…And a time to refrain from protesting (op-ed)
When John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960 he was the youngest president of the United States. His campaign was staffed by people younger than him. At first, elder statesmen of the Democratic Party didn’t take them seriously and called them “The children’s crusade”. (This was in reference to young idealist who thought they could peacefully take back the Holy land in 1212.) One elder statesman told Joe Kennedy Sr. they would support his son’s campaign if it had more experienced people involved and Kennedy Sr. replied the only experience the Democratic Party had was in losing.
Kennedy Sr. believed if they were going to win no experience was needed.
This was a new generation with ideas their predecessors couldn’t imagine. They literally wanted to go to the moon and explore outer space and their mission statement was: Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.
Kennedy won one of the closest elections in American history.
But if the “Kennedy kids” lost they would have graciously accepted defeat, like their opponents, because they understood the importance of a peaceful transfer of power.
After it was confirmed 2016’s Republican nominee won the presidency, President Barack Obama addressed the nation. He said he had significant differences with President-elect Donald Trump, but he also had differences with former President Bush when he won the presidency in 2008. President Obama said the Bush team graciously made sure there was a smooth transition because the job of the presidency was bigger than all of them. President Obama instructed his team to follow the example set by former President Bush because they’re rooting for the president elect to succeed. President Obama also said a peaceful transfer of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy and we are going to show that to the world.
President Obama emphasized showing it to the world because world history shows that democratic elections turn into dictatorships when elected leaders refuse to give up power. Without a peaceful transfer of power there is no democratic process, there’s just elections that give a democratic appearance to tyranny.
World history also shows citizens of the world protesting sham elections, the outcome of rigged contests or, in some places, the disappearance of rival candidates. None of that happened in the United States during the 2016 presidential election, but a new generation with a new motto (What is the government going to do for me?) immediately stormed the streets after the election and protested.
But they weren’t protesting voter suppression, intimidation, or the sudden elimination of term limits, they were protesting an outcome they didn’t expect.
In other words, their candidate lost.
Their actions are personal not political, and it’s an insult to people around the world who risk their lives protesting actual injustice to label this disturbance of the peaceful transfer of power a protest. They’re using their first amendment rights to exercise a temper tantrum against the very process that safeguards their rights.
One protester said they’re protesting “to make a statement of political instability to render it difficult to govern, and in particular, to make it impossible for Trump to implement any of his policies in the first one hundred days.”
Great, but start after the inauguration.
The current democratically elected two-term president earned his opportunity to continue America’s tradition of transferring power in peace.
There is a time to protest and a time to refrain from protesting.
It doesn’t take the Wisdom of Solomon to know the difference.
First published in the New Pittsburgh Courier 11/16/16
Kennedy Sr. believed if they were going to win no experience was needed.
This was a new generation with ideas their predecessors couldn’t imagine. They literally wanted to go to the moon and explore outer space and their mission statement was: Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.
Kennedy won one of the closest elections in American history.
But if the “Kennedy kids” lost they would have graciously accepted defeat, like their opponents, because they understood the importance of a peaceful transfer of power.
After it was confirmed 2016’s Republican nominee won the presidency, President Barack Obama addressed the nation. He said he had significant differences with President-elect Donald Trump, but he also had differences with former President Bush when he won the presidency in 2008. President Obama said the Bush team graciously made sure there was a smooth transition because the job of the presidency was bigger than all of them. President Obama instructed his team to follow the example set by former President Bush because they’re rooting for the president elect to succeed. President Obama also said a peaceful transfer of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy and we are going to show that to the world.
President Obama emphasized showing it to the world because world history shows that democratic elections turn into dictatorships when elected leaders refuse to give up power. Without a peaceful transfer of power there is no democratic process, there’s just elections that give a democratic appearance to tyranny.
World history also shows citizens of the world protesting sham elections, the outcome of rigged contests or, in some places, the disappearance of rival candidates. None of that happened in the United States during the 2016 presidential election, but a new generation with a new motto (What is the government going to do for me?) immediately stormed the streets after the election and protested.
But they weren’t protesting voter suppression, intimidation, or the sudden elimination of term limits, they were protesting an outcome they didn’t expect.
In other words, their candidate lost.
Their actions are personal not political, and it’s an insult to people around the world who risk their lives protesting actual injustice to label this disturbance of the peaceful transfer of power a protest. They’re using their first amendment rights to exercise a temper tantrum against the very process that safeguards their rights.
One protester said they’re protesting “to make a statement of political instability to render it difficult to govern, and in particular, to make it impossible for Trump to implement any of his policies in the first one hundred days.”
Great, but start after the inauguration.
The current democratically elected two-term president earned his opportunity to continue America’s tradition of transferring power in peace.
There is a time to protest and a time to refrain from protesting.
It doesn’t take the Wisdom of Solomon to know the difference.
First published in the New Pittsburgh Courier 11/16/16
Comments
Post a Comment