Raging Against the Machine

Good afternoon, everyone.

I, like many of you, was glued to my phone Saturday after learning about Trump’s miraculously dodging a bullet from the gun of a would-be assassin. For better or worse, it is through media, both social and news, that we commune with these events. The same was true of the Covenant tragedy.

At the time, I wrote critically of the way the media presented the event, stealing the stage from the six victims and turning their deaths into a political totem. Though wholly different, there is a similar dynamic at play with the attempt against Trump’s life.

“A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion - his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration,” Melania Trump wrote in the hours following the assassination attempt. “The core facets of my husband’s life—his human side—were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.”

Nine years of cold, dehumanizing coverage of Trump, of icy interpretation of even his most endearing, human moments has produced an image of him in the minds of many as an avatar of destruction. If the belief that Trump is literally Hitler is taken at face value, would not the logical thing to do be to, well, kill him? 

The culpability of the media in refusing to humanize a very human man no doubt contributed to this, but what’s more egregious is their sudden pivot to demonizing the rally goers, his base. Amidst all the rancor, it’s easy to forget that volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore was, according to the governor of Pennsylvania, a girl dad and volunteer firefighter who went to church every Sunday and lived to serve his community.

The front page story of the Tennessean this morning was titled ‘Failed Trump assassination attempt may embolden supporters who see him as chosen by God’. The article went on to offer the perspective of a series of experts, all of whom claimed that dangerous religious rhetoric may now color Trump’s campaign.

Naturally, journalists will say that blaming the “media” is inappropriate. But the shooter was eleven when Trump came down the elevator. In the intervening years, his only impression of the former President was imprinted by coverage of him as the greatest threat to democracy this world has yet seen.

Relatedly, Erik Prince did a solid breakdown of the event on Twitter. We’re hosting him in Nashville next week. If you haven’t RSVP’d, reply to this email and let me know you’re interested in going.

Onward.

💨 Something In The Air In an eerie premonition, Andy Ogles referenced possible threats to politicians’ lives this Friday while speaking at the Women's Club of Nashville. "To my knowledge, and I haven't been briefed any differently," he told those in attendance, "there's an Iranian hitman in this country— on US soil—with a hitlist that's primarily US politicians. And we have yet to find him."

Though unrelated to Saturday’s assassination attempt, Ogles’ warning indicated that the federal government has been on high alert regarding terror threats as we inch closer to the presidential election. The congressman also shared reports that more than 400 illegal aliens with ties to ISIS “were released into this country on accident,” before hitting home the importance of border security. “Might there be a terrorist attack?” Ogles posed to his audience. “I'm honestly surprised there hasn't been one.” MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

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🗳️ Early Voter Turnout Friday kicked off early voting for August's primary elections, and 3,820 voters cast their ballots over the weekend. To give perspective, 5,473 voters had already pulled the lever by this time last year in anticipation of Nashville’s mayoral election. 

Of the Seven contested primaries to determine whose names will appear on November’s ballot,  the most contentious races are those with challengers hoping to unseat incumbents. In the Republican primary, Senator Marsha Blackburn is being challenged by former US Congressional candidate for the 5th District, Tres Wittum, while Representative Andy Ogles is facing off against Councilmember Courtney Johnston. As for the Democrats, Vandy student Nick Forster-Benson is attempting to knock state Rep. Bob Freeman off the ballot before heading into the general election. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

For early voting information and ballot examples, click here.

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💎 Unfunny and Politically Correct This morning, the Beacon Center released its quarterly poll, revealing a 30-point lead among Tennessee voters for Donald Trump over President Joe Biden, a 20-point deficit for Gloria Johnson against Senator Marsha Blackburn, and some serious concerns about inflation, among other things. But the think tank also included one of the most pressing questions of our time: Is political correctness ruining comedy? Invoking a debate sparked by a comment made by Jerry Seinfeld back in April, Beacon asked whether Tennesseans agreed with the comedian that the PC police are just Debbie Downers. Sixty-two percent said yes, “political correctness has led to a decline in comedy, movies, and television shows.” MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

DEVELOPMENT

• HCA Healthcare drops millions on Dickerson Pike site (NBJ)
• West Nashville church property listed for sale (Post)
• Historic building in Chestnut Hill sells for $3.5M (Post)

✹ OPENING DAY OF THE RNC

The calm before the storm has settled in over the Republican National Convention. The sky is cloudless, the sun is scorching, the wind is still, and a large exclusion zone has quarantined roughly 17 blocks of downtown Milwaukee. And the event has barely started yet.

It was already going to be tense, even before Saturday: there are police here from many different states, and there’s no way in or out of the Fiserv Forum without heavy security screenings. Having walked the entire security fence, it’s hard to imagine what could happen.

Monday morning has been relatively quiet. With most of the delegates and protestors not due ‘til midday, the streets are lined with pedestrians, Jewish hospitality groups, Evangelists, and travelers. An elderly Black QAnon supporter from Georgia sat at one of the entrances selling “Keep America Great” bumper stickers.

Milwaukee itself is certainly apprehensive. The city, being the left-leaning locale it is, betrays a sense of tension regarding the event. The streets outside the fence line were covered in torn posters for Dennis Quaid’s upcoming Reagan biopic. A local Episcopal priest even told me he’d been considering taking down his church’s LGBT and Ukraine flags, for fear of roving hordes of Republican vandals destroying them by night.

Despite the heat and nerves, the attendees are “fired up.”  Listening to retired Colonel Rob Maness, everyone inside is excited. “I knew [Trump] was going to win before [the shooting],” the colonel told me. “Now I think he’s going to win 50 states.”

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 Winnetka Bowling League @ Exit/In, 8p, $27.37, Info
+ indie pop

🪕 Bronwyn Keith-Hynes @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info

🎸 Open Mic Mondays @ Tennessee Brew Works, 6p, Free, Info

🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info

💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 8p, Free, Info

🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info