Now you might think I'm referring to the government of the United States, yes that United States, separating parents and children, transporting the children, some as young as three months old, around the country and putting them in camps.
You might think I'm referring to the President of these very same United States advocating for tearing up the Constitution and due process to kick as many people he doesn't like out of the country as quickly as possible.
But no that's not it at all. Apparently, according to our esteemed guardians of democracy, the Washington press establishment, these are truly dark days because one of the faces and voices of the administration and its policies was denied service at a restaurant in Virginia.
I'm sure you've heard the details of the story by now. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump's press secretary, who lies to the press and the American people on a daily basis (well the days they actually hold press briefings), and has spun the various stories and explanations for this policy that violates American and International laws, was asked to leave a restaurant. The owner asked her to leave after her staff told her they felt uncomfortable serving Sanders. Much of the staff are either LGBTQ and/or immigrants. Since this Administration is expending a lot of time and energy trying to insure LGBTQ people can be treated as second class citizens, and are referring to immigrants, and beginning to treat them the same way the Nazis did the Jews, they were not inclined to break bread with and serve the face and voice of these policies.
You can agree or disagree about this. Reasonable people already have. I can't say I'm 100% certain how I feel about it myself, both from a philosophical viewpoint and the practical stance of tactics.
What I am sure about though is the entirely hypocritical and outrageous screaming from both the right wing, the Administration and the press about the incident. And yes the usual mealy-mouthed, let's all play nice together reactions from the usual Democratic suspects - I'm looking at you Axelrod, Schumer and Pelosi.
The hypocrisy of the conservatives in this matter is neither surprising nor stunning. We've come to expect nothing less from these snowflakes. They have spent years championing the rights of businesses to refuse service to gays in the name of religious freedom. They rallied to the cause of the County Clerk, Kim Davis, in Kentucky who refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples because it didn't square with her personal religious beliefs. But a private business owner doesn't want to serve a member of the Trump Administration because of how they treat the groups of people many of her workers are drawn from, and it's the end of civilization as we know it.
The media is even worse. We are putting kids in cages. In the United States. In 2018. We are ripping families apart. The President is advocating for the end of due process when it comes to immigration. He is stopping attempts at asylum, a violation of laws and treaties the United States is party to. He advocates violence against protesters and calls both the press and his opponents "treasonous". He lies every time he opens his mouth.
But the real calamity for the Washington press corps is a restaurant in Virginia refusing to serve Sanders, or Rep. Maxine Waters calling for public protest and shaming of Trump Administration members to combat the policies that have us sliding towards authoritarianism.
Lock up kids. Do away with civil liberties and civil rights. Threaten the press. Make nice with Nazis and dictators. Lead your crowds in threats against political opponents while you call them disparaging names. Question the birthplace of the first black President. But yeah civility died when someone told the bully "enough!"
Which is what makes the reaction of the inside the Beltway Democratic leadership even more infuriating. The media and Republicans have been playing a one way game for decades now. The GOP has been saying nasty things about Democrats, have been trampling the norms of our democracy for a long time without being called on it. Stealing a Supreme Court seat, unprecedented use of the filibuster, playing into fear and prejudice and using every tragedy as an excuse to go after Democrats.
But the Democratic leadership still acts like this is high school civics class. If they take the high road and make good principled rational arguments and act like the reasonable adults, they will win the day and democracy will be saved.
Well it ain't working. The GOP was nasty as nasty could be over the last decade. The press never called them on it and they were never punished at the polls for the behavior.
If democracy in America is worth saving, then it's worth taking off the gloves for. Show some spine and some grit Beltway Democrats. The rank and file is already way ahead of you on this. Listen to your base for once instead of the pundit class.