WHY WON’T ANY OF HIS PEERS SPE
>>> WHEN NIXON INVADED CAMBODIA,
THE PROTUSESTS ERUPTED AGAIN AND
AT KENT STATE IN OHIO, FOUR
STUDENTS WERE SHOT TO DEATH BY
NATIONAL GUARDSMEN.
FOUR DAYS LATER IN NEW YORK,
PROTESTERS WERE ATTACKED BY
PRO-NIXON CONSTRUCTION WORKERS,
HARD HATS.
AT THE WHITE HOUSE NIXON
ACCEPTED A HARD HAT AS A GIFT.
AN UNMISTAKABLE SYMBOL FOR HIS
BASE.
NIXON WENT AFTER THE SAME
PROTESTERS HIMSELF.
>> THEY’RE THE SAME THUGS.
>> THAT’S A PORTION OF THE PIECE
TOM BROKAW DID FOR US A FEW
YEARS AGO ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF
NIXON’S SILENT MAJORITY SPEECH.
AND THAT SO-CALLED HARD HAT RIOT
IS A SCENE YOU FOCUS ON FOR YOUR
LATEST ARTICLE FOR "THE
WASHINGTON POST" ENTITLED TRUMP
IS DESTROYING THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY, WHY WON’T ANY OF HIS
PEERS SPEAK UP.
IN IT YOU WRITE THIS, PERHAPS NO
SCENE BETTER DRAMATIZES THE
TURBULENT POLITICAL AGE WE HAVE
BEEN PASSING THROUGH FOR HALF A
CENTURY THAN THE HARD HAT RIOT
OF 1970.
THAT VIOLENT SHOW DOWN PITTED
PROTESTERS AGAINST ENRAGED UNION
MEMBERS WHO TOOK UMBRAGE AT LONG
HAIRED HIPPIES THEY SAW AS
DESECRATING THE AMERICAN FLAG.
THE EVENT LONG AGO PASSED INTO
POLITICAL FOLK LORE FOR
CONSERVATIVES.
HELPING TO IDENTIFY THE MOMENT
WHEN WHITE WORK CLASS IDENTITY
SHIFTED FROM ECONOMIC TO
CULTURAL
CULTURAL.
THE NEW CLASS WAR WOULD BE WAGED
NOT AGAINST THE OLD CORPORATE
ROBBER BARRENS BUT THE SNOBS OF
THE CULTURAL ELITE.
THAT SHIFT MAY EXPLAIN WHY SO
MANY WORKING-CLASS AMERICANS
HAVE BEEN VOTING AGAINST THEIR
OWN ECONOMIC INTERESTS FOR SO
LONG.
THEN PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON
DECLARED THANK GOD FOR THE HARTD
HATS AND BEGAN BUILDING A NEW
MAJORITY INCLUDING WHITE
WORKING-CLASS VOTERS WHO
SUPPORTED THE POLITICIANS THEY
SAW AS BACKING THE TROOPS AND
REVERING THEIR SACRIFICE.
FOR DECADES, REPUBLICAN
POLITICIANS AND THOUGHT LEADERS
FOLLOWED NIXON’S LEAD, EVEN WHEN
THAT MEANT SHAMELESSLY ATTACKING
DEMOCRATIC WAR HEROES FOR THE
POLITICAL CRIME OF BEING
INSUFFICIENTLY PATRIOTIC.
GIVEN THE PARTY’S BRASH SUPPORT
OF ALL THINGS PATRIOTIC, THE
PAST WEEK’S DEVELOPMENTS HAVE
BEEN DISORIENTING EVEN FOR THE
AGE OF TRUMP.
BOB WOODWARD’S NEW REF LAGSS
REGARDING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S
PANDEMIC PERFORMANCE WILL
FOREVER TARNISH THE 45th
PRESIDENT’S LEGACY.
BUT TRUMP’S SAVAGE ATTACKS ON
AMERICA’S MILITARY LEADERS AND
WAR DEAD WILL LEAVE A LASTING
SCAR ON HIS REPUBLICAN PARTY.
THE PLAYBOY SCION WHO AVOIDED
MILITARY SERVICE IN VIETNAM BY
CLAIMING BONE SPURS TOLD
WOODWARD THAT THE DECORATED
MILITARY LEADERS WHO SERVE HIM
ARE "PUSSIES" AND SUCKERS.
THAT’S THE WORD HE USED.
IT CAN BE NO COINCIDENCE THAT THE PRESIDENT REPORTEDLY ALSO
THE PRESIDENT REPORTEDLY ALSO
CALLED THE 1,800 MARINES WHO
DIED AT BELLEAU WOODS SUCKERS
FOR GIVING THEIR LIVES IN WAR.
AFTER THOSE COMMENTS WERE
REPORTED BY THE ATLANTIC’S
JEFFREY GOLDBERG, TRUMP MADE IT
WORSE FOR HIMSELF BY MOUNTING A
DEFENSE THAT SHOWED JUST HOW
MUCH HE LOATHED THE MILITARY AND
THOSE WHO SERVE AS ITS LEADERS.
THEY WANT TO DO NOTHING BUT
FIGHT WARS SO THAT ALL OF THOSE
WONDERFUL COMPANIES THAT MAKE
THE BOMBS AND MAKE THE PLANES
AND MAKE EVERYTHING ELSE STAY
HAPPY TRUMP BLURTED OUT AT A
NEWS CONFERENCE.
THIS COMMANDER IN CHIEF OFFERING
LECTURES ON THE EXCESSES OF THE
MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX IS
LAUGHABLE.
HE HAS, AFTER ALL, CHAMPIONED
WEAPONS SALES LIKE NO PRESIDENT
BEFORE HIM.
TRUMP EVEN REFUSED TO CANCEL
BILLIONS IN ARMED SALES TO SAUDI
ARABIA AFTER THE KILLING OF POST
COLUMNIST JAMAL KHASHOGGI
BECAUSE HE DIDN’T WANT TO LOSE
AN ORDER LIKE THAT. HE SAID DOING SO WOULD BE UNFAIR
HE SAID DOING SO WOULD BE UNFAIR
TO BOEING, LOCK HEED AND WRATH
RAETHON.
TRUMP’S REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS
BEEN DAMAGED YET AGAIN BY THEIR
LEADER’S OFFENSIVE STATEMENTS.
IT HAS ALSO LOST ANY CLAIM IT
EVER HAD AT BEING THE U.S.
MILITARY’S BULWARK AGAINST LEFT
WING ATTACKS.
PERHAPS LINDSEY GRAHAM WAS RIGHT
WHEN HE PREDICTED THAT TRUMP
WOULD DESTROY THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY.
THE QUESTION THAT REMAINS IS WHY
THE SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR, AND
SO MANY OF HIS PEERS, STAY
SILENT WHILE THE HONOR OF OUR
MILITARY LEADERS IS UNDER ATTACK
BY AMERICA’S PRESIDENT.
ONE WONDERS WHAT THE HARD HAT
RIOTERS WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT
THAT.
>> DAVID IGNATIUS, I, OF COURSE,
HAVE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE
FACT THAT DONALD TRUMP IS
DESTROYING THE CONSERVATIVE
MOVEMENT FOR YEARS, TALKING
ABOUT THAT HE WAS A BIG SPENDING
DEMOCRAT, DEFICITS, DEBTS, NATO,
DESTROYING NATO, COZYING UP TO
RUSSIA.
ALL THE THINGS WE
CONSERVATIVES -- OPPOSITE OF
WHAT WE’VE ALWAYS DONE.
BUT THIS PAST WEEK REALLY HAS
BEEN AN EXTRAORDINARY BREACH OF
WHAT REPUBLICANS ALWAYS CLAIM
THEY WERE TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
THIS BULWARK AGAINST ATTACKS,
YOU REMEMBER THE HARD HAT RIOTS,
YOU REMEMBER REPUBLICANS AND
NIXON TAKING UP THE MANTLE OF
AMERICA LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT,
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.
NOW YOU HAVE AN AMERICAN
PRESIDENT CALLING OUR WAR DEAD
SUCKERS, YOU HAVE HIM ON TAPE
USING THE VILIST OF WORDS
ATTACKING PEOPLE LIKE JAMES
MATTIS AND OTHERS WHO FOUGHT IN
WARS LIKE VIETNAM.
I’M JUST WONDERING WHAT YOUR
TAKE IS ABOUT THE RELATIVE
SILENCE OF THESE REPUBLICANS NOT
COMING OUT AND FORCEFULLY
ATTACKING THE PRESIDENT’S JUST
DESECRATION OF OUR WAR DEAD AND
HIS ATTACKS ON THESE MEN AND
WOMEN WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES AND ARE STILL SACRIFICING
AND ARE STILL SACRIFICING
LEADING OUR MILITARY.
>> WE LOST AUDIO.
WE’LL GET BACK TO DAVID.
WILLIE GEIST.
IT IS QUITE A TURN, ISN’T IT?
>> IT IS.
AND IF YOU READ THROUGH THE
RESPONSE TO -- YOU TALKED ABOUT
THE DESECRATION OF MILITARY
VETERANS AND FALLEN HEROES.
IF YOU READ THE RESPONSE NOW
JUST THIS WEEK, THAT WAS LAST
WEEK’S INDICTMENT OF THE
PRESIDENT.
IF YOU READ THIS WEEK’S
RESPONSES ON THE WOODWARD BOOK,
IT’S ACTUALLY STAGGERING BECAUSE
IT’S ALL IN PRINT, IT’S ALL ON
TAPE, THE CONTRADICTIONS, THE
LIES, EVERYTHING THE PRESIDENT
HAS SAID, YET YOU HAVE
REPUBLICAN AFTER REPUBLICAN
FALLING INTO THE BUCKET OF I
DIDN’T READ THE BOOK, I DON’T
HAVE TIME TO READ THE BOOK,
WHICH IS THE LONG-FORM VERSION
OF I DIDN’T SEE THE TWEET.
OR PRAISING THE PRESIDENT AND
THE WHITE HOUSE’S LEADERSHIP.
YOU HAVE MITCH McCONNELL SAYING
OF THE PRESIDENT, QUOTE, HE
SHOULD BE APPLAUDED NOT
CRITICIZED.
MITCH McCONNELL, THE MAJORITY
LEADER, SAID THAT AFTER THE
REVELATIONS IN THE WOODWARD
BOOK.
YOU HAD PEOPLE LIKE TED CRUZ AND
MARCO RUBIO SAYING I DIDN’T READ
THE BOOK, I WON’T READ THE BOOK.
TED CRUZ THIS WEEK ALSO APPEARED
ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SHORT LIST
OF POTENTIAL SUPREME COURT
NOMINEES.
BUT IF YOU CAN’T CRITICIZE
PRESIDENT TRUMP ON THIS, WHEN
IT’S ON THE RECORD, ON TAPE, IN
HIS OWN VOICE AND YOU HAVE THE