Mona Charen at NR
Our leaders use and abuse race for their own purposes.
"On a high wall overlooking the central court of the National Museum of
African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., the words of
novelist James Baldwin are etched in stone: “The great force of history
comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by
it. . . . History is literally present in all that we do.”
"Baldwin’s words are particularly apt this week, as our leaders, for the millionth
time, use and abuse race for their own purposes, committing sins against the
past and the present.
"Before Mr. Trump entered the fray, the Democrats were engaged in the sort of
tussle that couldn’t help but bring a smile to the lips of their opponents. Nancy
Pelosi was attempting to corral her wayward members — the so-called “Squad”
of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Alyssa Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar.
Pelosi, clearly worried that four extremists were becoming the face of the
Democratic party, thus diminishing the likelihood of Democratic success in
2020, had rapped their knuckles in a closed-door session last week. Pelosi
warned the newcomers not to tweet against fellow Democrats, and added, “All
these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world. But they didn’t
have any following. They’re four people and that’s how many votes they got.”
Zing.
"In a different era, the smack of the speaker’s ruler would have cowed the
upstarts. Speakers could determine what committees members sat on, whether
projects were funded in their districts, and indirectly how much money they
could raise. But in the Internet age, parties and leaders have lost influence.
Social media allows members to reach their niche audiences and keep the
money flowing. The more performative they are on Twitter, the more secure.
"And so, the freshmen did what progressives so often do — they reached for the
accusation of racism. " . . .
