Note: This column has been updated. Whew! Days after the nationwide “No Kings” protest rallies, including truly peaceful ones here in central Ohio, I’m happy to report that we — still — have no king in the U.S. of A.
Of course we haven’t had a sovereign here since we kicked ole King George III out of our Whigs 249 years ago but I’m glad we rejected a monarchy again this summer —just for good measure. Yet I remain curious if those who participated in this exercise of mostly rhetorical self-flagellation genuinely believe they accomplished anything.
Protest is as American as baseball and apple pie. Public dissent can be powerful in galvanizing public opinion and influencing policy. This is particularly so when the cause is just, actionable, and generally consistent with — or at least not directly opposed to — already evolving public sentiment. The outcry for civil rights for Black Americans in the 1960s is an excellent example.
The country was sharply divided on the issue and the protests themselves. But the cause was consistent with our constitutional promises and eventually garnered widespread public and political support.
That era produced the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, skin color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Title IX amendments followed in 1972, assuring equal opportunities and protections for females in education programs and activities.
Trump is no Kennedy but there are parallels
The period was also notable for widespread political violence, with the assassinations of President Kennedy in 1963, followed five years later by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and presidential candidate Robert “Bobby” Kennedy — President Kennedy’s brother.
Many recall President Kennedy as a popular leader.
Yet his 303 Electoral College victory margin to Nixon’s 219 was virtually identical to that of President Trump’s 2024 win at 312 to Harris at 226.
Today, despite his electoral mandate, those who oppose Trump — certain of their moral righteousness — act as if the will of the majority who elected him somehow doesn’t count.
Yes, I know Trump’s no Jack Kennedy (is anyone?).
I have no expectation to hear from Mr. Trump any lofty oratory or call to a higher purpose. But a majority of Americans backed many of JFK’s policies then, and a significant majority of our countrymen firmly support much of Trump’s agenda today.
Stopping illegal immigration and fulfilling the original intent of the Civil Rights Act and Title IX by ending racial preferences and protecting female sports and private spaces all have significant majority support.
And, just as Kennedy well understood the existential threat posed by the then Soviet Union, today it’s Trump and his electoral majority that understand the threat of Islamic terrorism and China’s growing economic and military power.
While Kennedy fought against the moral stain of racism, Trump recognizes and stands against the similarly insidious evil of antisemitism.
A wake up call
The parallels continue. As in the era of JFK and MLK, political violence and lawlessness are once again back in vogue. The last five years have seen the January 6 assault on the U. S. Capitol, riots associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, anti-Israel and pro-Islamist protests on college campuses, and, most recently, disturbances in LA against Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Regardless of anyone’s political preferences, two assassination attempts on Trump during last year’s presidential campaign should have awakened a bipartisan sense of outrage. Instead, his opponents seemingly bemoan the would-be assassins’ bad aim and wish for better luck next time.
The killings of a health insurance CEO, two Israeli Embassy staffers, a Democratic legislator in Minnesota and her husband, riots in LA, a fatal shooting in Utah, and even “peaceful protest” signs calling to “8647” (a reference to killing Trump) are celebrated or brushed aside.
I’m glad Midwest nice seems to have generally prevailed during the “No Kings” protests in Ohio as there were no reports of violence or vandalism.
I was visiting family in Chicago, and it seemed the same there.
Trump openly campaigned, achieved an electoral victory, and retains widespread support for the policies now animating the protestors. Their signs say they want no kings but it seems more likely they just want one who’ll do their bidding instead.
New Albany resident Philip Derrow is a retired business owner. He was a two-term member of the New Albany-Plain Local Board of Education. He is a regular Columbus Dispatch contributor. Reach him at philderrowdispatch@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Protesters wouldn’t mind king who did their will. Trump, JFK have parallels.| Opinion
Reporting by Philip Derrow / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
