Trump Deserves the Abuse Heaped on Him
The Trump presidency is a daily assault on the senses. Watching the seemingly never-ending string of lies, propaganda and scandals is both depressing and exhausting. (Remember the time when Trumspki shoved the premier of Montenegro out of the way at a NATO summit? Probably not, that was about 100 scandals ago!) So when I watched a crowd roundly boo the president when he decided to attend a World Series baseball game, it was truly a thing of beauty that warmed my heart.
It gave me hope that there are still Americans out there who are disgusted by the farce of this presidency.
These Americans have not swallowed the kool-aid served up by FOX News and other right-wing outlets and voiced their opinions. It’s like the old saying, think while it’s still legal. Well, boo while it’s still legal. The way things are going with this president, criticizing the commander-in-chief might soon be outlawed. Bear in mind that last week, a Trump lawyer said the president was immune from any form of prosecution — even if he murdered someone. And Republican propagandist Frank Luntz recently said the baseball crowd needed to be “held accountable.”
I’m not totally surprised. Those on the far right might bleat about freedom of speech, but they don’t really mean it. They like freedom of speech — as long as you’re saying what they like. Say something that annoys them and they’ll shut you down in heartbeat — even if it’s true. Just ask Colin Kaepernick.
But if Luntz’s comments weren’t outrageous enough, some members of the punditocracy were also offended. Joe Scarboro and Mika Brzezinski, co-hosts of “Morning Joe,” were both peeved. They claimed booing was uncalled for and disrespectful of the office of the president. And talentless Meghan McCain, who’s still riding on her dead father’s coattails, claimed the baseball crowd were members of the “DC Swamp.”
But progressive firebrand Cenk Uygur was having none of it.
“No one has ever deserved that chant more than Trump.” said Uygur, host of “The Young Turks.”
However, Scarborough and Brzezinski’s statement is almost as ridiculous as McCain’s. They expect people to respect a president who has shown no respect for the office? Trump has paraded his porn star wife, has his talentless kids on his staff and uses the presidency like an ATM, and we’re expected to respect him?
No. I’m sorry, the days of playing nice are over. It’s time to get down and dirty. It’s obvious the Republican Party is willing to break every rule in the book to protect the most corrupt president in history, so why should Democrats play nice?
This country is currently in an undeclared state of emergency. We have a president, with declining mental capabilities, whose taking advice from Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin. He’s also denigrating U.S. cities and urging his followers to commit acts of violence if he’s removed for breaking the law.
The Republican Party has proven to be totally feckless and willing to let Trump seize more power, as long as he signs whatever they put in front of him. Republican legislators only get brave after they’ve resigned. Very few of them are willing to put their careers on the line for the sake of the country like Republican-turned-Independent Rep. Justin Amash, who was so disgusted by Trump’s antics, he quit the GOP.
Right now, sane voters, who are not part of Cult 45, have to use every weapon in their arsenal to oppose Trump. That includes calling your elected officials, writing blogs, letters to the editor and even civil disobedience — such as booing.
The baseball crowd was expressing their displeasure at a president who’s trashing norms of civility, government procedure and the country’s reputation. This is just the beginning. Trump should expect more protests. Boo loudly and boo often.
This story was first published on Medium.