"Quit pouting. A bird is going to land on that bottom lip."
--A grandma in Arkansas,
to a child, many years ago
The job, the duty, of the loyal opposition is to oppose. Goodness knows the Republicans have maintained steady work over the years opposing. Some say only opposing. Which is one reason why Harry Reid & Co. "went nuclear" and decided a Progressive America was more important than the Senate filibuster. And now might reap what they've sown when a judge named Neil Gorsuch comes to a vote.
A loyal opposition is always good for the country. Any country. (We note that no loyal opposition exists in North Korea.) A loyal opposition in the United States makes a good administration better, and a bad administration gone. And a loyal opposition speaks for a whole lot of Americans, to be sure. Michael Dukakis got 45.6 percent of the vote in 1988. And he was trounced.
A loyal opposition shouldn't be ashamed to oppose the party in power. Even when the opposition comes off as disagreeable, even frosty. Perhaps even rude. After all, we're talking national politics here. Although Washington City, aka Washington, D.C., is a southern town--you can look it up--nobody thinks of it as a polite place. Politicians in Little Rock and Baton Rouge and Jackson should be polite in opposition. On the federal level, anything goes. Especially if it scores political points. (We didn't say Washington politicians were good examples.)
We noticed Anything Goes again last week when President Trump said this during his speech before Congress:
"I am calling upon members of both parties to pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of African American and Latino children. These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them."
The Republican members of both chambers stood and cheered. The loyal opposition sat on its hands.
How does an American politician not stand and cheer the possibility of improving education for children? Answer: When the politician is in the opposing party, and then even kids aren't common denominators.
The Democratic Party owes a lot to the teachers' unions. And the teachers' unions don't want charter or religious schools horning in on their territory, aka money. That is why a roomful of Democrats will sit and frown when a president speaks about better education for poor kids. Money talks. It fairly screams.
In this day of the Internet, there was no need to rewind the video cassette to see other examples of Democrats finding their joints too stiff to stand during President Trump's remarks:
"With the help of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we have formed a council with our neighbors in Canada to help ensure that women entrepreneurs have access to the networks, markets and capital they need to start a business and live out their financial dreams."
One side clapped and cheered. One side didn't much. Guess which.
"Our obligation is to serve, protect, and defend the citizens of the United States. We are also taking strong measures to protect our nation from radical Islamic terrorism."
One side applauded. The other: crickets.
None of this is being taken out of context. Several Internet sites have the video of the president's speech Tuesday night. We suggest the ones that pan to the congressional audience during the speech.
But this is America, darn it, not North Korea. (Not to cheer and hyperventilate and cry in overwhelming bliss during a presidential speech is one of many ways to come out a head shorter in North Korea.) On these shores, it's tradition! that the minority party in Congress acts in an ill-tempered manner, even pout.
Besides, imagine being in the opposition these days, and watching a never-never president in a never-never administration give such a pleasant, forward-looking, optimistic speech that he was never-never supposed to give. And know that the folks back home are eating it up. (These are CNN's headlines: "Great speech, what's next?", "This was when Trump became president", "Trump's address makes waves")
This particular opposition party never expected to be the opposition party. Their nominee was supposed to be standing there on Tuesday night, giving a speech that the people and critics applauded. It was never supposed to be President Trump. Some may think their moment stolen away from them, by that darned American political system.
So they frown, sulk and pout. Even when the topic is little kids, women entrepreneurs and apple pie.
What a country.
On with the show!
Editorial on 03/05/2017