In sports, the instant replay was invented and first used by a man named Tony Verna on the Dec. 7, 1963, broadcast of the Army-Navy football game on CBS.
The political “instant replay” has no single author or starting date, but its overuse has produced few resolutions of the major problems confronting the country. What it has produced is a deepening cynicism about politics and so much else.
Too many Americans now see fellow Americans who are of a different party or persuasion as a bigger enemy than Iran or Russia. Long-term friendships have been destroyed over whether one loves or hates President Donald Trump. At least the sports instant replay usually leads to the affirming or overturning of a decision by the referee. The political instant replay solves nothing, even when the “players” are shown to be wrong. The result in too many cases has been political paralysis.
Cable news and more than a few newspapers are increasingly obsessed with the November elections, as if they will somehow change the political game. We are bombarded with the “truth” that the party which controls the White House is bound to lose seats in Congress, although there have been exceptions. Voters who are angry at Trump for whatever reasons had best be careful what they wish for.
Despite his occasional bad demeanor and crude language, Trump has succeeded where other presidents and Congresses have failed. Do Democrats want to run on a platform of reopening the Southern border? Allowing more people from many nations and possibly terrorists to cross the border in violation of our immigration laws would also increase the number of deadly drugs that have killed thousands of Americans. Imagine the effect instant replays of workers tearing down the wall and watching a flood of people pour across would have when a majority of voters say they approve of border control.