“McGuffin” is a term screenwriters use that most moviegoers are unfamiliar with. It refers to any object, event or person that triggers a movie’s plot, and pushes it to its conclusion.
A few famous McGuffins include the letters of transit in “Casablanca,” the ring in “Lord of the Rings” and the Ark of the Covenant in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Interestingly, a McGuffin can be something of little to no intrinsic value, but as long as it fuels the plot it serves its purpose.
The Republicans have created their own McGuffin to propel a narrative to distract the electorate from Trump‘s multiple felony indictments — and that McGuffin is Hunter Biden’s laptop.
To many, it seems Hunter’s laptop is viewed as a magical repository of forbidden secrets. If it could only be hacked, they reason, it would surely reveal Joe Biden’s abject criminality. As someone on Facebook recently said to me: “Hunter’s laptop alone is enough to convict Joe for life.” When I pressed him for details he was unable to produce any specifics.
Perhaps he, and others like him, would be wise to recall what happened to that Nazi when they finally cracked open the Ark in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” His face melted.
