By Bob Gaydos

Trump and Machado and their Nobel Peace Prize.

Dignity. Remember that? It was a pre-Trump concept that a lot of people used to think was an admirable trait in a person, particularly a person of prominence in, maybe not politics, but certainly foreign affairs.

Alas, it’s one more thing Trump has devalued as he has imposed his transactional “art of the deal” philosophy on foreign affairs. A rent-a-prison in El Salvador. A presidential plane from Qatar. A Nobel Peace Prize medal from Venezuela. All in a day’s work for the rapidly dissembling man who occupies the Oval Office.

The latter, of course, is the most, well, embarrassing. I feel personally embarrassed, although I know I shouldn’t, for Maria Corina Machado, who hand-delivered her Nobel Peace Prize, beautifully framed, to Trump in the Oval Office and smiled for the photographers recording the scene for posterity.

All in the name of, what? She says freedom and democracy for Venezuela. As she handed him the prize, which he has been lobbying for ever since Barack Obama was awarded one, Machado, the opposition leader to Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, proclaimed, “We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy.”

Translation: Since Trump followed up on his illegal campaign of killing Venezuelan fishermen in the Caribbean under the guise of fighting drug smuggling by illegally kidnaping the unpopular president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and accusing him on drug charges, Machado has been calculating that maybe Trump could do for her what winning a Nobel Peace Prize could not — make her president of Venezuela.

Ah, yes, but she forgets. This is Trump. There must be more in the deal than merely saving a country from a dictator or even the cover of phony drug smuggling charges or even the distraction from the Epstein files. Did someone say oil?

Aha. Trump has already apparently cashed in $500 million from the sale of captured Venezuelan oil and it’s being held in U.S. bank accounts in Qatar and other countries, allegedly to be split among Venezuelans for social projects and infrastructure, U.S. companies and the U.S. government, “at the federal government’s discretion.” More sales are expected as the U.S. “runs Venezuela,“ as Trump said after kidnapping Maduro.

Where does this leave us? For the eager Machado, with a smile, a handshake and a photo with the smiling president of the United States, holding her Nobel Peace Prize. The U.S. turned the reins of Venezuela over to the vice president upon kidnapping Maduro, meaning the same oppressive government remains in charge. Trump, ever self-serving and never too proud to turn down an obviously undeserved award, has Machado‘s prize, framed and hanging somewhere in the Oval Office. The Nobel Committee and the people of Norway are embarrassed by this “unprecedented” turn of events. The committee was quick to point out that its prize is not transferable.

Nor is the dignity that traditionally accompanies it.

By BOB GAYDOS

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, on the same team.

   The job of the next president of the United States is to restore a sense of competency, decency and dignity to the office. Nothing is more important than that. 

     I actually wrote those words about three weeks ago as I worked on a reaction to developments in the Democratic presidential race and various complaints being voiced about the front runners — too old, too radical, too conservative, too male, etc.

     COVID-19, unfortunately, intervened. It also reinforced my belief in that simple campaign slogan: competency, decency, dignity. Put any Democrat’s name in front of it:

     — Joe Biden, competency, decency, dignity.

     — Bernie Sanders, competency, decency, dignity … uh, scratch that campaign, not the sentiment.

     — Andrew Cuomo, competency, decency, dignity. (I know; it’s Joe, but just hold that thought).

     As swiftly as Covid-19 moved through parts of the population, just as swiftly do political stories change. Sanders dropped out and pledged to support Biden just as I was rewriting for Covid. Cuomo burst on the scene just as abruptly, reminding Americans that it is important to have elected officials who are capable, competent and concerned about people’s welfare. Actually, their lives.

     Cuomo’s father, Mario, also a New York governor, once wrestled with the notion of running for president to the point he was dubbed “Hamlet on the Hudson” — to run or not to run. He decided not to at the last moment. Andrew has insisted repeatedly he is not looking to be president.

     Not yet. He’s also a friend of Biden’s. But Democrats can at least rest assured that if something else unforeseen happens between now and their nominating convention in August, they’ve got Bernie and Andrew in the bullpen. Elizabeth Warren, too.

   But the real need now is for Democrats to present, not just a familiar, comfortable name for president, but a super team, if you will, of potential cabinet members and presidential advisors who will reinforce the need to return competency, decency and dignity in the Oval Office.

      The need for competency has been apparent from the first days of the Trump presidency. The administration’s unconscionably inept response to the Covid-19 virus is the predictable result of three-plus years of looking the other way, justifying and making excuses for Trump, a man with no moral compass or sense of responsibility and who is incredibly dumb to boot. His dismissive attitude to doctors and scientists on the handling of the virus has resulted in chaos, fear, panic, a probable recession and death. There is no excusing this arrogant incompetence.

     In the category of decency and dignity, I include a respect for the truth as well as the Constitution. I also include an understanding of this nation’s once respected role as the leading voice for freedom and democracy on the planet — a nation represented by the Statue of Liberty, not by an egomaniac’s wall and caged migrant children,

    Regarding the nay-sayers among Democrats … Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are both 78 years old. I am 78 years old. If you wanted to dig into my past life and drag out every stupid, profane, dumb, selfish, hurtful thing I have ever said or done, a lot of people probably would say, no, I don’t want him to be president.

     Given that, I still say without hesitation and in all humility, that I believe I would make a much better president than Donald Trump has been (as would a lot of you). That’s because I think I have learned, sometimes the hard way and with age, what is important and what is not so important. I don’t think I’m smarter than trained professionals. And I have a respect for the truth as well as the history of this nation. If you want references, I can probably pick some up.

     But I’m not running for president. Joe Biden is and, until recently, Bernie Sanders was. (Cuomo still says he’s out.) While I can agree and disagree with both men on a variety of issues, I have no doubt that either one would honor the tradition of the office and work immediately from day one to remove the stain that has been Donald Trump. I can say that about every one of the Democratic presidential candidates.                  

      For disappointed Sanders supporters, and they are legion and loyal, the victory can be claimed in his demand for Medicare for all. If the virus has shown anything, it is the utter failure of the American health system to deal efficiently and even-handedly with a health crisis. People should not die because they can’t afford to get tested or there are no tests or they have no insurance for treatment or their governor insulted the president. Not in this country. Biden as president may calm Wall Street worriers, but he must also make Sanders’ central issue part of a Democratic plan to restore America’s legacy of competency, decency and dignity. Sanders for Health Secretary? A thought to build on.

      Having been vice president to Barack Obama for eight years (a source of much of his support), Biden knows how this is done. As the presumptive nominee he should choose a younger female vice presidential running mate and assemble a team of one-time rivals for the presidency as potential cabinet members. Unity must be paramount for Democrats. Take back the country first, then fix all that has been broken. Republicans appear ready to stick with Trump right into the sewer. A united, impressive Democratic team behind Biden can defeat that.

      Also key is voter turnout. Republicans will do anything to keep potential Democratic votes from being cast. They have already shown that. A unified Democratic Party behind Joe Biden, with a plan to make America competent, decent and dignified again should get out the vote. It would help if Obama campaigned. It is also crucial to reclaim the Senate.

     And, as he enters the fourth and last year of his term, President Biden, at age 82, can say he does not intend to seek re-election, paving the way for that younger vice president to continue the restoration project. First remove the stain from the presidential seal, then polish it with gusto.

rjgaydos@gmail.com