Walking Out on Trump

One of the most powerful questions about Donald Trump’s first month is the thorny issue of public defiance. It’s part of the overhang from his State of the Union. Was it a good idea to stand up and shout, to head for the aisles, to wave those little placards? Or should Democrats have sat in sullen silence, stewing in the rage that many of us feel?

It might already be obvious where I come down. Clearly the Republicans came to party. They met every utterance of the Dear Leader at the podium with shouts of approval and pledges of allegiance. Nothing was too minor to roar in appreciation. Had Trump coughed or sneezed, they would have applauded that, too, begging for a chance to hand him a tissue. When you are up against the threat of a nasty primary, It’s prostration and self-abasement all the way down.

And they weren’t going to stand for the antics of the Democrats. Congress somehow managed to give Congresswoman Green a pass when she shouted disrespectfully at hapless Joe Biden, but white women can apparently count on the chivalry of fellow Southerners. Not so the Black Democratic Congressman from Texas. If a Black man does it, it’s a federal offense. Sorry, Al Green. Jim Crow lives.

A dear friend of mind who is a lifelong Democrat was deeply troubled by the behavior of Representative Green. He is a natural institutionalist, with a taste for hierarchy. In the congregation to which both of us belong, he is a beloved past president and the son of presidents. He is also an avatar of seemliness and propriety. He reminded me that he was present when an opinionated member walked out on me in the middle of a sermon. The subject was the farm policy of the Reagan administration and the likelihood it would spike anti-Semitism in the heartland.

I remember it exactly the same way he does, and I had to admit that it was an uncomfortable moment, especially since the protest was by a major benefactor. But it was also part of the package of public speaking. When you stand at a microphone, you sometimes trigger strong reactions. If you have any principles yourself, there is no way to avoid that. I’m only glad that my protester didn’t throw something.

But the protest itself was more than a little bit justified. And so was the behavior of the Democrats in Congress. Our government is being shredded before our very eyes. In the blink of an eye, crucial agencies have been gutted and there is no one to manage the critical functions of government. Where are the watchdogs? Flipping burgers in Washington. Where are the guardians of the American environment? If they are very unlucky, they will soon be sleeping in their cars.

I’ve got a little bit of institutionalism in me, and so I felt the pangs of my friend at the Synagogue. Since this wasn’t technically a State of the Union address, I wish that the Democrats had taken a hard mass pass. It would have been interesting to see a half empty chamber with a sour-faced President and his loyal-to-the death followers.

But since Donald Trump has proven to be sensitive to criticism, we have to take every opportunity to demonstrate disapproval. That’s why he recently reassured his cabinet that Elon Musk was an advisor, not a decision maker. Of course, that is obviously not the case, but if we do our part, it may yet be true.