Reminder: 290 and 67. The 290 represents how many U.S. House of Representatives members it takes to override a presidential veto (all Representatives are up for reelection this year). It takes 67 U.S. Senators to override a presidential veto (35 Senators are up for reelection this year with 22 of those being Republicans—the ones we have to concentrate on the most). These numbers are very important this year at the ballot box because it will take this number of votes to help right this vast ship of a country for all of us, not just the billionaire class.
This past week I was in our nation’s capitol for a work project. It had been over a year since my last visit, and boy has it changed. And not for the good.
The first thing I noticed is how quiet the city seems right now. There was always a bit of a buzz in the background. You could just hear the sounds and feel the energy of constant movement and power. This time was far more subdued with a bit of fear lingering in the air, for good reason.
Almost everyone I went there were a set of National Guards loitering about or walking in what seemed to always be a group of four. It was actually quite jarring to see them the first time, and in places where one wouldn’t expect. Many others have written about the Guard being in places that are the safest already in the city, such as Georgetown, a very affluent part of city. I also saw them walking around the DuPont Circle area where I was staying, on a median behind the Lincoln Memorial, around the Reflecting Pool, by the White House Elliptical area, among others, oftentimes standing next to military vehicles. One of the people I worked with this week who is from the D.C. area framed it differently. They framed it as not about who was being protected, but who were the Guard meant to keep out.
I think this occupation is playing a part in what I also noticed. There were far fewer people around the monuments than I’ve ever seen during a visit, even in the heat of July. Usually it is hard to get around the people on the Lincoln Memorial steps and can be a trial of patience to get a clear picture of Lincoln. The Washington Monument is usually crowded as well with locals playing soccer or other games, or just hanging out, in the grassy areas surrounding the base. Sidewalks are usually crowded with people moving about by foot, scooters, or bikes. Not this time.
There is also fencing everywhere blocking access to the people’s places. We’ve all seen the fencing around the Reflecting Pool, and as a side note, it just makes the Lincoln Memorial and the Pool just look so depressing and uninviting rather than inspiring. There are also fences around the entire block of the Elliptical grassy area in front of the White House making it near impossible to get a picture of the White House if one really wanted one. There is a plastic fence surrounding one area to the side of the Washington Monument. The kicker, which I must have missed in the news, is that Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, the people’s house not the president’s, is completely blocked off. From what I could tell, you just can’t get a view of the White House anymore from Pennsylvania Avenue due to security and what appears to possibly be construction containers. I wanted to get a picture of the destruction area of the East Wing, but that is essentially impossible to do.
There is evidence of Trump’s obsession with gold plating around the city. The most striking, which was just talked about in the news late this week, is the covering of statuary on one of main bridges into D.C. from Virginia and the airport. Seeing the first of the revealed statues was a shock to the system because they are just so out of place. I asked some locals if this was supposed to have been their natural look to which they replied no as the original was most likely copper—that made more sense. They also shared it was the first time anyone has seen what had happened as the construction tarps had just been removed in the last couple of days. It was just so gaudy, so tacky, so disrespectful, and sadly, not the last of the statues being done in this way. More are being covered in the tacky gold, all at the cost to us taxpayers for something no one asked for or wanted.
In seeing the tarps still covering the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, I just had to laugh. Not because it was funny to see the tarps, but because of the smallness and pettiness of the person who commands the tarps stay, President Trump. To have the tarps stay just so no one will see he lost the court case to have his name removed and the façade returned to its original glory. It is like a petulant child who gets mad and takes his ball home so that no one else can play because things weren’t going his way. It really reminded me of a two-year-old temper tantrum. I think it is high time the courts rule that tarp should be taken down just because of the ridiculousness of it all.
The last stop on my walking tour around town was the Department of Justice. Most of us have probably seen the banner, with Trump’s face on it, that has been hung on the Justice building proclaiming “Make American Safe Again.” The picture, of course, is his Georgia mug shot for whatever reason. What I actually found quite humorous was seeing the actual name of the building, something I didn’t know. The building is officially called, “The U.S. Department of Justice John F. Kennedy Building.” This is yet another building in which Trump is trying to equate himself to the beloved President Kennedy, a president who is remembered as a presidency of great hope and faith, something history will never equate to Trump’s presidency, neither of them.
My last laugh of irony was on my ride to the airport. We passed a building named, of all things, the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. An oxymoron if there ever was one.
After my visit, all I could think is that Washington is the physical manifestation and a clear example of the Trump presidency. Destruction, bluster, waste, and rampant chaos. Trump seems to be the Mad King George, Hitler, Mussolini, and hints of other tyrants all rolled into one. Just as with these three tyrants and authoritarian leaders of the past, Trump too is surrounded by men (and women) of low moral character, lack of any ethics, or empathy for others wanting only the power and money that come from proximity to the leader of the same ilk.
As sad as all of the above is, we still have time to take the first step to self-correction. The mid-term elections are just a few months away. All of us, whether you have voted before or this will be your first time, need to stand as one to defeat every single elected official who enables Trump and his policies, including those at the state and local levels.
With primary season close to its end, make sure for these last few of the candidates you are choosing for the general election. Do they support data centers? Are they getting donations from AIPAC, Crypto, AI or other similar companies? Have they publicly stated to release the Epstein files? Have they stood up in a meaningful way against the tactics of ICE, Border Patrol, and the U.S. Supreme Court? Have they publicly stated they believe in equal and civil rights for marginalized groups? Have they taken action against keeping the SAVE Act from being passed and implemented? Have they publicly stated they will support the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the end of gerrymandering? Have they actively participated in or spoken at a Protest to save democracy?
We need fighters like John Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, Bernie Sanders, Liz Cheney, Jasmine Crockett, Brian Schatz, AOC, Adam Kinzinger, Letitia James, Fani Willis, Zohran Mamdani, and many others.
We need fighters like you who continue to document, write letters, send postcards, e-mail, call politicians and the press, and physically protest to save our country from the hands of our own Mad King George.
Most importantly, we need all of us to show up at the polls in November in numbers not seen before. Even higher than those that showed up in November 2020. Don’t sit this one out and make sure to check on your voter registration status on a regular basis, especially if your governor, legislature, or state attorney general is in the hands of a Republican and/or a Trump imitator, such as Indiana, Arkansas, or Texas.
Together we can, together we must!
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