Media, Politics

THE WOMEN’S MARCH AND AMERICA’S WAR OF THE ROSES

margaretanjourichard_iii_earliest_surviving_portraitAs I have previously discussed, my house is hosting over a dozen family and friends who have come from around the country to join the protests today as part of the “Women’s March” in Washington. We know at least a dozen more local friends attending. I will not be one of them as I explained earlier. I respected those marching today for values that mean so much to them . . . and to many of us.  There is obviously going to a sizable crowd — one that may dwarf the Inauguration attendance.  I did note that, when I dropped off my brother Chris and his family this morning, the metro in McLean seemed much more crowded than it did yesterday for the Inauguration. Having spent a few days with protesters and celebrants at the Inauguration, I am struck by how hardened both sides are toward each other . . . and dismissive of the operative facts underlying this election. Both sides seem unwilling to recognize the flaws in their past positions while grotesquely distorting their view of the other side. It reminds me of Richard III and the advice of the Queen Mother, Margaret, on how to learn to hate as she sought to “teach thee how to curse.” It is simple, she explains, just “Think that thy babes were sweeter than they were, And he that slew them fouler than he is.”

Having spent time with both people supporting and protesting Trump, I have been saddened by the level of hate and lack of objectivity in conversations.  Indeed, unless you demonize or idolize Trump, you are viewed as out of touch or naive or suspect in your views.  Hillary is now sweeter than she was and Trump fouler than he is.

What is striking to me is how many have forgotten what brought about this election. Hillary Clinton is now portrayed as a selfless feminist and progressive who was defeated by angry white men despite the fact that she did worse with women than the prior two elections and barely won the female vote. While Trump is (correctly) criticized for failing to turn over his tax records, it is forgotten that Clinton refused to turn over her Wall Street speeches. While Trump is (correctly) criticized for contradictions in the media, it is ignore that Clinton continually changed her account for such issues as her reckless use of a personal server or other accounts. That is why I was highly critical of both candidates.

The reaction to the Inauguration speech was a good example of the hardening and loss of objectivity on both sides.  I thought the speech was not particularly strong and did not offer a positive unifying theme.  In the end, I thought it was a lost opportunity for Trump to transcend the campaign rhetoric in favor of an outline for his new approach to the nation’s problems and divisions.  Yet, we have seen Trump supporters unwilling to even consider shortcomings in the speech while Clinton supporters like Chris Matthews bizarrely portray the speech as having “Hitlerian” elements.  Likewise, when a friend who protested at the Inauguration criticized Trump supporters for mocking or disrespectful comments, I noted the over 200 arrested anti-Trump supporters and the property damage to the city. That ended the conversation. It is again all or nothing.  Blue or Red. Again, to paraphrase Queen Margaret, one has to remember one’s friends as better than they were and one’s foes as worse than they are.

The Democrats had an opportunity to learn from this defeat. Clinton and Trump were the most unpopular politicians ever to be nominated for president and over 60 percent of voters viewed Clinton as fundamentally dishonest. Clinton has always had extremely high negatives and was carrying more baggage than Greyhound when the establishment effectively anointed her as their candidate. As shown by leaked emails, DNC figures like Debra Wasserman-Schultz and Donna Brazile worked against Bernie Sanders who presented precisely the populist campaign that many voters were looking for. Clinton had the Democratic establishment and many allies in the media — everyone agreed except the public. That was enough . . . until the voters had their say on November 8th. What is remarkable is how successful the Democratic establishment has been not only keeping their same leadership like Nancy Pelosi in place but convincing Democrats that (as suggested by Bill Clinton) it was just angry white men who determined the election. It is the same identity politics that led to the defeat. The effort is to direct all of that anger toward Trump rather than allow it to backfire on the party establishment.

I have many of the concerns as my family and friends about the future (particularly about the environment), but I am deeply disturbed by the effort to delegitimize this President and the effort to reconstruct history to fit a new narrative. The problem is not personalities but far more fundamental and serious. People felt that they do not matter in this system and they were right. Even with this populist election, not much has changed in Washington. So we are left with the same duopoly of power like the Yorks and Lancasters in the War of the Roses:

300px-white_rose_badge_of_york-svgred_rose_badge_of_lancaster-svg

Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

choosing_the_red_and_white_roses

This post has been undated.

364 thoughts on “THE WOMEN’S MARCH AND AMERICA’S WAR OF THE ROSES”

  1. How long have you been in Washington? You act as if you are not part of the establishment. A public interest law professor at GW is quintessential establishment.

    We are right that a large chunk of us do not matter in this system, yet you promote the system as being great and profit off said system (Congress as a client in past maybe still)….

    Clearly, JT is an enemy to the large chunk of us that do not matter in this rotted system…

    1. How does it feel now that have traded places. How do you like the BS campaign your exalted leaders ran and what lost intentionally or out of stupidity. How do you feel when your rotted system gets cleaned up by citizens of the Constitutional Republic? You are right. At this point you do not matter. There’s nothing in the Constitution that covers supporters of foreign political philosophies. Guess you’ll have to change your own diapers. Don’t waste time you don’t want something to rot.

      Meanwhile we moderate centrists will get out the mops and brooms and watch you provide us with more support and more votes and in the end you will matter even less.

      Stupid is as stupid does.

    2. Oh,dear……………………. the young ‘uns just can’t get past their rattles and banging on the bars of the crib! What, Chipster, do you see as a replacement which could last as long as a government in Italy or France? (I know it could not meet the current record holder).

      Methinks you are an anarchist

  2. I know, for instance, you don’t want to get washed ashore on the Skeleton Coast.

  3. Also, I know OF the CAR. Not a burning naval issue, but I have some familiarity with Africa.

        1. Yes. But I wanted to make clear I wasn’t claiming credit for something that wasn’t due me.

    1. Which reminds of a question I asked miy father who was iin WWII Europe. “Why did your generation go to all that trouble only to return home and keep voting it into office here?” His answer.

      We didn’t see it coming. They sneaked it into every day life a little bit at a time. It is the shame of World War II but ….your question was right.

      That’s when I decided to continue my oath of office and that led to Nov 8th 2016. The day we started to finally win the war against fascism.

      Nov 8th 2016 a day that will NOT live in infamy.

      1. It may be of interest to you, and you probably figured it out from the Palm trees and the carrier aircraft, but that’s bloody Tarawa.

        1. I didn’t know which island but it was a Pacific island which fit with the USMC reference so I made sure to mention Europe but thanks My Uncles were in either one of the other or the other of the the three Pacific uniforms Army, Navy,l Marines. My father was and one Uncle-In-Law were the only two in Europe.both US Army Air Corps. Bomber Command and Fighter Commands

          Of the seven only one was too young and of the six all voted Democrat with all changing except one didn’t change until this election. All went Democrat, Independent and then as I had. Constitutional Republic Party.

          If you think back to Ioiwa voting this last time they made a huge change fro Primaries to General Elections. Or as they put it We were driven to our senses and driven out of the Democrat Party but had the good sense not to be driven into the Republican Party.

          Three have died already but all did much the same thing prior and one did not serve in the military butr as a missionary dental surgeon in the Central African Republic for close to 40 years. If you know that area I reckon he had more combat time in his calling than the rest of us.

            1. Army but worked for MSC and the Navy and with the Coasties a lot either due to merchant ships or my own licensing. Did they ever get aniyone that could talk on the radio and be understood? ha ha ha

          2. My great Uncle was a Marine at Belleau Wood, if that matters.

            And, no, I saw no combat.

            1. Steve57 – my mother’s cousin was on the Bataan Death March and was bombed three times by American planes getting to Japan. He later died there. He is buried in a mass grave in St. Louis.

              1. I am very sorry for your loss. My dad joined when he was seventeen, and his job as far as family was concerned was to take pictures of graves for immediate family and friends.

              2. There’s always a sad part ..I’ve thought that about burying our war’s dead in a hole in the ground in Washington DC – for all to see. The other thing i dislike is ‘Thanks for serving your country’ as a wind up to ‘paper or plastic’ n the check out line. I sometimes answer. ‘I never did. I served the Constitution and nothing else.” But no one knows what I’m talking about.

                1. Michael Aarethun – I think that Mai Lin’s Vietnam War Memorial in DC comes closest to burying everybody who died.

                  1. True and I suppose it’s my own reaction to a number of influences of those times. I do not try to get in the way of others reactions especially those still mourning. It is after all only my reaction. However I did envision a statue of a Vietnam era field soldier on a hill across the Potomac from the Capitol Building just staring at it with the inscription ‘There’s still one battle left to be fought.’ Maybe when that is over….. ‘he said with a smile’ November 8th made one helluva good meeting engagement.

  6. Hey thanks for writing this column Jonathon! It breaks my heart that people are so contained in their echo chambers…..

    1. If you’re conservative you don’t live in an echo chamber. I am constantly getting harangued and berated by people who think I’m an idiot.

      97% consensus, anyone?

    1. Did you get permission from Soros or Carville to ‘think.’. It’s not a permissable activity found in the hand book for progressive collective parts.

  8. Hillary’s theme song for those still With Her sung to Helen Reddy’s “I am Woman, Hear me Roar”

    “I am Rodham, I was poor. Now I’m rich for evermore….coasting on my Billy’s tails…..”

    1. LOL ……………….. Saw a Top 10 list the other day. 10 richest Presidents in US history. Bill Clinton was in that list………………. and they were dead broke when they left the White House. (Wonder if they got their start by pawning the White House silver?)

  9. Squeeky, you should write a book. I really enjoy reading you and Autumn.

      1. Where California is concerned? There is no limit. Keep California, get rid of the Californians and bring in the immigrants -minus criminals and a yuge load of language teachers. Won’t need that many it’s a common subject in the enlightened schools south of the border.

      1. My GUESS by process of elimination would be bottom left, but I don’t follow any of these singers. Not my kind of music, although I did like Erotic by Madonna, the whole CD. Which was in her dirty book, the one with the 4+ ugliest lesbians I have ever seen. The German Shepherd in the photos was prettier than them.

        Squeeky Fromm
        Girl Reporter

        1. Here’s what I remember Madonna for and I always say thank you. WHY is a left wing extremist like Madonna playing the role of Evita Peron who supposedly is a far right fascist?

          That was one of the defining moments when I decided to pursue the answer and found out the definitions were false and Evita Peron as a fascist was part of the same left wing extremist grouping as Madonna.

          With that thread to pull and tug it the whole existence of the left in general and secular progressives along with National and International and home grown socialism collapsed into one collective – the left. The rest is just terms for the same entity.

    2. That photo should be a headline on every single daily newspaper. But we KNOW that would never happen.

    3. I probably shouldn’t share this, but when I do similar it’s because something down there needs to be scratched.

      Women don’t have that. So I’m at a loss.

    4. Katy Perry’s song about “Teenage Dream” was pure evil.

      Normal parents, good parents, try to teach their kids to avoid casual sex. “Teenage Dream” wasn’t about love, just scrogging for the sake of scrogging.

    1. People like Madonna and Rosie in all probability have illegal ‘maids’ working for substandard wages to do the ‘chores.’ Thus we use the term divorced from reality and are therefore ‘useless.’

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