Inauguration: Protests

Although I haven't had a chance to peruse the MSM accounts of the protests, I'm confident they found the most, er, interesting groups they could find. There were, in fact, conservative and liberal protesters nearly everywhere and most of them were a complete embarrassment to their cause. Three exceptions: One man who had a ticket for the Mall simply turned his back on Bush for the entirety of the proceedings. He was polite and respectful, speaking only when spoken to and insulting no one. There was a group of Socialists by the Judiciary Metro entrance (who obviously had no tickets) handing out literature. They were vocal, but not insulting or aggressive. This particular group also did not impugn Elephants or the President, but simply outlined the differences between Republicans and Socialists (of which there are a few). Four young adults beside the Rayburn Building held up a sign with the head of a partial birth abortion victim; they were handing out literature and were polite if passionate. Really, though, the sign did all the work for them.

The pro-lifers, back turner, and Socialists were, as I said, the exception. The photo below is of a group that carried signs saying, "Fear God", "Thank God For Tsunami", and "God Hates Fags". They were cursing conservatives and liberals alike. An unsavory group, to be sure. I am tempted to say that they were the only out of control right-wing group I saw, but their vitriol and hatred isn't really even right-wing. It's completely off the chart. One group of teenagers walking down Constitution carried signs saying "Worst President Ever". This, of course, had me wondering how many Presidents they remember. Woodrow Wilson, for example? They were deriding anyone who even marginally supports Bush. They reflected poorly on the left for their idiocy as well as for their argumentation (or lack thereof). One group on the Mall (past the checkpoints, with tickets) was walking through the crowd yelling, "Fuck Bush". The crowd around me began screaming for them to stop and I was honestly surprised that violence did not break out. This group was grossly outnumbered and their lack of respect only added to their reckless and puerile behavior.

It seems to me that the protesters broke down into two groups: The almost-frighteningly vocal liberal margin on the one hand, and the high school/college age protest-as-cool-thing-to-do crowd on the other hand. The "Worst President Ever" teens were in the second group. The group running through the Mall were in the first. I can handle the second. Everybody does something stupid when they're young (God knows I did), and so I don't worry so much about the kids. But the second group--the ones that impugn and insult and deride--are harmful to both the democratic process and the social fabric simultaneously. Why try to cause riot at your opponents' rightly one celebration? Why attempt conflict when every cop in America has you surrounded? These people, in my opinion, are dangerous on both the ideology level and the public safety level. Encourage the kids to be activists, for sure--that's why we have a two party system. But as long as the Democrats continue to abide a tyranny of the minority, they will continue to decline in numbers and power.