When journalists and comedians become friends with politicians, trust none of them. 

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I am not one to go to a rally—or even a football game for that matter—just for the hell of it. And this past weekend, I didn't attend the "Fight Oligarchy" event at the University of Utah Huntsman Center.

I did the math and figured I couldn't get there in time to get inside. With a couple of new joints south of my midsection, standing around is just not a pleasant option.

More frequently these days I wake up, eat some ibuprofen and then go to the garden, where the garlic, collard greens and peas are growing. I count my backyard birds—over 25 species come and go to my feeders these days. Both the plants and birds are wise enough to thank me for the food and water, not to spit it back at me, as do my critics.

In days gone by, someone might have invited me in through a back door at the rally, or offered me a seat. But those days are as gone as the dollars in most Americans' 401k accounts. I'm ok with that.

I'm happy to see that there are multiple new voices rising politically and journalistically. I've been a Democrat my whole life. But these days, I know a paltry few Democratic politicians or party insiders, other than by name and the occasional wave to each other on the street. Hi, Sim. Hi, Carol. Hi, Mark.

I've never met Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, that I can recall. I know tons of Romeros, so it's likely I've met County Council member Ross Romero.

I've met Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. Meanwhile, I've met only one current Salt Lake City Council member, despite City Weekly renting downtown office space for 35 years, creating hundreds of jobs and assisting in the spending of millions and millions of dollars at city businesses that we've supported in those 35 years—who else has done that?

But it does reflect two things: first, I've become politician-averse; and second, politicians (as always) run to people and places who have money that can help them, not to smart-assed columnists who might give their egos an owie.

Still, I'd like to meet Caroline Gleich or state Sen. Nate Blouin. I met Blouin's mother by chance a couple of years ago while filling sandbags at Murray Park during a high-water year, and she assured me he's a nice guy. Blouin and Gleich have the fire and personality I've not seen in Utah's Dem party for a while.

Not knowing politicians personally is not a bad thing for a journalist. But in today's politics, the two seem to go hand in hand. The result is never good.

Look at Fox News—their top evening shows are hosted by Donald Trump A-listers. They want that insider juice and they will do all the dog-and-pony work necessary to keep the ewer full.

Or look to Bill Maher. He was once a darling of the left—of Democrats, of progressives. He's become a shadow of all of that, even before his now famous Happy Meal with President Trump. He arrogantly thinks he can explain it all away, like he's a peace emissary or something.

He's not. He's a fool. He came away impressed that Trump is a charming guy in person and not the "crazy person he plays on TV." That's crazy right there.

Maher spit-polishing his personal White House tour—something that Biden or Obama never did, with good reason despite mega donations from Maher—is fully ironic, but nothing new. Maher was already losing his bite. Now he will move farther right chasing the money, same as he did during COVID.

That is why Trump had him to dinner in the first place. Maher is the Kid Rock of comedy. Soon enough, he'll be the presenter at a Kennedy Center awards ceremony—probably the one in which the venue is renamed as the Trump Center.

Just observe who is fully aboard the Trump train these days and who is not. Is there a single passenger representing the large, disenfranchised masses composed of teachers, union members, veterans, the elderly or the ill? Nope. Those were the folks at the Bernie/AOC rally, and you will not see them as a guest on Maher's HBO program either. But this isn't new.

When I was young, the scary crisis was that Russia (yeah, the same one) had weapons in Cuba aimed at the USA. Some journalists sat on stories unfavorable to President John F. Kennedy's position.

Had they reported on what they knew, the Cuban Missile Crisis might have been averted. They didn't report. Kennedy's key advisor in that era was former journalist Joseph Alsop.

Trump having a cabinet full of Fox hounds is simply more brazen, but 60 years late.

Similar occurred when we entered Vietnam. A bevy of journalists sat on their hands in the early years, basically piping the party line (like a Stone Age version of Fox News). Next thing you know, a dubious reason to enter the war was created—the Gulf of Tonkin crisis—and in time 58,000 Americans would die.

Meanwhile, one reporter who did tell tales out of sync with the common party line, especially regarding JFK's assassination, was Dorothy Kilgallen, who died mysteriously in 1965. Dead men don't talk, nor dead women. Truth is a dangerous game.

Bernie Sanders knows that. AOC will find out if she hasn't already. And the reporters who follow them? Figure out what team they are on and hope one day they quit being "inside baseball" team players.

Sanders and his "radical" peers used to say not to trust anyone over 30. That's still good advice, no matter what he and AOC told the rally crowd last weekend.

Send comments to john@cityweekly.net