Pelosi falls into Trump’s Confederate statue trap
Every time President Trump gets in trouble he falls back on race identity politics, and the Democrats fall for it without fail.
The latest case in point is the furor over his statements that “both sides” shared the blame for the violence in Charlottesville, Va. Trump was clearly feeling the backlash from assigning just as much responsibility to people opposed to Nazis as to the Nazis themselves, so he changed the subject.
Trump tweeted that it was “sad to see” Confederate statues being taken down and asked, “Who’s next, Washington, Jefferson?”
Let’s be clear, those Confederate statues are coming down, no matter what Trump says. That’s been going on for a while now. It’s largely being done at
the local level, and Democrats could just sit back and let the arc of history take its course. Instead, they jumped. In no time, my friend House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called for the removal of all Confederate-related statues in the halls of Congress, saying they’re “reprehensible.”
She’s got a point, but so what? It has nothing to do with the issues that affect people, such as jobs, education and health care. Taking Trump’s bait only reinforces the impression held by too many Americans — that Democrats are all about apologizing for the country’s past attitudes about race.
Trump’s view is that America’s attitude toward race “is what it is, period. And I’m not apologizing for it.”
He’s also aware of something I’ve seen for a while now: the diminished power of the black vote.
Look at the map. All over, there are cities that used to have black mayors — Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, Oakland — that are now run by whites. Atlanta may soon join the list.
The black vote is still the anchor tenant of the Democratic Party, but the nation’s demographics are changing. And like it or not, the Latinos and Asians who have come here and are still coming don’t see the race issue the same way.
Their ancestors were not slaves. They arrived here on their own, with their families and cultures intact. That makes a difference, and Trump knows it.
By the way, my solution for the Confederate statue quandary: Take down the rider, leave the horse.
I had visitors from one of the TV networks the other day. They were putting together a piece on Gov. Jerry Brown, but I got the impression they were more interested in his national profile than what’s going on in California.
When it was all over, I was convinced they were working up a profile of a possible presidential contender, rather than a swan song for an aging politician.
Movie time: “Wind River.” This Wyoming winter wonderland epic, staring Elizabeth Olsen as an FBI agent looking into a murder on an Indian reservation, is well worth seeing. It has two elements that are always relevant — the male propensity to do wrong and law enforcement’s struggles to make things right.
“The Only Living Boy in New York.” Callum Turner, Kate Beckinsale and Pierce Brosnan star in this tale of life in the Big Apple. Lots of romance, great story line, superb dialogue and just the right ending.
So what if Marshawn Lynch, our new Raider, sits during the national anthem?
Let him sit. If he’s protesting, it’s his business. If you don’t agree, then ignore him, but for God’s sake, stop making his being seated the issue.
We still live in a democracy where free speech is supposed to be tolerated.
The Big Dog is coming back. Bill Clinton will be at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco on Sept. 8 for the NAACP’s Freedom Fund banquet.
And no, it’s not a farewell tour.
The other night I broke a personal record when I sat down for an 18-course meal at State Bird Provisions on Fillmore. It had been almost a year since I was there, and like fine old wine, it’s just gotten better.
It took about 3½ hours, and every dish came out family style, with each plate being passed around the table for nine.
I made sure I was near the back of the line. I noticed that when the plates first appeared, people were scooping more than they should scoop. By course eight or nine they were full, leaving me all the more to enjoy.
My old record was a 14-course meal, and even then I had to stop at nine. This time, I made it all the way through — including the three desserts.
I tip my hat to the Faith Fancher memorial committee, made up of women in the media business — your grassroots efforts to help those with breast cancer has been just outstanding.
At 6 p.m. Saturday, I’ll be at the Downtown Oakland Marriott to say thank you at the 20 Shades of Pink fundraiser. I’m inviting all the readers of this column to join me next weekend.
I had another Rodney Dangerfield moment the other day.
I went to the Exploratorium to see about buying protective glasses to watch Monday’s solar eclipse.
“Sure,” the clerk said, pulling out a pair. “But aren’t you blind already?”