The marches and demonstrations that took place across the country and worldwide on Donald Trump’s first day in office sent a clear message to the new administration that “We, the People” will not retreat from the hard-fought gains achieved in improving the human condition. The voices of millions resoundingly decried, among other things, Trump’s potential limiting of protections afforded under the Voting Rights Act (owing to his nomination of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions as Attorney General), as well as of women’s rights to choose; his reluctance, if not refusal, to support increasing the minimum wage, as well as for ensuring equal pay for women; his intention to withdraw from our commitments to combat climate change, in the Paris Agreement; as well as his willingness to jeopardize the provision of adequate health care for millions, by scrapping the Affordable Care Act.
That Trump’s dark, false portrayal of America, including his failure to bring unity to the country in his inaugural speech were disconcerting; that his intended reductions in federal regulatory standards that provide for clean air and water safeguards, in the name of spurring industrial growth, are deeply troubling; that his questionable, if not highly suspicious, ties to Russia may have been treasonous; that his continued animus towards the press and dissenting opinion is an affront to our right to free speech; as well as his repeated misrepresentations of incontrovertible facts should — taken together — give every American grave cause for concern.
His cabinet picks, regrettably, merely serve to widen this already yawning chasm that separates him from the majority of voters who opposed him at the polls. Betsy DeVos, Rick Perry and Ben Carson (Education, Energy, and Housing and Urban Development) are woefully unqualified and unfit; and Rex Tillerson, Scott Pruitt, Steven Mnuchin and Tom Price (State, Evironmental Protection Agency, Treasury, and Health and Human Services) are ethically compromised.
In short, not since the Civil War, which pitted region against region and neighbor against neighbor, has our nation been as divided as it is today. Never before — at least in the modern era — have we had a president who is so justifiably unpopular.
On the bright side, hope springs eternal as a result of Saturday’s nationwide marches and of those around the world, which demonstrated stunning solidarity and the redoubling of hope and confidence that Trump’s initiatives can be thwarted. The challenge, no doubt, will be to maintain a unified voice and to inspire active engagement at many levels in the coming months, if not the next four years.
Right now, let us hope President Trump and Congress are getting the message.
• Richard Hebhardt is a semi-retired educator who has lived in Juneau since 2005. He formerly was a superintendent for the Bristol Bay Borough, Copper River and Skayway school districts, and currently provides consulting services to school districts across the state. His opinions are his own.
