And A Nation Wept

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Via WaPo’s editorial board

The Nation Can Only Weep

TUESDAY WAS a great day for David Duke and racists everywhere. The president of the United States all but declared that he has their backs.

When a white supremacist stands accused of running his car into a crowd of protesters, killing one and injuring 19, Americans of goodwill mourn and demand justice. When this is done in the context of a rally where swastikas are borne and racist and anti-Semitic epithets hurled, the only morally justifiable reaction is disgust. When the nation’s leader does not understand this, the nation can only weep.

On Saturday, after the murder of an innocent protester in Charlottesville followed marches that included armed men and Nazi salutes, President Trump’s instinct was to blame both sides. Widespread criticism followed, including the resignations of business leaders from a White House advisory council and condemnation from political leaders of both parties. On Monday, Mr. Trump read a prepared statement condemning white supremacists and racism, delivering it in a manner suggesting he neither wrote nor endorsed the words. On Tuesday, he removed any doubt: His initial reaction, putting Nazis and those protesting them on equal moral footing, is how he really feels.

“I think there’s blame on both sides. You look at – you look at both sides,” Mr. Trump said to reporters in Trump Tower, adding that there were “very fine people, on both sides.” We’ve all seen the videotape: One side was composed of Nazis, Klansmen and other avowed racists chanting “Jews will not replace us.” The other side was objecting to their racism.

Yes, there are good and moral Americans who oppose the removal of statues of Confederate generals. Yes, there are reasonable Americans who fear that slaveholding Founding Fathers will be the next target. Notwithstanding Mr. Trump’s comments Tuesday, we don’t find it difficult to distinguish between a monument to George Washington, say, and statues to Confederate generals that were erected in the 20th century with the goal of maintaining white supremacy.

There may be a time to debate such questions – but not, as any national leader with a sense of decency would understand, now. Not in a time of mourning, with the wounds so fresh. Not when Mr. Trump has not even bothered to call the family of the young woman mowed down on Saturday. Not when Americans are looking for a clear and unequivocal condemnation of the hatred that brought those 700 marchers to Charlottesville.

That car in Charlottesville did not kill or wound just the 20 bodies it struck. It damaged the nation. Mr. Trump not only failed to help the country heal, he made the wound wider and deeper.

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11 thoughts on “And A Nation Wept

  1. It is abundantly clear that the H would much rather add jet fuel to the fire!
    Rather than attempt to be a voice of reason.
    I am in no way defending our president, but this would have been a perfect opportunity for the H to be above the fray.
    But hey what the heck let’s all hollow around in the mud/incriminate

    1. This is a towering, burning inferno. If H throw a lighted cigarette butt on it — it will not be noticed by history. But you can be sure that Trump’s deeds and actions will not be forgotten for generations.

    2. Yes. If only alt lefters like Heisenberg weren’t wrecking and provoking, none of this violence would have happened.

      Perhaps the inquiry investigating the Zinoviev Center, excuse me, the Clinton conspiracy to rig the 2016 election with illegal votes should have its remit expanded so that it can identify those anti-regime bloggers who were responsible for the violence in Charlottesville.

  2. Jeffery Toobin made an interesting observation on CNN this afternoon, that turned a few heads. He said that like most he predicted that Trump would lose the election. He said that he clearly misjudged the number of people that would vote for the sort of man Trump was known to be (including is well documented white supremacist leanings.). So, Toobin’s observation was, maybe we’re all misjudging the number of people that think like Trump and want Trump to stay in office today – even after the white supremacist and neo-Nazi enabling support Trump has continually provided in recent days. Maybe we just don’t know a lot of the people in this country. Trump didn’t get a majority, but he almost did.more

    I think Toobin is wrong, but we will know in a few days – depending on how many Republicans run screaming from Donald J. Trump – the first neo-Nazi President of the US and his continuing enabling of his neo-Nazi supporters. As H has said, Trump has left no doubt as to who he is and that he supports white nationalism and all its fellow travelers, not only including the odious Mr. Bannon, but the KKK and neo-Nazis as well. Now we’ll see who the Republicans really are.

    1. We already know who the Republicans are. Most of the Republican politicians would become card-carrying Nazis if they thought it would secure their positions in the primaries, and most of the voters were already more than happy to vote for Trump in the fall. It’s not like he is doing anything brand new now.

  3. I suspect that the people who support Trump, for the most part, neither read the Post nor share its uncompromising stance against Nazism.

    Most of them, after all, also think the 2020 elections should be suspended to give the President more time to root out the Clinton voting conspiracy.

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