Civility or Anger: How About Both?
When a Virginia restaurant asked White House press secretary Sarah Sanders to leave because its employees objected to serving her, civility in public discourse became a hot issue.
White House policy advisor Stephen Miller, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielson, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt were also confronted publicly in recent weeks. California Congresswoman Maxine Waters called for more such protests.
In response, President Trump predictably demeaned Waters’ intelligence and warned her to “be careful what you wish for.” Conservative politicians and media pundits, often purveyors of harsh rhetoric themselves, immediately denounced “the angry left.”
While I value public civility and think Sanders should have been able to finish her meal, I am part of the angry left.
As a boomer who spent my entire career working for progressive public policy, I’ve never been more worried about the future. With the most conservative Supreme Court in history for the rest of my life, a President who vilifies our allies while genuflecting to brutal autocrats, and Congress giving Trump a free rein, why shouldn’t I be angry?
My anger isn’t directed only at Republicans. I’ll never forgive progressives who abandoned Al Gore for Ralph Nader in 2000, leading to the election of President Bush, the Iraq War, the financial meltdown and a lost decade in the fight against climate change.
Proving they didn’t learn anything from that debacle, some progressives wouldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016, contributing to the election of Trump and the disaster we face today. The self-styled progressive champion California Nurses Association stands out as the only major union that supported Nader and did not endorse Clinton.
That history aside, I’m angrier now because the radical policies pursued by Republicans in Washington pose an existential threat to our planet, the least powerful among us, and even the rule of law.
At a minimum, Americans deserve:
· a safe environment, a chance for economic success, and the right to vote freely
· leaders who tell the truth, reject racial prejudice and don’t use government posts to enrich themselves
· an administration that respects our democratic allies, confronts totalitarian dictators, and doesn’t rip innocent children from their parents
Shamefully, some Californians in Congress are key enablers of this erosion of decency, opportunity and democracy. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes are particularly brazen apologists for the President’s dangerous behavior.
The power of big money in politics intensifies my anger. Fossil fuel billionaires and Wall Street have their way in Washington, while soft drink companies recently extorted our state legislature into banning soda taxes that help prevent obesity.
But the angry left needs allies to win this fight. We must energize our base while engaging the elusive swing voters. A narrow electoral victory can stop the bleeding, but a broader win creates a mandate for governing.
Vigorously exercising our right to free speech and a laser focus on winning elections can turn the country around.
Public demonstrations, grassroots organizing and social media are part of the toolkit. They can persuade dispirited citizens and motivate them to vote.
Speaking directly to policy leaders with whom we disagree is fine, as well. Why shouldn’t a young mother holding a 2-year old who spots Scott Pruitt at a restaurant ask him to resign if he won’t combat climate change, coddles polluters and uses his office for personal benefit? She did and a few days later he was gone.
Instead of tossing Sanders from the restaurant, however, the staff should have come to her table and describe how Trump’s policies are hurting them and the country.
Rather than cancel a UC Berkeley graduation speech over labor issues, as Kamala Harris recently did, give the speech and explain why workers deserve better pay and working conditions. That’s how to win the battle of ideas.
We have a right to be angry. But we should not tear the fabric of civility that is essential to democracy. We must stand up for our values in a way that convinces others and helps to bridge our country’s dangerous political divide.
