One Small Step for Democracy
Somebody Finally Stands up to Trump’s Desecration of the Kennedy Center
By Donnie Johnston
ADVANCE COLUMNIST
As I watched the scaffolding go up outside the Kennedy Center and the letters come down, I could not help but think, “One small step for democracy.”
I know that’s an odd thought for a country celebrating its 250th anniversary as a republic, but since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, we have seen our freedoms start slipping away, one by one.
And like the frog that sits complacently in the pot of water that is heating up, we have done little to stop Trump in his bid to become dictator in a nation where such autocrats have long since been despised.
We watched—not always quietly—as his name and likeness began appearing on buildings and currency and any document that looked official. Not by public acclaim, but by executive order by a man whose only goals are revenge and power.
We have watched Trump weaponize the Justice Department in his insatiable need to avenge any and all those who he feels have wronged him. We watched him attempt to ruin the lives of fine individuals for no reason other than personal satisfaction.
We have watched him do everything in his power to manipulate the media for his own good, meeting any criticism—no matter how justified—with lawsuits and political pressure.
We watched him tear down the East Wing of the White House without asking anyone, acting as if he personally owned the place. We watched him assure us that his ballroom would be paid for with private money, only to later throw the burden on the taxpayers.
We watched Trump propose his gaudy arch that would be paid for with taxpayer dollars, and we watched him turn the White House lawn into a wrestling arena (costing tax dollars for road closures and extra security) to celebrate his birthday.
We watched as Trump, in the middle of negotiations, bombed Iran, starting a war that he now cannot finish (a proposed deal will not be signed until Friday, and Israel has not signed off). We saw the Strait of Hormuz closed, and the price of oil and gas skyrocket. We have watched inflation return to post-Covid highs.
We have watched him threaten to wipe out every man, woman and child in Iran, invade Venezuela, blow boats out of international waters, and turn off the power in Cuba. And we watched him threaten to take Greenland by force.
We have watched Trump round up Hispanics and establish concentration camps for illegal immigrants in Hitler-like fashion, and keep what is going on in those camps secret from the American people.
And we have watched him publicly insult and ridicule reporters and public officials who refuse to bow down to his wishes or merely challenge any lie that he feels necessary to tell.
And we have watched Trump manipulate the Stock Market with geopolitical moves and announcements that caused prices to rise or fall to the financial advantage of those around him.
The man and his henchmen have done all this and more, and we have stood by and watched with few attempts to rein in his grab for power.
The blame for this goes not only to Trump but to the Republican majority in Congress who have stymied every attempt to stop the president. He gives them power, and they love it.
The Supreme Court cannot be left out of the equation either. Time and time again the justices have upheld moves they would have smacked down under any other administration.
Finally, someone has had the courage to stand up. In late May, U. S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that only Congress could add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, and he ordered it removed.
Hallelujah!
Maybe we are finally on the return road to normalcy. Maybe the republic will survive. Maybe, at some point in the future, America’s good name will be restored around the world.
The big question is how Trump will take the Kennedy Center rebuke and others that might be forthcoming. He is still president, has access to nuclear missile codes, and his brain still requires revenge. And there is a war still going one, one during which the president has twice promised the annihilation of 90 million people.
It has always been feared that some unstable leader would start a nuclear holocaust. Trump appears unstable enough to be that person.
And the Republican majority in Congress is sitting quietly and watching it all happen. The GOP leadership could bring a halt to this chaos with a few votes. But the party and power are more important than the survival of humanity.
And what of the Democrats? They are just sitting around griping. They need to be preparing a viable candidate to run in 2028. If they had found a good candidate in 2024, we would not be in this mess.
But maybe we have at least taken the first small step in our return to democracy.
Removing Trump’s name from that façade is at least a start.
Thank you for a clear and forceful summary of what many see as a failed and dangerous presidency.
At present, one of the most effective checks has come from the federal courts (though not consistently the Supreme Court). That reality should prompt all of us to support organizations doing the hard work of defending democratic norms in court. Please contribute to them.
We should also be candid about public responsibility. In recent elections, roughly one-third of eligible voters effectively determined the outcome, while tens of millions chose not to participate. That disengagement has consequences.
Voting is not only a right—it is a civic obligation. A democratic republic cannot function if its citizens do not show up.
They have thrown a tarp over the Kennedy Center and posted a guard, and a judge has given them until Friday to say why. The official reason is that the building is in bad shape. I went down to have a look at the man they hired to keep me from looking.
https://rossboulton1.substack.com/p/a-modest-tarp?r=2leuaj