WELCOME to the debut of “The Truth Is!”, a blog of reporting and commentary that aims to be informative, thoughtful and provocative. At least initially, the blog will have a strong heartland flavor by virtue of the connection of a number of us to Cowles family journalism. I am former editor of the Des Moines Register’s opinion pages. Another contributor, Michael Gartner, is former editor of the paper; he later served as president of NBC News. Another former Register editor who has agreed to contribute, Geneva Overholser, is director of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg school of journalism. Followers of the blog will have access also to the work of Herbert Strentz of Des Moines, a close Register and other newspaper watcher who once headed Drake University’s journalism school. Bill Leonard, a longtime Register editorial writer, will add insights.

“The Truth Is!” will be supervised by my daughter, Marcia Wolff, a communications lawyer for 20 years with Arnold and Porter (Washington, D.C.). Invaluable technical assistance in assembling and maintaining the blog is provided by my grandsons Julian Cranberg, a college first-year, and Daniel Wolff, a high school senior.

If you detect a whiff of nepotism in this operation, so be it. All of it is strictly a labor of love. —Gil Cranberg

Monday, September 30, 2013

Gilbert Cranberg: MEET THE STATESMEN HANNITY AND TRUMP

I gave up writing satire years ago when I realized that the real world had become so ridiculous that it was indistinguishable from what I attempted to poke fun at. My decision to retire from satire was validated recently when I read in the local paper that Sean Hannity of Fox News was to be honored by the Sarasota County Republican Party with a “Statesman of the Year” award. This turned out not to be a one-time aberration; the Republicans who mistook Hannity for a statesman bestowed the same title last year on Donald Trump. I am not making this up.

A statesman is, by definition, a person who shows wisdom and skill in conducting public affairs. Only by twisting the English language beyond recognition can Hannity be considered anything more than a propagandist. As for Trump, it is charitable to describe him as a buffoon.

Sarasota is Florida’s cultural center. It has its own symphony orchestra, repertory theater and opera and dance companies. The community’s leaders can only hope the rest of the country did not notice the lapse in sophistication that led to designating the likes of Hannity and Trump as statesmen.

Satire is tricky. I learned that the hard way when government officials said they were on the lookout for innovative ways to cut costs and I suggested they consider renting out the armed forces. After all, I argued, the military is idle much of the time, so why not turn a drain on taxpayers into a profit center?

The first rule of satire -- also, the second, third and fourth-- is to be sure readers know that you are not serious. I thought I had left an unmistakable clue when I wrote that by hanging a for rent sign on the military it would give fresh meaning to the term “doughboy.” To no avail. I knew I was in trouble when a college professor working on a collection of innovative ideas requested permission to include renting out the military in his book.

Hannity and Trump statesmen? Maybe the joke is on me. After all, the local Republicans filled a large hall with paying customers to hear both men. Hannity told the crowd the government should be shut down because it would save money. This is a statesman? A rabbit does not become a cabbage by calling it one. Hannity and Trump are not statesmen no matter what their plaques say and how many seats they fill.

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