There were some “No Kings” protests in Cincinnati this Saturday.
Everyone has the right to protest the policies of our government, regardless of the party in power. Conservative “Tea Party” protestors certainly made their presence known here in Ohio during the Obama years. Ohio was also the scene of multiple protests against Covid-19 lockdowns.
Moreover, democracy, by its very nature, is an iterative exercise, a conversation. (Peaceful) public protests are part of that conversation.
Nevertheless, I have some criticisms.
We can safely assume that most of the protestors were Democrats. I’m old enough to remember when the Democratic Party was the party of the working man and woman. (I remember when Jimmy Carter was elected.) In those days, the Democratic Party advocated for affordable healthcare, economic mobility for the working class, etc.
Some of the ‘No Kings’ protestors in my area, by contrast, were sporting Ukrainian flags. Seriously?
The “No Kings” protestors in my area also skewed older, whiter, and female. The majority seemed to be on the affluent side.
The typical “No Kings” protester, in fact, was a white woman over 50, who was obviously comfortable in her life circumstances. I saw very few African Americans, Hispanics, or young people in the local crowds. I saw very few men—or women—who had a blue-collar vibe.
Secondly, what is the protestors’ alternative? And this is the problem that has consistently bedeviled the Democratic Party throughout the Trump era.
Yes, we know you hate Trump. You’ve already said that a gazillion times. But what—or whom—do you offer in his place?
As the Beatles said in their 1968 song “Revolution”, “We’d all love to see the plan.”
-ET