George Rose as Major-General Stanley in the Joseph Papp production of Pirates of Penzance at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, 1980 (if you watch the video you'll get a glimpse of the stars, Linda Ronstadt and Kevin Kline). Another old post (I got a million of ’em!), from July 2018.
"He says things that are not true all the time," Karl said.
"I don't believe that," Bannon said. "I think
he speaks in a particular vernacular that connects
to people in this country." (ABC News)
I
Our president has mastered a particular vernacular
By turns appealing, angry, cheery, solemn, and spectacular,
A sort of synthesis comprising every kind of orat'ry
Like some concoction out of a rhetorical laborat'ry.
He calls down angry curses on the evils of society,
And feels the sorrow of our economical anxiety,
And praises his own genes and brains and beauty and tenacity,
But you must never, ever think to question his veracity![But we must never, ever think to question his veracity,
No, we must never, ever think to question his veracity,
No, we must never, ever think to question his veraci-racity!]So if in certain circumstances pleasant or unpleasant, you
Should just occasionally hear him say a thing that isn't true,
Do not deny the substance of his utterance oracular—
It's only Donald doing his particular vernacular.[We won't deny the substance of his utterance oracular—
It's only Donald doing his particular vernacular!]
II
If Donald's rally failed to be the biggest one in history
And why he still insists it was remains a total mystery,
You could be in the wrong yourself, although it may seem risible,
If you forgot to reckon with the audience invisible!
If Donald thinks that immigrants and all Central Americans
Are gangsters, rapists, murderers, and Escobars and Farrakhans,
Perhaps he's only thinking of his brothelkeep progenitor
Whose grandson now has risen even higher than a Senator![His grandson now has risen even higher than a Senator,
His grandson now has risen even higher than a Senator,
His grandson now has risen even higher than a Sena-nenator!]What difference does it make if his opinions are improbable
As long as Bari Weiss and S.E. Cupp proclaim them mobbable?
Do not deny the substance of his utterance oracular—
It's only Donald doing his particular vernacular.[We won't deny the substance of his utterance oracular—
It's only Donald doing his particular vernacular!]
III
If Donald thinks that up is down in issues mathematical
Or Kim Jong-un's a moderate and Hillary's a radical,
If Donald thinks he's innocent of all collusionality
It's just because he's out of touch with everyone's reality.
But understand this dilettante is only in his element
Presiding on TV or at a golf club or hotel event;
He's ignorant of other matters foreign and domestical
And wouldn't know the truth if it would punch him in the testicle.[He wouldn't know the truth if it would punch him in the testicle,
He wouldn't know the truth if it would punch him in the testicle,
He wouldn't know the truth if it would punch him in the testi-pesticle!]Some day he'd like to settle with another wife who'll rate a ten
But he can never rest until America is great again!
Do not deny the substance of his utterance oracular—
It's only Donald doing his particular vernacular.[We won't deny the substance of his utterance oracular—
It's only Donald doing his particular vernacular!]
Good timing for this. I get occasional FTFNYT newsletters from opinion columnists and todays, from their 'token black conservative "contrarian" scold' John McWhorter had this to say about Biden and Trump:
"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 2024 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘯, 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬, 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴’ 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦-𝘣𝘺-𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘰𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘖𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰, 𝘉𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭. 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱’𝘴, 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 — 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 — 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘪 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴."
It exquisitely illustrates the frankly degenerate nature of the Mass Media coverage of Trump; he's "fascinating", "fun", an object of amusement instead of the frankly existential threat that trumpism represents to this country....
Also I cannot ever read any version of this song without hearing Tom Lehrer 's voice in my head reciting the elements....