Dems Fail to Keep It Classy Versus Trump
The Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum opens Saturday. Gov. Phil Bryant invited the President of the United States to come. Mr. Trump accepted.
And Mississippi Democrats are ticked.
This is to be expected. Replace the Trump name with the Reagan name, or the Bush name, or any GOP name and you can bet that the snark will fly. But is Trump in a category all to himself when it comes to others’ hyperventilating?
Maybe.
I was at a state facility last week and had opportunity to stand with a middle-aged black man. We exchanged pleasantries and then his face went dour. “I don’t like Trump, you know.” He obviously assumed I did. I wasn’t quite sure how to take that since I am not his biggest fan either for moral, spiritual, economic, and socially conservative reasons. So instead of querying him about his six-word statement of disposition toward the President I admitted, that, frankly, I didn’t vote for him, either.
But it got me to thinking: is the African-American stance against this president such that blacks not only think he is bad for their race but that all white people (and white evangelicals in particular) must, for whatever reason, be for him?
Maybe, perhaps probably. For this reason, Gov. Bryant might have exercised sensitivity and invited someone else. Even so, Donald Trump IS the president, and his arrival will focus national attention on a museum that might otherwise receive only regional notice. At any rate, here is a statement from The Mississippi Association of County Democratic Chairs and Hinds County Democratic Party Chairperson Jacqueline R. Amos—Democrat leaders who apparently, couldn’t help themselves:
“Yesterday, we learned with great dismay that the President will participate in the opening ceremonies of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum this Saturday. As the direct political heirs to the Freedom Democratic Party and in the spirit of Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer, we call upon all the authorities involved to cancel any appearance and remarks by President Donald Trump immediately. Any reasonable person knows that the presence of such a hugely divisive and polarizing figure will pervert and diminish what could otherwise be a healing and teaching moment for our state. Mr. Trump attained to the highest office in the land by appeals and tactics that do great and lasting violence to our civil rights heritage. His campaign appealed to the very worst demons of the American soul. He is a disgraceful president, a malicious influence, and an abominable human being. He has no place at a celebration of the very values and aspirations his presidency is clearly committed to destroy.
“Mr. President, leave Mississippi alone. We have had far too much experience with your kind already.”
One historical note – Fannie Lou Hamer was no friend of Democrats or their party in her day and, yes, some of them were exceedingly liberal (LBJ, for instance). She practically wrecked their 1964 convention, it should be remembered. Bless her. Her stance against white Democrat racism and her pro-life position make her a personal hero.
Back to this weekend. There may be special outrage at President Trump coming when juxtaposed with previous presidents or otherwise high-profile Republicans. But I doubt it. They make protestations any time a Republican shows up. “Wolf! Wolf!” So, someday, when a real wolf shows up, everyone will be rolling their eyes and the damage will proceed. Political hyperbole really helps no cause.
If the Dems want to trump Trump, show some class. They will be doing what he, apparently, can’t.