'Tis a Fearful Thing To Love What Death Can Touch

Judah Halevi-- first name also spelled Yehuda and second named sometimes spelled ha-Levi-- was an 12th Century Jewish philosopher and poet living in Spain. Among those who keep track of such things, he's considered one of the greatest Hebrew poets. There's even a statue of "him," in Toledo, although I suspect that was put up relatively recently. That's the statue next to the poem 'Tis A Fearful Thing.

‘Tis a fearful thing
to love what death can touch.

A fearful thing
to love, to hope, to dream, to be--

to be,
And oh, to lose.

A thing for fools, this,

And a holy thing,

a holy thing
to love.

For your life has lived in me,
your laugh once lifted me,
your word was gift to me.<
To remember this brings painful joy.

‘Tis a human thing, love,
a holy thing, to love
what death has touched.

Above is the trailer from Scott Frank's new Netflix series, a western called Godless. It's how I heard of Judah Halevi, since a preacher reads a couple of lines in it. I haven't watched it but I may. I just wanted the poem. Vanity Fair included it in their list this week of the best new TV shows of 2017. I don't watch much TV but I did like Game of Thrones, Walking Dead and VEEP (kind of) so maybe I should trust their list enough to watch an episode or two. There are only 7 in total. The other shows they on the list include Alias Grace, American Vandal and The Handmaid's Tale. Here's what Richard Lawson had to say about Godless:

For all of Netflix’s crowing about how this mini-series is a Western centered on women, there sure are a lot of men leading the story. Jack O’Connell-- finally clearly stating his case for stardom to American audiences-- plays an outlaw on the run from his old gang, led by a mean and saturnine Jeff Daniels. That great hangdog Scoot McNairy plays a former sharpshooter sheriff who’s losing his eyesight, while little Thomas Brodie-Sangster, mostly grown up, is his cocksure but sweet deputy. That’s a bunch of guys! But near about everyone else-- including Michelle Dockery as a flinty homesteader and the great Merritt Wever as a lesbian who used to be married to the mayor of her small town-- is a lady. Godless tells the story of a bunch of bad dudes invading a community mostly populated by women (a mining accident killed all the husbands and fathers and sons) and laying waste to it-- until the women stand up to defend themselves in the series’s rousing, bullet-riddled finale. I don’t think Godless-- created by Scott Frank and produced by Steven Soderbergh-- should pat itself on the back too much; despite its telegraphed feminism, it is ultimately the tale of a lone rebel cowboy. But what’s good about Godless is really good: a gorgeously filmed, finely acted tweak on a well-worn genre that also graciously honors many of the form’s classic tropes.

All that does-- my fault, of course-- is take us away from the chilling certitude of Halevi's "'Tis a fearful thing to love what death can touch," which reminds me of why I'm friends with every dog in my neighborhood and buy them the best treats-- human grade-- money can buy but never get a dog of my own. That's one way to put it, I guess.

No, A Draft Romney Campaign By Richie-Rich Repubicans And Netflix Will Not Save The GOP From Ted Cruz

Romney gave filmmaker Greg Whiteley and Netflix permission to release the docudrama, MITT, this year-- rather than in 2009-- because in 2009 he wanted to run for president again… and after the 2012 drubbing, he knew he wouldn't ever be running for anything again. As you can see in the discussion on Fox "News" above, Romney-die hards see the release of the film as the beginning of a third presidential campaign. More likely, it's the beginning of a promotion and marketing campaign by Netflix to sell this dog of a film.

Yesterday, the Boston Globe concotted a narrative that has Romney running again in 2016. They don't mention that that would immediately presage a permanent split in the Republican Party-- the party of Rove vs the party of Cruz… presumably with the Koch brothers able to exercise effective control over both! "[I]n recent weeks," they tease, "a strange thing has happened: Some supporters and donors, pollsters and pundits are starting to suggest-- without irony-- that the former Massachusetts governor run for president in 2016." Perhaps Establishment-oriented donors are so eager for Romney to run again because-- with the political demise of Chris Christie and House Republicans sabotaging immigration reform-- they see the catastrophe called Ted Cruz waiting at the end of the long dark Valley of Death. And not just an historic defeat for the GOP in the presidential election-- they know that if Hillary runs, that's coming anyway-- but a massive defeat of Republican senators, Republican House Members, Republican governors, Republican state legislators and Republican everything else on the same day. Among the senators least likely to survive a Hillary landslide against Cruz in 2016 are Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Chuck Grassely (R-IA), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Richard Burr (R-NC), Rob Portman (R-OH), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Roy Blunt (R-MO). All those seats are up and vulnerable-- and a Hillary sweep would be so devastating to the Republican Party that it would take decades to recover. Romney would lose to Hillary too, but not with the kind of devastation to down-ticket races Ted Cruz would bring.

Romney is planning to host another policy retreat this June, where he invites top business and political leaders to spend several days with him in Park City, Utah. Former Romney advisers expect his potential candidacy could be a major topic if a more mainstream presidential candidate has not emerged.

But Romney would face major hurdles. He struggled with the Tea Party, a movement that remains a potent force in Republican politics. And while he has appeared far more comfortable in recent public appearances, it has come at a time when he has not felt the pressure of running for office and making a gaffe that can dominate several news cycles.

One of the biggest hurdles would be convincing party officials and donors that he deserves yet another chance.

“He could not win the nomination. There’s no way,” said Henry Barbour, a Republican National Committee member from Mississippi. “Look, he had his shot. But the party has to move on. I can’t imagine that we would renominate Governor Romney when he lost in the general election last time.”

The last candidate to win his party’s nomination a second time was Richard M. Nixon, who after losing the 1960 election to John F. Kennedy was nominated again in 1968 and defeated Hubert Humphrey to win the White House. Romney supporters have pointed to another historical example: Ronald Reagan ran three times (though he was not the party’s nominee until his third try).

…The buzz around Romney running was sufficient enough that Purple Strategies, a Virginia-based firm, included Romney in a poll of New Hampshire voters three weeks ago. He came out on top, with 25 percent, among Republican primary voters.

Of course, that speaks more to how dreadful the Republican bench is than to any real enthusiasm for another Mitt Romney campaign. He's made it clear that he is dying to run again-- but only if he's allowed to appear reluctant and give in to a "draft." No doubt there will be a well-orchestrated Draft Romney movement. But it won't save the Party from Ted Cruz. They earned him and deserve him.