New Orleans Unbelievably, President Trump was unable to stay on message even in the wake of the national tragedy of mass murder in El Paso and Dayton. Only, Trump could make a day of mourning and the traditional post-disaster visit all about him and his sense of grievance and entitlement, rather than about the victims, their families, and communities. He read from a statement that was on message, but couldn’t control either his mouth or his Twitter-finger. He will pay for this lack of discipline and decorum and reap a whirlwind of disgust.
So, will the Republican Party. If they hadn’t lost any prospects of a Latino vote before, they surely have lost it for a generation now from El Paso to immigrant-bashing to overt racism to mass workplace arrests in Mississippi with more to come to detention centers and child separation. The only question may be whether the Party has lost votes for several generations rather than just this one where the memories – and wounds – are fresh.
What other paper tigers will fold?
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is hamstrung by internal conflict, board resignations, mass subpoenas of its board members, accusations of financial misdealing, and a wrenching power struggle. No matter what they argue today, their voice has been reduced. What politician would fear their wrath now or not weigh it against the red-hot rage of their own constituents?
Even the President in his own bumbling way seemed to argue for some kind of gun registry without any details. Where Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been able to wall off any reforms in the Senate, it may be harder now, and even he has been quoted opening the door a crack to the considerations of some reforms, even if weak ones like the “red flag” warnings, which put the onus on friends, family, and the community to report others who should be flagged.
Even Walmart, where recent killings have occurred in Mississippi and Texas is feeling the pressure not only as a venue for slaughter, but also as a purveyor of the weapons of mass destruction. Hundreds of white-collar Walmart employees walked out of the mega-retailer’s e-commerce offices in California, Oregon, and New York to pressure the company “to stop selling guns and discontinue donations to politicians who receive funding from the National Rifle Association,” according to The Washington Post. “Retailers like Walmart purchase AR-15 magazines and other ammunition in about half of its 4,750 U.S. stores, making it one of the nation’s largest retailers of firearms and ammunition.”
The organizers of the walkout faced retaliation from the company, but other reports have focused on the limited training and protection workers have gotten from Walmart about active shooter situations. No amount of money is worth taking a bullet for your boss, and ten dollars an hour is far less than any would consider a fair price for the risk. Tourists and pedestrians panicked and ran for cover around Times Square in New York when they heard a backfire on a small vehicle.
This is out of control. The paper tigers must fold so that the public is protected. We are close to the tipping point where politics is forced to recede in the face of common sense and basic safety.
***
Please enjoy “”Unwed Fathers”” by John Prine and Margo Price. Thanks to KABF.