The political dynamic has changed. There really was a Silent Majority in the 60s through the 80s. Demonstrations, particularly against the Vietnam War, looked big because my generation was big. But those of us who protested were a small minority of that generation, and an even smaller minority of the American public. And any kind of demonstrations really frightened the white majority, let alone the urban riots of the 60s.
Today, as some have remarked, the demographics of demonstrators against racism and police murders in particular are much more diverse, reflecting a much more diverse America in just about every way. Maybe that's why recent polls show widespread support for these protests, even majority support. Those numbers track with several other sets, suggesting that the AlwaysTrumpers are alone with their one-third of the electorate talking to pollsters.
Readers of this blog since 2017 may recall its analysis and warnings concerning the figure called Homegrown Hitler or the Apprentice Dictator. Since then, the process of installing a dictatorship proceeded in fits and starts. Lots of fits, and incompetent but eventually effective starts. The administration as currently constituted is finally aligned with the apprentice dictator's power grabs, particularly the Attorney General. (Other cabinet officials appear more interested in their own corruption, mostly financial but also political.) This administration is quickly completing its destruction of the government it has taken two centuries and more to build. It is turning the federal judiciary into a mockery of incompetence and ideological dishonesty.
The key to true dictatorship, as observed here a few times previously, is control of the military, or a significant part of it. This past week Trump tried to take effective control. He got what he wanted in a single sweep of Lafayette Park, herding peaceful protesters with rubber bullets, tear gas, explosives and huge military helicopters used as blundering instruments of terror.
But he lost control almost immediately. He may regain it--he seems to have the personal loyalty of ICE and some murky federal vigilante force of prison riot specialists--but as the weekend approached, he was crouching in a heavily fortified White House, under attack most notably by members of his own party and prominent past members of his administration. His current Secretary of Defense, caterwauling about dominating the battlespace of American cities one minute, was sobering up with direct opposition to Trump's threat of taking complete control by means of the Insurrection Act.
The opposition to Trump, now and as a candidate for reelection, is notably attracting more and more Republicans, from the gray eminence of conservativism George Will through Republican political consultants including the husband of White House toady Kellyann Conway to an actual Senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. At the moment the most potent words have come from the ex-Secretary of Defense Mattis. It's not just his opposition to Trump's latest moves in trying to misuse the military, but his global attack on Trump's leadership, in very strong language. A number of retired officers and officials have spoken out, but I'm guessing the statement by the current Secretary of Defense reflects a frenzy of opposition and pressure from the active military leadership, who can't speak out themselves but who don't want this mission.
So this week saw the country come dangerously close to a military dictatorship, and then a reassertion, a renewal and a rebellion against that from the governing class and probably the military. And just as importantly, a lack of public support for the demagoguery. So in an odd way prospects are better, at least for now, than since Trump was elected. Because Trump isn't fooling anyone anymore, outside his AlwaysTrumpers cult. So now all we have to worry about is the covid crisis and an economic Depression.
Also this week Joe Biden made a widely praised speech in Philadelphia, providing a reminder and a model of what Presidents say and do in a crisis. President Obama held a virtual town hall meeting, and said the young demonstrators are renewing his hope.
Meanwhile, the demonstrations have revealed more police brutality, some support for reform and against racism within the police, some provocateurs and looters, many peaceful demonstrators and supporters, including the neighbors of looted local businesses in Oakland who spontaneously gathered to clean up the mess. Out there among them on the streets were Senators Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, and Speaker Pelosi. Joe Biden, now the elected Democratic candidate for President, visited a demo as well. We'll see how it all looks next weekend, but right now, it does suggest the possibility of a turning point.
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