The Silence of the Bushes
At what point has one done enough during a crisis?
Is it essential that people who spoke words of warnings against an impending catastrophe keep advocating when their warnings are ignored and the catastrophe occurs as predicted?
When does enough reach the point of being enough?
Former president Barack Obama and presidential candidate Kamala Harris are continually criticized for not speaking out enough against the current regime.
The same regime that Obama campaigned against and Harris ran against.
Why is the burden weighted towards the former president and former presidential candidate speaking out?
Where is the criticism about former president Bush not speaking out?
He’s a former president.
He belongs to the same political party as the current president.
Doesn’t he bear more of a burden of speaking out than Obama and Harris?
Being more ideologically closer to the president, his words may carry more weight for people who still need convincing.
The people who need to wake up, the people who still support the president and continue to drink the poisoned Kool-Aid are not Democratic voters or most independent voters.
The people who need the scales removed from their eyes, who need to smell the coffee, and wake from their zombie-like devotion are people who belong to the Republican Party.
It certainly feels like we are in an “all hands on deck” situation, given the attack on Iran, and everything that will come with it.
It is hard not to feel a mortifying sense of dread when you contemplate that the Secretary of Defense is an idiotic blunderer who leaks national security matters during a group chat, the Secretary of State is a witless sycophant, the head of anti-terrorism is a twenty-two year old with no experience, and the president is so clueless he posts the location of the planes that carried out the Iranian bombing mission.
But let’s be clear about who feel asleep and who needs to wake up.
Barack Obama vigorously campaigned for Kamala Harris and against this president.
He warned America what could and would happen if the president regained the White House. He is speaking out, but he isn’t doing so enough to suit some people. That’s their problem.
Harris ran against the president. The timing and manner of her candidacy was not ideal, but it shouldn’t have mattered.
The choice was stark, whether it was between President Biden and the current president, or Vice President Harris and the current president.
Many White people in this country, including White women, did not want another Black president.
They especially did not want a Black female president.
They wanted the worst kind of rerun – one where you know that the plot is bad, the actors are worse, and the outcome is infuriating, but you rewatch it anyway.
They knew that this time would be even worse because this time, even less qualified actors would be playing the supporting roles.
The main actor would be the same.
The same person who caused millions of deaths because of inaction during a pandemic.
The one who called White Supremacists “very fine people.”
The guy who drove the economy down to the earth’s core yet campaigned for reelection as if his economic legacy was a land of milk and honey.
His reelection was fueled by racism and sexism, and don’t listen to anyone who tells you different.
It was also fueled by xenophobia and nativism and underwritten by greedy billionaires who want to return to the age of robber barons.
Barack can speak out until he is hoarse, but he’s been speaking out.
Kamala can speak her truth and tell the truth, but she already did that on the campaign trail.
If either of them are sparing in their words, or remain mute, don’t blame them.
Blame the conservatives who didn’t speak out.
Blame the virulent racists, the White Supremacists who look at a badly tanned, petulant White man and see strength and leadership.
Blame the former “compassionate conservative” ex-president who hasn’t opened his mouth.
Blame the people who stayed at home because “there was no difference between the two parties.”
Blame the people who kept crying about “Genocide Joe.” (Where are the “Dropping Bombs Donald” nicknames?)
Blame the people who voted for Jill Stein, Cornel West, and anyone else who didn’t stand a chance of winning.
Whatever you do and whoever you want to blame,
Don’t blame Barack or Kamala.
The ones who shoulder the blame should be leading the resistance.
Speak up, George W.