This Email Is Dedicated to Nick Foles
Here's the obvious lesson we're still struggling to grasp: play out the game to the end
As I flew home after a 36-hour trip to Philadelphia to witness the Super Bowl parade, I was reminded of a lesson from the game that could be applied to our political predicament. Ours is a moment filled with both opportunity and peril, and the eventual conclusion is largely up to us.
Nick Foles and the Eagles had been left for dead. Injuries knocked out a handful of the team's top players, including its dynamic, MVP-caliber quarterback. Their inexperienced coach would wilt under playoff pressure. They might win one game to extend their season, but there was no way they'd beat the league's best defense in the Vikings. When all else failed, so-called prognosticators insisted that Foles couldn't topple the vaunted Patriots.
This constant drip of commentary guaranteeing a specific result, mixed with the natural pessimism that comes with being a Philadelphia sports fan, left me dreading the inevitable. And so, with just enough time on the clock, the greatest quarterback of all time got the ball back with a chance to tie the game. I waited for the ending we all knew would come.
But it never did. Green confetti fell from the sky and fans conditioned for heartache experienced euphoria for the first time. There's a reason they play the game, just like there's a reason they hold elections and count votes. All the declarations and assurances and bets in the world are rendered useless. It was a lesson we should've learned in November 2016 and it's one we'd be wise to heed as we gear up for what lies ahead.
If there's a positive (if unintended) legacy of the Trump presidency thus far, it's that individuals long estranged from the political process have found a purpose. Activists have held protests and recruited followers around issues ranging from immigrant rights to sexual harassment/abuse. Millions of Americans appalled by the president's words and deeds are determined to make his stay in the White House short-lived.
What scares me is that too many may look at his approval rating and listen to the universal condemnation they hear from friends and assume Trump is toast. "There's just no way he wins again." The same goes for November's mid-term contests. "Republicans in Congress haven't fulfilled any of their promises beyond tax cuts, and even that bill was pretty unpopular. They're all tied to Trump. It'll be a wave."
Here's the obvious lesson we're still struggling to grasp: play out the game to the end. Stay informed and question your assumptions—take nothing for granted. Be upset. Be angry. Go to a rally. But when the time comes to show up and take part in the most sacred democratic act, do it. It's not who you vote for that matters; it's that you appreciate and honor your ability to do so when so many on this Earth cannot.
1. The national disgrace no one wants to talk about
How the U.S. Is Making the War in Yemen Worse | "Since the war began, at least ten thousand Yemeni civilians have been killed, though the number is potentially much higher, because few organizations on the ground have the resources to count the dead ... Before the war, Yemen was the Middle East’s poorest state, relying on imports to feed the population. Now, after effectively being blockaded by the coalition for more than two and a half years, it faces famine."
2. Just let Robert Mueller do his job, part 11,644
The U.S. Media Suffered Its Most Humiliating Debacle in Ages | "No Russian Facebook ad or Twitter bot could possibly have anywhere near the impact as this CNN story had when it comes to deceiving people with blatantly inaccurate information."
+ "Fury isn’t strategy, and there’s no need to extrapolate beyond the facts already in our possession."
+ The most thoughtful and in-depth dialogue I've heard to date on the Russia investigation
3. No one's safe, not even the Joint Committee on Taxation
Congressional Republicans disparaged the same group they themselves touted only a few years ago.
+ Fixing politics is easy: be humble and lower the stakes | "When either side decides that it must win all the time ... there are no deals to be had. No agreement is possible."
+ Is anyone ever wrong anymore?
4. Too little, too late?
"A group of Silicon Valley technologists who were early employees at Facebook and Google, alarmed over the ill effects of social networks and smartphones, are banding together to challenge the companies they helped build."
+ I teamed up with the great Rachael Gresson to discuss what Facebook's News Feed change means for marketers.
5. Shameless plug
Because I'm a nerd who likes to document everything, I put together a spreadsheet of our favorite food spots across the country (and around the world). I hope you take a look the next time you're planning a trip. You can blame Lauren for any places that disappoint—I'll take credit for the good ones. Enjoy!