The villains of 20th century history are having their moment. From the Hell that welcomed them with open arms, Adolph Hitler, Richard Nixon, and Roy Cohn -among others- are almost certainly sharing smiles in-between eternal torments while reflecting upon the hate they engendered. What these men infected during their time alive has now metastacized into a full-blown cancer and the most corrupt government United States history has ever known. Today’s film is about probably the least well-known of these villains, but Roy Cohn’s mark has been indelibly etched upon his idiot protégé, Donald Trump.
What did Trump learn from Cohn?
- Don’t ever apologize.
- Don’t ever admit wrong-doing.
- Attack. Always attack.
- Scapegoat. Scapegoat. Scapegoat.
- Always claim victory regardless of score.
- Welcome all media coverage; it’s the best tool to bend the public narrative in your direction.
Anyone who has been awake for the past three years will note how Trump has used all these tactics –again and again and again — to his benefit. While Trump would still be a slimeball even without these weapons, this is the bread-and-butter of his arsenal; and he learned it all from Roy Cohn.
Cohn began his career as the McCarthy whisperer. Fresh off his proud moment of getting the chair for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Cohn became the voice mouthing “Communist!” into Senator Joe McCarthy’s ear. Endless footage of the McCarthy Salem trials showed the twentysomething Cohn advising Senator McCarthy as the latter went about ruining lives and staining the country.
Do you know the phrase: “At long last, have you left no sense of decency?” I first heard it in an R.E.M. song, but as the definitive voice of the McCarthy backlash, the words of Joseph Welch should be familiar to all Americans. I know the phrase well; I’ve heard it dozens of times and I knew that it was aimed at Joe McCarthy, but I never knew the context. It was indeed a rebuke to yet another McCarthy attempt to tar someone with a “Communist” label, but the bigger picture showed McCarthy on the defense. Seems Roy Cohn wanted special treatment when his “close friend” G. David Schine entered the military. Given Cohn’s push combined with McCarthy’s accusation about Communism within United States armed forces, the military fought back and the Army-McCarthy hearings of 1954 were the specific venue for Welch’s statement.
Self-hating Jew, self-hating homosexual, Roy Cohn abandoned McCarthy for private practice and eventual king-making. Well, demagogue-making. For decades his clientele, including mob bosses, politicians, lobbyists, magnates, and our current President, were essentially the centerfolds for Modern Evil magazine. But I’ll let movie fill in those details. For those with no 20th century background, picture Roy Cohn as a past iteration of Stephen Miller, some absurdly evil creation you can’t ever imagine being born so much as hatched fully-gown from reptilian eggs laid in the pit where nuclear waste is stored.
One of the odd things about this documentary is how Roger Stone stands out as the voice of moderation. That by itself should let anybody know how twisted Roy Cohn is. It’s exactly like when Marilyn Manson came off as the voice of reason in Bowling for Columbine – “you know the subject is f***ed up when …”
“Where’s My Roy Cohn?” is a direct quote from the Donald when he struggled in the process of selecting a new AG to replace Jeff Sessions. Fitting, is it not? When you think like a mob boss, you desire the mob’s best lawyer. It is notable that Sessions replacement Bill Barr immediately became exactly the toady Trump desired, stepping up to frame the Mueller investigation irresponsibly and untruthfully towards Trump’s POV. Cohn would have been slicker about it than Barr; it’s pretty clear that Trump really could use another Cohn as his impeachment moves forward. For those of us in the dark about Cohn and the role he’s played in political king-making, this is among the more enlightening documentaries you will see.
Roy’s malevolence stood on its own
Thank goodness there’s no discernible clone
For all his assertions
And amusing diversions
Will Rogers must have never met Roy Cohn
Rated PG-13, 97 Minutes
Director: Matt Tyrnauer
Writer: If you believe in Satan, the Father of Lies almost certainly molded this one.
Genre: People you wish you knew more about right up until the moment you know more about them
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Historians
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Reality deniers
