To the Editor,
The Oscars and Golden Globe award shows always draw much larger television viewing audiences than the White House Correspondents Association Dinner that was held on Saturday night. Being a bit of a political junkie, I watched the main speeches where U.S. President Joe Biden tried to become a comedian, while the invited comedian Colin Jost somehow ended up sounding like a politician.
Seeing this huge crowd assembled at the White House from across the spectrum of politics, journalism, commerce and show business reminded me that it’s all entertainment for the masses, who should really not take anyone concerned too seriously. No mention was made of the large crowd outside the White House calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, nor of the rapidly-growing protests erupting on American college campuses against military and monetary support of Israel.
Watching these protests unfold recently reminded me of events in 1968, when college students and other youngsters— including me—were protesting against America’s role in the Vietnam War. Back then, beleaguered President Lyndon Baines Johnson announced in the late evening on the last day of March that he would not seek, nor accept, the Democratic Party’s nomination for a second term as president. With anti-war protests escalating across the country, the Democrat National Convention held in Chicago in August 1968 turned into a shambolic riot.
Fast-forward to 2024: this year’s Democratic Nation Convention is slated for August in Chicago, and anti-war protests are escalating. In 1968’s election, Republican Richard Nixon won by a landslide, in no small measure due to how the Democrats mishandled anti-war protests.
Despite all the legal trials and tribulations that Republican Donald Trump has to deal with today, he still leads Joe Biden in critical polling for November’s election. Could we really see history repeating itself ?
Bernie Smith,
Parksville, B.C.