the white-tie event. The exchange of good-natured banter is considered a testament to the notion that while there are partisan differences, everyone's on the same team, and civility is a virtue. Oh, and the evening raises money for Catholic charities.
This year, the organizers (the archdiocese of New York) and the emcee (comedian Jim Gaffigan, whose devotion to his Catholic religion is well known) assumed that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump would be attending, and did a fair amount of promotion based on that assumption. Maybe they should have checked with the candidates, however, because Harris announced yesterday that she won't be there, as she'll be busy campaigning in battleground states. So, it's just going to be Trump.
Why did Harris take a pass? She isn't saying publicly, but the main reason, of course, is Trump. In 2020, because of the pandemic, the two presidential candidates did appear, but it was via Zoom, so the normal joshing was not possible, even if the candidates had been so inclined. However, in 2016, Trump and Hillary Clinton were both there in person. And beyond the fact that Trump has no real sense of humor, and no ability to deliver jokes (much less good-natured jokes), he also doesn't believe that everyone is on the same team, nor does he believe in civility. So, instead, he used the opportunity to tear into Clinton, and to claim that she hates Catholics. There were many boos.
Do you have any doubt that, had Harris attended, there would have been more of the same? If you do have any doubts, then take note that when Trump announced he would be there (after Harris had declined), he sent out this message on his $12.15-per-share-and-maybe-soon-below-$10.00 boutique social media platform:
It will be an honor to attend the SOLD OUT 79th ANNUAL AL SMITH DINNER on October 17th in New York. It will be great to see so many wonderful people there, including Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan. We know the Spirit of Al Smith, the first Catholic Nominee of a Major Party, and John F. Kennedy, the FIRST Catholic President, will be in the room with us that night. It was a virtual event in 2020, and I was delighted to speak to our Catholic friends that day and, of course, it was a HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL evening in 2016 when we were there in person with Crooked Hillary Clinton. The reviews of my remarks were TREMENDOUS. It's sad, but not surprising, that Kamala has decided not to attend. I don't know what she has against our Catholic friends, but it must be a lot, because she certainly hasn't been very nice to them, in fact, Catholics are literally being persecuted by this Administration. Any Catholic that votes for Comrade Kamala Harris should have their head examined...
Not only would Trump have attacked Harris if she had attended, he will undoubtedly attack her in absentia. It's his usual script when addressing religious groups: Any member of [RELIGION X] who votes for Harris is not a real member of [RELIGION X]. It's particularly rich, of course, when he claims that an administration headed by a Catholic is... persecuting Catholics.
While Trump was/is the main problem, we suspect Harris' decision was also shaped by the behavior of the archdiocese. Although the event is ostensibly apolitical (in the sense of there being no advocacy for specific parties or political stances), the candidate appearances were canceled once since 1960. The archdiocese did not approve of Bill Clinton's actions regarding abortion access, and so in 1996, both he and Bob Dole were dis-invited. And the person currently overseeing the dinner, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, is outspokenly anti-Democratic, having written op-eds like this one, with the headline "The Democrats Abandon Catholics" and the subhead "If you value religious education or life's sanctity, you're not welcome in the party." If we were Kamala Harris, we would also be uninterested in going into the lion's den, especially since the organizers showed in 2016 that they are unable or unwilling to maintain decorum.
The right-wing media has engaged in much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments over Harris' non-attendance. For example, this op-ed from the always vapid Piers Morgan accuses the Democrat of "cowardly ducking" the dinner. We tend to doubt that these attacks will pierce Harris' armor any more than the many other lines of attack that right-wingers have tried against her. "She skipped a chichi dinner with a bunch of other cultural elites!" seems kind of inside baseball to us. In fact, if the dinner is going to rebound on anyone, it could well be Trump. The emcee is part of the banter, too, and Gaffigan has already made clear that he's going to roast The Donald, even if Harris isn't there. Trump hates, hates, hates that, and will struggle to maintain his composure. It is possible that one or two moments could go viral, much as when Barack Obama roasted Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner back in 2011. On that occasion, after much glowering, followed by fleeing the room, Trump fought back by... running for president. This time, Trump is already running for president, so that particular revenge option is not on the table. (Z)