Friendly Fire: Navigating Omicron, and the Maxwell verdict

Can Americans still have a sensible and friendly political discussion across the partisan divide? The answer is yes, and we intend to prove it. Julie Roginsky, a Democrat, and Mike DuHaime, a Republican, are consultants who have worked on opposite teams for their entire careers yet have remained friends throughout. Here, they discuss the week’s events with editorial page editor Tom Moran.

Q. On Wednesday, we hit nearly a half million new cases of Covid, crushing every record, nearly doubling the peak days of last winter. Are we in a new phase of this fight? Should we tighten restrictions or is stopping this tsunami a hopeless quest?

Mike: Omicron is more contagious but seemingly less dangerous, especially for those vaccinated. The shortening of quarantine times for those without symptoms is wise to keep kids in school and all of us at work and play. Let’s be vigilant but not shut down unless we see some dramatic spike in hospitalizations and death.

Julie: Nothing is a hopeless quest. I agree that we should keep schools open and mandate vaccinations for all kids who are eligible, the way we mandate vaccinations for other diseases. The governor should follow the examples in New York and Newark and demand proof of vaccination to dine or drink indoors. The federal government should do a better job in providing testing. There are ways to fight this effectively if we only have the will.

Q. In Newark, Mayor Ras Baraka enacted a passport system that will soon require proof of vaccination for anyone who wants to visit bars, restaurants, or other public gatherings. Is it time? Will it drive customers away? Or will it draw more customers seeking safer places to eat out?

Mike: I don’t think this has hurt New York restaurants, and perhaps it has helped in that people coming in feel safe and relaxed, therefore more likely to come back.

Julie: Mayor Baraka is right, both from a public health and an economic perspective. We already know that vaccines save lives, and we don’t have to wonder about the financial consequences. You only need to go across the river to find out that New York restaurants, where proof of vaccination is required, are packed.

Q. President Biden last week praised former President Trump for accelerating the development of Covid vaccines and revealing that he had taken the booster, and Trump thanked Biden in turn, saying “It has to be a process of healing in this country, and that will help a lot.” What drove this moment of détente?

Mike: Sometimes, crisis can bring out some good in everyone. Perhaps Trump’s greatest accomplishment was the government’s support to accelerate of the vaccine development in unheard-of time. Unfortunately for him, no one believed him when he said the vaccine would be developed by December 2020. It sounded like a campaign promise, and he wasn’t exactly known for his straightforward accurate statements. That said, I’m glad he’s telling people to take the vaccines, even though he’s getting heat from some of his most ardent supporters. It’s the right thing to do and better late than never.

Julie: I suspect that like all parents, President Biden knows that the way to calm a petulant toddler down and persuade him to do the right thing is to shower him with praise for good behavior. Regardless of why he is doing it, I’m glad that Trump is telling his supporters to get the vaccine. If someone could cajole him into recording a PSA and running it in the reddest counties in the nation, which are drastically lagging in vaccinations, that would be even better.

Q. The entire Democratic establishment in New Jersey seems to be lining up behind Bob Menendez Jr., 36, the son of Sen. Robert Menendez, as the replacement for retiring Congressman Albio Sires in Hudson County. Does any challenger have a prayer? Is this how a democracy should work?

Mike: Brand names work in business and in politics. Voters build up trust and loyalty to those who have earned it. Kennedy, Bush, Clinton, Kean, Menendez. Many families have a legacy of public service that should be seen as a good thing, not a bad thing. But not every name on the list has won every race. Voters ultimately have the final say. And as Andrew Cuomo showed, the brand name won’t save you.

Julie: I actually want to take a moment to acknowledge Rep. Sires, who has gotten somewhat lost in the conversation about his replacement. He was a Cuban refugee who came here as a child and was privileged to represent his community for many years as mayor, assembly member, speaker and congressman. His is an incredible story that is possible in very few countries. As for Bob Menendez, Jr., if he is elected to congress, he will earn it like everyone else, especially if he has a primary. Having a famous last name is no guarantee of success. Just look at Joe Kennedy, Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton and Tom Kean, Jr. All of them ran and lost in the last few years. A famous name does not guarantee an election.

Q. A federal jury in Manhattan convicted Ghislaine Maxwell, the former companion of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, of conspiring with him to recruit and sexually abuse underage girls. Any broader lessons from this case, about Epstein, about the criminal justice system, or about mistreatment of girls and women?

Mike: Justice is coming to those who deserve it, but the list is longer than Epstein and Maxwell in terms of who abused those young girls. I will yield the remainder of my space to Julie, the expert here.

Julie: Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked those girls to somebody. It would be a disgrace if Maxwell were the only one held accountable suspect, since the feds likely know who these somebodies are. I find it fascinating that the only women who were called to testify at this trial were the ones who were abused by Epstein, a dead man. Where is justice for the women who claimed that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked them to other powerful men? Let the chips fall where they may, regardless of power or privilege.

Q. We have a new year on our hands, so let’s talk resolutions. You two manage to have a friendly dialogue despite vast political differences. Can you offer up some tips for the rest of the country?

Mike: If you trust that others have a motivation for good, even when you disagree, you will be proven right most of the time. Sure, there will be some who will fool you or take advantage of you, but their punishment will come. Jerks are found out to be jerks soon enough. I would rather be taken advantage of by one jerk than go through life mistrustful of scores of good people. I’m from New Jersey, so I’m not naive, but I choose to look for the good in others rather than the bad (we all have both), and I think it keeps me at peace.

Julie: I have spent a lot of time in Democratic politics and, at one point, over a decade at Fox News as one of their very few on-air liberals. Some of the best people I know are those with whom I have nothing in common politically and some of the most personally craven are those with whom I agree on many issues. You can debate and campaign against each other but when you step off the stage, what really matters is how you treat each other. If you allow political affiliation to get in the way of friendship, you need to step away from the blogs and turn off cable news. I have lived long enough to know that, as Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. And on that note, I want to wish my friend Mike DuHaime tremendous success in his new business, which is launching this week (though not too much success in getting Republicans elected).

A note to readers: DuHaime and Roginsky are both deeply engaged in politics and commercial advocacy in New Jersey, so both have connections to many players we discuss in this column. Given that, we will not normally disclose each specific connection, trusting that readers understand they are not impartial observers. DuHaime, the founder of Mad Global Strategy, was chief political advisor to former Gov. Chris Christie, and has worked for Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and President George W. Bush. Roginsky, a principal of Optimus Communications, has served as senior advisor to campaigns of Cory Booker, Frank Lautenberg and Phil Murphy. We will disclose specific connections only when readers might otherwise be misled.

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