Hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered in the nation's capital yesterday to celebrate the spirit of democracy-most in support of the president's second inauguration, some in protest. Democratic and liberal activists from around the country, including a contingent of UW-Madison students led by Stop the War, exercised their Constitutional freedoms in a defiant display of highly organized counter-inaugural events.
According to www.counter-inaugural.org, the online communication and resource center for groups involved in this last week's series of proceedings, hundreds of groups from at least 41 states were expected to participate in activities ranging from a mock-auction of Social Security to anti-administration street theater and imitation inaugural balls-not to mention the dozens of demonstrations along the Inaugural parade path itself.
These concentrated efforts are tired attempts to garner the national spotlight and cast doubt on the legitimacy of President Bush's re-election. Despite independent media and Democratic Party assurances that the Ohio results in last November's election are accurate, some from the anyone-but-Bush crowd fail to face reality and, characteristically, assume that they have somehow been screwed over-again.
Protest activities have become a quasi-profession for many in recent years. Democratic activists, some UW-Madison students included, made news in August when they protested outside the Republican National Convention in New York City. The demonstrations were intended to be peaceful, but 1,700 activists were arrested throughout the week.
Yesterday's counter-inaugural festivities were largely nonviolent, but media coverage of objectors rushing the parade route-barrier, burning an American flag and igniting a small fire on the sidewalk of Pennsylvania Avenue can only deepen the Democratic Party's already gaping wounds. Generally speaking, protest activities are often spun and, as a consequence, viewed as un-patriotic or anti-American. However unjustified these assertions are, the court of public opinion is rooted in emotion, and attacking the President on his big day could have adverse effects for liberals and their campaign.
Democrats around the country ought to cringe as mannerisms once linked to fringe, radical political activists are more and more associated with the mainstream Democratic movement-an organization that failed to connect with the average American in November, falling more than 3 million votes short in the presidential election and losing several seats in both chambers of Congress.
While their positions are admirable, the work of counter-inaugurals would be better placed in efforts that begin to repair the image of the Democratic Party instead of jeopardizing it.
