The ubiquitous “Pink Pussy Hat” created for the Women’s March on Washington D.C., the day after Trump’s inauguration has not faded away, in fact they seem to have become a symbol of the “Resistance”. I must admit that I love the concept, the origin and some of what they have come to represent. Fact is, I wouldn’t mind having one myself. My fingers just aren’t talented enough to knit and I am not really sure I would ever wear it One of the problems with them is that they seem to have usurped much of the creative energy we will need going forward.
The majority of the American public may agree with the principles and values of the Democrat Party. They may even poll in their direction. The truth is that the majority will never vote for the current variant symbolized by the pink pussy hat. Why? The Hat says it all.
I’ve attended several events recently, promoted by groups like “Indivisible”. While I agree with many of their virtues and their goals, they are afraid to tell others who they are and what they stand for, at least loud enough to be heard.
At a fundraiser hosted by Cory Gardener and Scott Tipton in Alamosa, I took part in what was billed as a “Silent Protest”. Before the event even starts whispers circulate through the crowd that SWAT members have been seen on the roofs. I never saw them or talked to anybody that had. So there we are, walking around a building carrying signs in which the dinner was being held, until it got too cold for some to carry on. It’s the Pink Hat. Apparently it’s not even a warm hat.
While trying to organize for a Tipton Town Hall, fear rose to unreasonable heights. I was told that at a recent Town Hall attended by Mike Coffman, snipers were seen on the roofs. I was never able to confirm it, but the damage had been done. It was suggested that placing literature under wiper blades of cars might be illegal and risky. “Cops shoot first, ask questions later.” Again, the Pink Hat.
While the Bundys defy court orders to vacate Federal lands by dragging out assault weapons, and set up snipers zeroing in on law enforcement, Open-Carry advocates show up at the local coffee shop armed to the teeth. Trump supporters harass, punch and drag opponents from their gatherings. Democrats put on their Pink Hats.
Politics is “the long game”, and the Republicans have played it brilliantly. For decades, the Democrats have rightfully decried the “fear tactics” used by the GOP to capture control of governments coast to coast. What the electorate fails to realize is that the same fear that drives their decision making process was planted, cultivated, nurtured and is now being harvested by that same political party. And what a bountiful harvest it has been!
So, what is the “prime mover” of this fear? It is the same thing that is often cited “root of all evil”. Money, or more precisely, the lack of. A cursory look at a chart of income disparity shows exactly what has, and continues to happen. Since the Reagan Presidency, the top 1% of income earners have reaped all the rewards of our expanding economy with their share of pre-tax income doubling. That claimed by the bottom 50% has been halved. Americans fear for their jobs, their security, their future. Republicans have managed to deflect the blame away from the true cause of this uneasiness by selling the public on the false premiss of “trickle-down” (voodoo) economics. It has been promoted by the Republicans since 1980 and has yet, or will it ever, show any positive results for the working class of our Country. This is a Global problem. Many believe the poverty and lack of a future is what makes recruitment for ISIL, Al-Qaeda, etc. easier. The wealthy West is what has put them in dire straits. This contributes to the increased visibility of so-called, radical Islam.                                                                                                 I can’t help but wonder that if the current crop had been around in the 1960’s and 70’s, would we still be involved in the Vietnam conflict? Would they be marching around college campuses wearing their pink hats, hoping to be insulated from the blows of the batons? The left needs a stronger symbol to rally around. Does anyone know if kevlar be fashioned into pink yarn?