Posted on 12/17/2015 10:41:31 AM PST by Third Person
Tom Brady doesn't want to discuss Donald Trump, and it's hard to blame him. Part of Brady's appeal is that he stands for nothing, which means he can stand for anything. The second he takes a side, that veneer of perfection vanishes.
Look good, stay out of trouble, and stick to sports. Michael Jordan soared to heights of inoffensive fame this way, too – "Be like Mike" meant whatever we wanted it to mean.
So Brady dodges, like he did Monday on Dennis & Callahan with Minihane when he declined to endorse or rebuke his "good friend" Trump, instead staking out a positionless middle ground.
"Can I just stay out of this debate?" he asked with a laugh.
He dodged again on Wednesday at Gillette, when Ch. 7's Dan Hausle tried to draw him down the rabbit hole and Brady walked off the podium with a wave and a smile.
"Like I said, I'm just here to play football," Brady offered with a sheepish grin before exiting stage left.
His fans don't care what he says about anything, as long as he shows up on Sunday and completes 70 percent of his passes. I just wish he wouldn't sit out this particular issue, and here's why.
It has nothing to do with being a celebrity, and everything to do with being a citizen. Trump is now officially a menace and I'm only three-quarters hyperbolizing when I say Brady owes it to his country to say something.
If Brady is annoyed at the unwanted headlines, he has no one but himself to blame. He started all of this by proudly displaying one of Trump's insipid "Make America Great Again" hats at his locker in September, which prompted questions, which prompted generalities from Brady about Trump's chances at winning the Presidency ("I hope so . . . That would be great."), which prompted reams of coverage.
I wrote about it back then, too, but from more of a tongue-in-cheek perspective admonishing Brady for supporting such a clown. It seemed harmless enough. Once Trump's carnival barking subsided, or maybe a circus tiger ate him, we could move on with the actual election.
Except, in the interim Trump has emerged as a legitimate candidate, which defies all reason and logic. This is where it would be nice for Brady to heed the advice given to subway riders everywhere: if you see something, say something.
Far from his campaign sloganeering, Trump represents the worst of America: ignorance and arrogance masquerading as strength and conviction, money paving the path to power, fear-mongering and racism creating a vacuum to be filled with hate.
Trump is a divisive demagogue in the style of Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who'd definitely call me a Communist for writing this, or segregationist George Wallace, whose presidential campaigns in the 1960s and '70s stoked the same kinds of rage with lesser-educated white voters that Trump is tapping into now.
When Trump says things like all Muslims should be denied entry to the U.S. or that Mexican migrants are rapists and drug traffickers, that's not just antithetical to the very concept of America, it's evil. But the thing with demagogues is no one in a position of influence rebukes them. Liberals and Democrats can caterwaul all they want, but it's up to the Republican establishment to condemn his policies of hate.
What does this have to do with Brady? Like it or not, he has entered the conversation as one of Trump's symbols. Consider this quote from the Washington Post:
"In Massachusetts, I'm at 48 percent. You know why?" Trump said. "Tom Brady said 'Trump's the greatest.' He says it to anyone who asks him. You know, it's hard for a guy like him to say that. When you're a football player, you don't want to be taking sides in campaigns and having the Hillary [Clinton] people now say, 'You're not as good as Bart Starr.'"
Putting aside that Brady has never publicly labeled Trump, "the greatest" (hyperbole is one of The Donald's oratory trademarks), he has said enough to suggest he's a supporter.
Does he want to play even the tiniest role in electing a hate-monger to the White House? He could make an impact simply by saying, "Donald is my friend, but we have a lot of fans that are Muslim and Mexican, and I don't agree with his thoughts on those subjects at all."
Instead, Brady tells us Trump let him judge a beauty pageant when he first got famous, they like to golf together, and that, "I support my friends in everything they do." That's all well and good, but not every friend is worthy of the presidency.
I understand why Brady wants to stay out of this one, but Trump has positioned himself to lead our country, and if I had any kind of platform to keep that from happening, I'd use it.
I know this is asking a lot, but I wish Brady would, too.
I am no fan of Brady (despite respecting his skillset and work ethic), but he could really win me over here if he stands strong on this.
John Tomase ? Rollo’s brother ? Commie putzhead.
“If you don’t say what we tell you to say that proves you’re bad.”
Yes!
Whenever some entertainer gets political on us, such as Bono from U2 or Baba Streisand, we always respond here that they ought to just shut up and sing. Same goes for ballplayers. They should just shut up and play.
So Brady is doing the right thing by "publicly" taking a neutral position.
Besides, those of us who know Brady, knows he leans conservative and is one of the good guys.
John Tomase needs to lay off the hysteric hyperbolic ignorance and trying being a honest reporter of fact for a change.
Also, why it’s important for commie libs to stock up on a year’s worth of Huggies and Depends. They’re going to need them. Grandma Clinton isn’t off the hook yet.
It’s only important to THE MEDIA
This commentary is dumb beyond words.
LOL... and McCarthy would be right again Commie Tomase
I don't like telling anyone face to face who I am supporting, you can read my tagline.
But, seriously. When I was a kid I remember old ladies refusing to divulge who they voted for. They considered it a sacred act and something that should not be trivialized.
Leave Brady alone. If and When he is ready to divulge his choice he will do so.
Until then leave him alone.
How positively idiotic. He's a ^%$# football player. He stands for football.
I work in Manhattan and I have told nobody at the office who I support in this race. More harm will come from it than good, I can assure you. Like religion, politics has no place in the workplace.
Egads!
I hope this article is an OpEd (AKA: fully, Tomase’s opinion) otherwise, it reads like a Dhimmicratic Party skreed.
These ridiculous liberal lemmings. It’s “important” that everyone thinks the same, right? When someone doesn’t, they get all scaredy-upped inside.
Why should anyone care what a football player thinks about politics?
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