First, the Gary Busey endorsement for president. Then, the Gary Busey retraction. Since when does the road to the White House run through the former Tulsa late-night show TV sidekick?
With all respect to Busey, besides an appearance on Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, what has the actor done lately? [Talk about irony or coincidence – I don’t know which…a commercial just aired with Busey previewing an appearance on Celebrity Wife Swap. There’s some presidential-candidate-endorsement-material, right there.]
Running a campaign for the nation’s highest office used to be a dignified affair. Well, to be honest, during the period from roughly the Civil War to Ronald Reagan, politics had a gentlemanly (or gentle-womanly, to be completely PC) attitude. The press took off the gloves during the 1988 race that featured Colorado Senator Gary Warren Hartpence, better known as Gary Hart. He might have been president, if not for his audacity.
As the Democratic frontrunner, Hart responded to off-the-record allegations of an extramarital affair with a direct challenge.
“Follow me around,” he said. “I don’t care. I’m serious. If anybody wants to put a tail on me, go ahead. They’ll be very bored.”
Well, the press did. To Hart’s chagrin and ultimate demise as a political force, no one was bored. The photograph – even though it was published in the National Enquirer, at the time characteristically derided as a fictional scandal pulp – effectively ended his race for president. (Editors note: the accompanying photograph is that of Gary Busey in his Tulsa prime and not that of Gary Hart. To view that image, simply Google HART MONKEY BUSINESS to see the the former senator with a girl on his lap at his yacht.)
Before Hart, the press either looked the other way or winked and nudged an elbow at allegations of conduct that was less-than-presidential. It was a good ol’ boy network. It wasn’t perfect.
I’m not sure it was worse than what we are offered as a result of the change in attitude.
Donald Trump hosting a debate? Thankfully, that circus was put to an early death by the refusal of the serious candidates to take part. Trump – the butt of nightly late-night TV jokes – takes himself so seriously that he is able to affect the clear thinking of powers-that-be who should know better. In canceling the GOP debate that would have featured only two candidates (one in which even some political knuckleheads declined to participate), Trump gave as his reason the possibility that he might wind up as an independent candidate himself.
Is it coincidence? Or is it conspiracy?
Gary Busey, once an Apprentice of The Donald, making and retracting endorsements, as if they really and truly matter. Honestly, is there anyone in America who – upon finding themselves at the polling place, in the seconds before casting their ballot – asks themselves “What would Gary do?”
Mr. Busey, I thought you were okay as Teddy Jack Eddy on the Garlard Sartain feature Mazeppa. It was the late 1970’s and it was a completely different world back then.
Even waaaaay back then, Mr Sartain was the star.
Perhaps he should be the one making an endorsement.
