To the surprise of absolutely nobody – except perhaps the MAGA cultists who bought the nonsense about impending “antifa” “Marxist” “terrorist” violence – the patriots who marched on Saturday numbered in the multi millions and did so in peace, in red states as well as blue, in cities like Boise, Idaho as well as my own Philadelphia.
If this grassroots movement is to have any chance of foiling the fascists who are destroying democracy and the rule of law, it will need to galvanize the communities that helped elect the criminal regime. I was pleased to see multitudes on the streets, but I wonder how many of those people voted for Trump in 2024. I suspect the percentage was small. The next time, it needs to be sizable.
It was all well and good, at the rally that fronted Independence Hall, to applaud House members Jamie Ruskin and Madeleine Dean (both Democrats) and various labor union speakers (who favor Democrats), but their participation was de rigueur. A certain kind of speaker still needs to come forward, somewhere, some time soon, saying something like this:
“On this day we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution and recall the deep commitments that unite our country…
“There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment and expose the pretensions of tyrants and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom…
“Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen and defended by citizens and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities…
“Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny…
“In America’s ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character, on integrity and tolerance toward others and the rule of conscience…
“Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before, ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today, and forever…
“Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time…
“Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth are bound to one another in the cause of freedom…We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul…
“When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, ‘It rang as if it meant something.’ In our time, it means something still…Liberty will come to those who love it.”
That was George W. Bush. At his second Inaugural, on Jan. 20, 2005.
I remember that address only because I was sitting in the fifth row below his podium in the teeth-chattering chill, praying that my pens wouldn’t freeze. His words came to mind during No Kings II because the sentiments therein are precisely what some prominent Republicans need to say if we are to reverse the decimation of the America we love.
Strange bedfellows are desperately needed. It’s not enough for anti-Trump voters to show up en masse and laugh at the witty placards and applaud speakers they always agree with. Hopefully, in aforementioned Boise, Idaho and other red enclaves, there were rally attendees who voted MAGA but have now recoiled from the horrors they put in motion. Perhaps their numbers would grow exponentially if Republicans like Bush stepped forward.
Michael Steele, a former national Republican chairman, writes: “We could really use Bush’s voice right now. He has a voice that would resonate with a lot more Americans than even he may believe. Imagine how much more powerful this movement of Americans would be with his voice added to it. I know he may not agree with everything being said, but I have faith that he still believes in the principles of democracy. Even a single sentence from him would matter.”
Sadly, he has walked away from public life. He’d rather paint than fuel the democratic movement. That’s his choice, but surely there must be Republicans who still believe in the democratic values that Bush voiced in that second Inaugural, who still love the America that nurtured them, who still hew to the principles of the Constitution they swore to uphold in elective office. Their continued silence puts sand in the movement’s gears; what the movement sorely needs is a bipartisan imprimatur.
At his Inaugural 20 years ago, Bush challenged his listeners: “Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?” If only we could answer in the affirmative.
Copyright 2025 Dick Polman, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Dick Polman, a veteran national political columnist based in Philadelphia and a Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania, writes the Subject to Change newsletter. Email him at [email protected]