Kate Cronin

Proud momma, environmentalist, birder…

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@ncierzan @UVMwbb @MyNBC5 Thanks for bringing UVM WBB back to the top! The Vermont hoops fans are second to none!

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

You’ve made it when Rex reposts you 😊

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

A British writer penned the best description of Donald Trump I’ve ever read:

“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?”

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:

• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.

• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.

God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.”

-Nate White

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@bgoetz12 @TheIowaHawkeyes Congrats Beth! Well deserved.

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@CBSSportsCBB We really need all of her games televised on national TV! Not just Peacock.

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

What a treat for opening day! Watching the #Buffs put on a clinic and beat the reigning champs LSU. Great teamwork! @CoachJRPayne @towns2 @ShelleySheetz

[Tristan Snell @TristanSnell]

The mass shooting tonight was in Lewiston, Maine.

Maine senator Susan Collins has expressed concern about the shooting.

Susan Collins voted AGAINST renewing the assault weapons ban -- and AGAINST a ban on high-capacity magazines that allow mass shooters to kill faster.

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@MuffetMcGraw Keep using your powerful voice, Muffet.

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@shimmy33 Who wore it best!?? YOU ‘do, of course.

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@shimmy33 What is Norberto holding in his hand? His lucky mink keychain? 😊

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@CoachP4Life @CuseWBB I agree! The sky is the limit for @CuseWBB and SU hoops.

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@shimmy33 @cbacon @lindseyspann12 @doshwoods @meghin_simone @lgaskins It was an honor to be a part of it. Thanks for the invite, Shimmy!!

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@Reese10Angel Keep being YOU. Bring that swagger and confidence.

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@goiowa So happy for your staff and team! Like Coach Bluder said, truly inspiring for people of all ages. Congrats!!

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@BRo32 @WBCA1981 Awesome to catch up with you Brian!

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@shimmy33 100%!! That officiating performance was a disservice to those young women and the game.

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@sportingnews She is a class act!

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

Touchdown 🛬 in Dallas for The Women’s Final 4 🏀 @WBCA1981! Excited to connect with friends working hard to elevate the game of WBB. My colleagues and I at @brkthrubrands are passionate about advancing equity and empowering women leaders to unlock their leadership brand. ⛹🏽‍♀️👊🏼

[Kate Cronin @katedundee]

@CuseCoachJack Happens ALL the time! In the corporate world too! It's the "he's my guy" vs. "let's get the real story on her". Still work to be done. 🏀

[Claire McCaskill @clairecmc]

This is the congressman who represents the school where the children were slaughtered this morning. I’m sure he will have thoughts and prayers.