Trump and Rubio’s Oscar-Worthy Takedown of a Crime-Loving Democrat

The Sting (1973) is a classic crime-comedy film directed by George Roy Hill. Set in 1930s Chicago, it follows con artist Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) and veteran grifter Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) as they team up to pull off an elaborate con against a ruthless mob boss, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). After Lonnegan’s men kill Hooker’s partner, the duo orchestrates a fake betting parlor scheme to swindle him out of a fortune. With clever twists, period charm, and a ragtime soundtrack featuring Scott Joplin’s music, the film builds to a satisfying, surprising climax. It won seven Oscars, including Best Picture.

I watched the remake this week. It featured Donald Trump as Gondorff, Marco Rubio as Johnny Hooker and Chris Van Hollen as Doyle Lonnegan. This time Gondorff and Hooker are cops.

In this remake, Lonnegan’s gang has framed Governor Henry Gondorff and gotten him arrested twice for something he did not do but eventually Gondorff is acquitted. Gondorff would take his revenge in a brilliant ruse.

Now wanting him around, Gondorff allegedly sent a bad guy – one Garcia Vega- to prison out of the state. Everyone knew the guy was bad news – a criminal. He was said to belong to a terrible gang.  It upset Lonnegan, who had a history of callousness toward women who have been raped and murdered by gangs. Lonnegan had also been known to push aside kids suffering from brain cancer as they begged for a nickel in the street, but for some wretched reason has taken a real liking to the criminal.

Rumors fly about suggesting that Vega and his gang might support Lonnegan in Lonnegan’s campaign to be Governor. Lonnegan would to convince the local authorities that Vega was a morally good man and father of three. Lonnegan made the trip out state to try to pry Vega from the prison and discovered that Vega wasn’t in prison after all. The two were seen sipping Margaritas but he was unable to extricate Vega.

While Lonnegan was out of state, Gondorff and Hooker sprang the trap.

They went to the newspapers with evidence that Vega was a serious criminal- evidence they held close to the vest until Lonnegan took the bait.  Vega was indeed a wife beater and a human trafficker. He was proved to be a member of the MS-13 gang, who were engaged in drug smuggling, human trafficking, rape and murder. And it turns out that Vega had only one child with the wife he beat up.

Lonnegan was thoroughly humiliated upon returning home to find the picture of him partying with Vega on the front page of all the newspapers. He would never become Governor. His career and reputation were in tatters. He made very clear that he cared far more deeply for the Garcia and his gang than he ever did for gang’s victims. The gang was soon dissolved and all its member sent to an out of state prison.

The irony was that had Lonnegan never allowed Vega into the state, none of this would have happened.

In the final scene, Hooker looks at Gondorff, as they both light cigars and says, “You think we got him good enough?”
Gondorff smiles and says,

“No, but it’s close.”

And they both laughed.

DrJohn

DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 40 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 45 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter who is in the field of education.

DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.

Except for liberals being foolish.