A Rally Good Protest

I've been fascinated  by the protests that have sprung up around the country,  They've been somewhat odd, though, as my pal Mark Evanier wrote here, noting that protest marches are usually about wanting to make a change and accomplish something different.  But that's not the case the past two days, and these don't seem to have any such goal.  They're certainly not gong to change the results of the election.

As I've watched, though, I do think there is a point to the protests.

On The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell Wednesday night, one of his guests was a very blunt, eloquent and clearly furious Tavis Smiley  The point Mr. Smiley made was that after most presidential elections things get "normalized." The past is over and now we all unite as One People.  Life becomes normal once more.  But he felt it deeply important that we not normalize this election, that we don't brush under the rug all the things Donald Trump actually said and did during the 18 months he ran his campaign.  Demeaning Mexicans, damning everyone of the Muslim faith, trashing a Gold Star family, trashing John McCain's heroism while a prisoner of war, talking about having sexually abused women, ridiculing a reporter with a physical disability, stirring threats of violence aginst the press, offering to pay the legal costs if his supporters beat up any protesters, constantly calling his opponent crooked, promising to toss her in prison, grinning as his audiences chanted "Lock her up" and more.  Far more.

That's what the protests are trying to address, I think.  To make sure people keep all of this in mind and not sweep it under a normalized rug.  Donald Trump got away with an unearthly amount of despicable actions during the campaign, and did so largely because they were poured one on another, and so short-term memory loss kicked in and so much of the public only remembered the most recent outrage.  The protests were largely against forgetfulness -- an odd goal, but a noble one.  Keeping front and center what Donald Trump did and who he is.  And protesting that that should ever been seen as normal.

Already, I've read several stories -- and one is far too many -- of people screaming at others who from different minority groups to leave this country, in one case shouting that this was "Trump Land."  It's an insidious, sickening attitude, and to a degree the protests are also against such an attitude believing it has a mainstream voice, before it has a chance to take root and solidify itself.  A reminder that the land we live in is the one where Hillary Clinton actually got the majority of votes cast on Tuesday.

Perhaps the media calling them "protest marches" was the wrong term.  They were perhaps more a case of rallies of support for the loyal opposition to come, venting outrage at the assault on democratic institutions, the election process and decency, and mobilizing voices to fight on.