Connections: Fight Night

Who would have thought an audience at Guild Hall’s John Drew Theater listening to a panel discussion on “Presidential Politics” would take to booing and hissing? But, yes, that’s what happened on Aug. 15. Even Ken Auletta, the eminent writer, appeared nonplused in his role as moderator. 

It became apparent early on that Democrats were in the majority in the packed house when Gov. Howard Dean stated that “Hillary is truthful,” and the audience broke into applause. The laughter and booing ensued when John Jay LaValle, an attorney and former supervisor of Brookhaven Town who was a Trump delegate at the Republican National Convention, called his nominee “blatantly honest.” Some also booed when he that said Mr. Trump was a private person who just wasn’t used to using “politically correct” language. But Mr. LaValle was applauded when he said policy issues should be the focus of the campaign.

It was a rowdy evening. John Podhoretz, the editor of Commentary magazine, and Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of  The Nation, got into a few brief shouting matches, beginning with one over their opinions of Bernie Sanders. Mr. Podhoretz was “extremely distressed” by the support Senator Sanders had received in the Democratic primaries, and he called socialism “a horror.” Ms. vanden Heuvel not only said she had supported the senator but that he “did a great service for the country.” Mr. Auletta asked them to cool it.

There also were shouts when Mr. Podhoretz said he would not vote for either presidential candidate and when Ms. vanden Heuvel said Jimmy Carter had been the best president. All this passion made for a lively evening, although Mr. Podhoretz’s insistence on continuing to speak when it was someone else’s turn put his arguments at something of a disadvantage. 

There were some things all the panelists agreed on: that many Americans feel disenfranchised and that the economy should be made to work for everybody; also, that even if Mr. Trump lost the election “Trumpism” would continue in our popular culture. Each of the pundits damned the media, agreeing it was “corporatized,” while Governor Dean expanded on that subject, saying short-term profit-making goals had warped dependable reporting. Mr. Auletta remarked that people today often pay attention only to those mediums that reinforce their pre-existing opinions.

Mr. Dean had the last word.

Noting that war after war had plagued Europe over the centuries, and mentioning our own war of 1776, he said a democratic political system was a step ahead for humanity because it was a substitute for war. The audience voiced its approval loudly again when he said, “Hillary will be a great president.”

While shouting isn’t what you expect when you go out for a panel discussion, it seemed to demonstrate how the toxic tenor of this year’s presidential campaign has seeped under the skin of even the most staid Hamptonites. (You can check out what went down by going to Guild Hall’s YouTube channel, but take note that while the panelists can be heard clearly, the commotion in the audience is muted.) The second of three programs sponsored by Guild Hall’s Hamptons Institute, this one on the Supreme Court, took place Monday and was live-streamed. A third, on Aug. 29, will be on the topic of President Obama’s legacy. Tickets are hard to come by. Prepare for Round Three.