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This is an extraordinary time in American politics. I am not going too far when I say that our nation is now ruled by a cult of personality.
I’m ethnically half Italian and culturally 90% Italian of the Ligurian variety. My understanding of Italian is poor, but a bell rang in my head when I saw a photo of Donald Trump wearing a cap with the words, “Trump was right about everything.”
All over Italy during the Fascist Era were propaganda signs proclaiming, “Il Duce ha sempre ragione.” It means, “The leader is always right.” Il Duce was the term the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini applied to himself.
Democrats in Marin are befuddled over what to do regarding recent events in Washington. Somehow the U.S. has declared a “cold war” against Canada and Denmark while aligning with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who acts like a dictator. It was accomplished without the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate as the Constitution and common-sense demands.
Democratic Party leaders are widely criticized for lacking the guts to fight against what is essentially a coup d’état against the words and spirit of the U.S. Constitution. The hallowed system of checks and balances that kept us united for 249 years is gone with the wind.
Those who face anger from their own party’s core include congressional North Bay/North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman, state Sen. Mike McGuire and Marin-Sonoma state Assemblymember Damon Connolly. The complaints and frustration are understandable but unfair.
Democratic legislators aren’t equipped to address what is essentially a revolutionary movement. Their talent is legislating. Their style works only when both parties agree that getting “half a loaf” and negotiating in good faith with the other party is more productive in the long run. That’s no longer the case.
It’s time for regular Marin residents who consider themselves patriots to stand up and determine their own destiny. In much of politically “blue” America, protests have spontaneously erupted. No, they aren’t due to paid organizers. They’re just angry Americans. Other than at Corte Madera’s Tesla showroom, it appears to me that local protests have been scarce.
Marin should be a shining example to fellow California patriots on how to address their pent-up emotions and exercise their First Amendment rights.
“Democrats need to act like dissents worldwide who stand up to authoritarian rulers,” wrote journalist Jonathan V. Last in his online Substack column.
They can do it by obtaining parade permits and organizing a mass march up San Rafael’s Fourth Street. Given that, of Marin’s 144,129 votes cast in the 2024 presidential election, 116,154 (80.6%) of them were for former Vice President Kamala Harris, organizers shouldn’t find it difficult to find thousands of Marin residents to participate. All it’ll take is a handful of motivated leaders. Democrats and independents will follow.
Simultaneously, elected Democrats need to get their house in order. If they are truly the party that believes in the usefulness of good government, they need to do a better job making their bailiwicks work.
California’s high-speed rail plan is like a punchline to a bad joke. It’s a classic example of governmental failure caused by the very rules and red tape which Democrats enacted to please special interests. Big infrastructures projects speed to completion in Europe, Japan and China. The same is impossible here.
Democrats can’t properly execute fundamentally good ideas. Republicans just don’t believe in infrastructure. For once, Trump is right. Connolly and McGuire should do their part to end the high-speed rail boondoggle.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said on his new podcast that transgender girls and women participating in female sports leagues is “deeply unfair.” Message to progressives: The “trans kids in sports” war is over. Even in liberal Marin, many agree with Michigan’s new Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin when saying that the best solution is to “let the local community figure it out.”
A similar message goes to Republicans: The culture war over same-sex marriage is over and you lost.
Columnist Dick Spotswood of Mill Valley writes on local issues Sundays and Wednesdays. Email him at spotswood@comcast.net.
