Dick Spotswood: For America to continue, political bubbles must be burst
North Bay Democrats are angry. They’re fearful that a 249-year-old experiment of self-government is collapsing before their eyes. They’re experiencing the sage prediction of “The Old Curmudgeon,” H. L. Mencken coming true.
On July 26, 1920, the legendary writer and cynic wrote in his Baltimore Evening Sun column, “As democracy is perfected, the office of the president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
On Saturday, an estimated 5,000 of those Democrats, constitutional Republicans and “no party preference” independents gathered at Marin’s Civic Center. Indivisible Marin, the organizer of the “Hands Off! Marin Fights Back” rally, succeeded beyond expectations.
In Santa Rosa, more than 5,000 filled Courthouse Square. The Press Democrat reports that in the town of Sonoma, population 10,619, “an estimated 3,000 people packed the historic downtown plaza chanting ‘Worst president ever’ before marching down Broadway.”
I admire the two-person Republican contingent standing on the Highway 101 pedestrian overpass linking Strawberry with Mill Valley. They were waiving a banner in support of President Donald Trump and an American flag. That shows guts. More GOP adherents should emulate them by publicly standing up for Trump so that their friends, neighbors and business clients know where they stand.
I was disappointed to not see more American flags at the Civic Center. Liberals need to reclaim the red, white and blue and proclaim, “America is already great.” Once, the political left denied that reality and the right praised American exceptionalism. Those roles are now reversed. Likewise, Democrats and independents need to readopt the term “patriot” to show their loyalty.
Handmade posters carried at the “Hands Off” rally were imaginative. Those with a bit of humor carried the most punch.
The best included, “Donald Trump, Russia’s Employee of the Month;” “How is the cult working out for you?” “So bad even introverts are here;” “Love thy neighbor, no exceptions;” “Make my 401K great again;” “IKEA has better cabinets;” Extra credit for Dino, an Australian sheepdog-lab mix wearing the sign, “Dogs not DOGE,” in reference to the Department of Government Efficiency run by Trump “special advisor” Elon Musk.
Marching and rallying alone won’t save America’s democracy-based republic. We may have already reached the point of no return. Yet, the resistance needs to start somewhere. Huge popular events assure patriots that they aren’t alone.
Republicans would be prudent to recall the old political adage, “What goes around, comes around.” Democrats and independents are learning that to survive in this new political world, they’ll need to play by some of the rough-and-tumble precepts in the “Trump-Musk administration” rulebook.
Is Marin in a politically “blue” bubble? Absolutely yes. Of its 173,872 voters, 107,630 are registered as Democrats, and my fellow “no party preference” independents come in second with 33,238. Many of those were formerly mainline Republicans. Placing third, 22,119 are registered with the GOP.
In 2025 America, the nation is composed of thousands of concentric political bubbles. Everyone lives in a bubble. There are urban, rural, suburban and Deep South bubbles. Places like Biloxi, Mississippi are in a politically “red” bubble.
Hopefully, the day will come when those bubbles burst. It’s the only way that the U.S. can survive as 50 unified states. If that blessed event comes to pass, then Barack Obama’s optimistic statement may again prove to be accurate.
“Tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America; there is the United States of America,” the former president said. “There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.”
Those were the days. Will we see them again? That’s up to you and me and our fellow patriots who swear to fight for country over party.
Columnist Dick Spotswood of Mill Valley writes on local issues Sundays and Wednesdays. Email him at spotswood@comcast.net.