There is a very simple reason that West Virginians should completely ignore the “Hate Trump” charades that occurred this past Saturday.
It’s numbers – 32 vs. 2 in the Senate, and 91 vs. 9 in the House; majorities of which the Democrats could never have dreamed. My quip is that the Democrat Senators “could caucus in a phone booth,” and that’s because the Democratic Party in West Virginia are quaint relics of a bygone era.
Although my comment is still true, I would wager that very few folks under 40 years of age have ever used a phone booth.
The Democratic Party IS completely a relic. I can’t see many in labor who actually support anything the Democrats believe in, and the number of people who have left their party shows it. Their “protest” this Saturday past successfully drove more voters to the Republican Party (we see a spike right after they demonstrate their instability), and I’ve been told “unaffiliated” also receives an increase, although I don’t know that to be fact.
In the demonstration of their mental instability, they can spew vitriol about whom they hate, but that just can’t seem to articulate what that want. I’m sure it’s like wetting your pants in a dark suit – they get a warm feeling, but nobody else notices.
I wholeheartedly support their right to protest, as long as they do so respectfully, which they didn’t. They backed up traffic in Elm Grove and were constantly mashing the crossing button to the point that it was annoying to drive through the area.
Residents took notice, and they drove them away by the carload. I’ve heard from local business owners that they were not only parking illegally but leaving trash behind.
I think the numbers established that they have zero chance of affecting anything on a state level. Our Attorney General is a fan of our President, as is the Secretary of State and our Governor, and they are not going to tolerate the kind of grandstanding that you’ll see in a blue (or purple) state.
So, exactly what did they accomplish besides increasing the number of registered Republicans and adding to the imbalance? They got some social media posts. They may say their voices are heard. Some of the social media platforms have adjusted their algorithms to make it look like a significant moment, when it wasn’t.
They whined and presented no solutions.
The protesters accomplished nothing. They were not able even post a decent showing in the general election nearly one year ago which Trump won both the electoral vote and the popular vote overwhelmingly.
Elections have consequences.
They did successfully inconvenience large numbers of people.
My Mom, a snowflake to the core, thought it was a good idea at age 91 to go wave a banner near her home in Florida.
Just like you can’t leave a 9 year old alone on the curb at a parade, the same applies to a 91 year old, so my sister, who aligns with me politically, took one for the team and was in the background insuring that our Mom didn’t find herself in a bad place. Both my sister and I will defend our mothers’ right to be wrong, and to spend her time as she chooses.
I do watch the voter registration numbers in Florida and in West Virginia. The protests are back-firing. They are very efficient at driving voters to the Republican Party, which is not what the organizers had hoped.
It’s now Monday. Donald J. Trump is still President of the United States. I do wish he were King so he could end the meaningless government shutdown. But he’s not, and we need 60 votes in the United States Senate to get that done.
No matter what they allege, President Trump can’t lead by proclamation. Our constitutional republic remains intact and functioning.
The only measurable accomplishment from Saturday’s protests, in my opinion, was driving more voters away from the Democrat Party. Exactly the opposite of what the organizers hoped to accomplish. But as West Virginians, we have no reason to even consider their protest. It simply does not matter.
