Politics (“No-good commie pinky liberal”1)
Originally, I had planned my chapter on Carolynn to be the final one, as I figure our marriage had nicely rounded out my life. Further, I had retired from my position at U.C. Berkeley in 2018, and from the California Academy of Sciences in 2022, and envisioned that afterwards I would enjoy being a “gentleman entomologist” – to wit, free to spend my time collecting insects wherever and whenever I wanted, and with some volunteer work thrown in here and there, and thus would have very little to memorialize.
But then Donald Trump emerged, and his MAGA movement is leaving a terrible, lasting stain on the first half of the twenty-first century. And as a contemporary (2025) memoirist and a witness to the destruction he continues to wrought, I feel it incumbent on me to not let this excrescence pass by unremarked.
But since these are my memoirs, a little personal background is in order. Both my folks were Democrats, my mom being a “rank and file” labor-supporting type. One of her best friends from her nursing days was a woman named Jane who had married a guy named Tom Bianchi; they and their four girls2 lived in San Jose, and our families often visited each other. Tom typically voted democratic, but at one point he switched over to support Reagan, and this left a bad feeling in my mom’s mouth, with subsequent visits a tad less comfortable. My Dad was much less political … and conventional. In 1972 he switched his party affiliation to Republican, just so he could vote (for Pete McCloskey) against Nixon in the primary. As I assume is typical for most kids, politics never paid a big role when growing up, but! … in 1959 my brother Ned and I played at electioneering, writing our candidates names in crayon on cardboard boxes that we placed around the house. Ned followed the family line and chose Kennedy. I chose Nixon, mainly because at six years of age I didn’t know how to spell “Kennedy” while spelling his opponent’s name was a breeze for me. Evidently, we repeated the game two years later when Nixon ran against Pat Brown for the governorship of California, as years later Ned remembered finding shoeboxes on which he had written “Brown”.
In high school I paid scant to politics in general, except I was pretty passionate about one topic: the environment. I didn’t think of myself as a “tree-hugger”, but perhaps that is what I was, as my sole concern was the prevention of environmental degradations. This was the reason, unlike a lot of my classmates, I was not eager to take driver training courses (I was able to rely on my bike for most of my transportation) and didn’t do so until my senior year. The only political discourse I remember in high school was when Kakie Hanson3 characterized Max Rafferty (the then State Superintendent of Public Instruction) as someone who “Leans so far to the right, his armband falls off.” But I did participate in two political activities. In the early 1970’s, there was a Berkeley-based group called “Youth Walks for Survival”, that tried to get high schoolers involved in protesting nuclear proliferation through walks. This had three benefits: 1) it raised some money, 2) it helped to get young people engaged in political activism, and 3) it raised awareness among the general public by having hundreds (or thousands ?) of kids walking around high profile urban areas. It began with us kids getting people to pledge money for each mile walked (I think I got my parents to pay ten cents per mile). A bunch of us from Los Gatos High School piled into a bus early on March 15, 1970, and were driven to Memorial Stadium on the campus of U.C. Berkeley where we joined many hundreds of others from all over the place. The walk started about 7:30am and we basically went down Telegraph Avenue to downtown Oakland, around Lake Merritt, then north along San Pablo Avenue (that was the longest stretch – it never seemed to end) to University Avenue in Berkeley, and thence back to the stadium (touted as 20 miles, but it may have been less). There were several checkpoints along the walk, where we’d get our documentation stamped and make sure we hadn’t strayed from the route – and when we returned home, we’d ask our sponsors to send in money for the pledges (Fig. 9.1). I walked with Kakie Hanson and Mike Donald (class of 1970). My most outstanding memory was Kakie teaching us the Cal drinking song4 on the bus ride up to Berkeley (she had learned it from her older sister who attended Cal).The following year I participated in a second Youth Walks for Survival, this time beginning and ending at the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and going as far as the Golden Gate Bridge. But I have almost no memories of that event.
Because I was basically a “one issue” voter, the Democrats were the only party I ever considered supporting once I became of age to vote (this was long before the Green and other socially progressive parties rose in popularity). But even so, all I ever did was to vote solidly Democrat while occasionally signing a petition – I certainly never gave any money to anyone.
When I attended Berkeley (1971-75) I became somewhat radicalized in my political outlook, as I began to become aware of the problems attributable to unchecked capitalism, and of the interrelatedness of everything. But in truth, my activities never changed much, as my attention remained focused on the environmental issues (as detailed in Chapter 6). My only other “political” memory dates to August 1974, when I was home in Los Gatos between terms at college. I heard that Nixon had just resigned, so emulating Paul Revere, Willam Dawes and Samuel Prescott (this was long before computers, cell phones and social media were available), I hopped on my bike and rode down Roberts Road to reach North Santa Cruz Avenue and then cycled into downtown, yelling “Nixon’s resigned, Nixon’s resigned”.
I had often heard people say that Democracy is fragile and people should not take it for granted. Well, I did take it for granted – even when we got close to a constitutional crisis with the proposed prosecution of Richard Nixon in 1974, the country still came out through that OK, as both Republicans and Democrats in Congress were institutionalists, committed to the rule of law.
But then Donald Trump came along. Frankly I never believed he had a chance at the outset, and initially I was happy when he became the Republican candidate, as I thought that would make it an easier race for Hillary Clinton. Trump continued the party line (of both the Republicans and the Nazis) that their opponents were Communists or Socialists (or at least their puppets), and expecting to lose in 2016, he early on announced “the fix was in”, to explain his anticipated upcoming loss. Well, no one was more gobsmacked than me when Trump ended up with more electoral votes, and suddenly the talk about fixed elections dropped off (until 2020 that is, when Trump’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic helped give Biden the White House, and Trump fell back on his old complaints about rigged elections).
At least in his first term, Trump mostly appointed seasoned, experienced people who were competent at their jobs, and loyal to the Constitution. Thus, his penchant for playing golf and lackadaisical style prevented him from doing tremendous damage. But for the first time in my life I began not only donating money to the Democrats, but also began to take advantage of the audience that Facebook offered (I joined that site in 2020 as a way to contact and encourage old LGHS classmates to attend our then upcoming 50th reunion), and soon began almost daily posting on the problems with Trump and his cult. In short, I began to heed what Elie Wiesel wrote: “Always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
Of course, I was delighted when Biden won the 2020 election, and thought our national nightmare was actually over. But because Trump was in such judicial hot water after his first term, he realized his only way to stay out of the hoosegow was to run for the presidency a second time. And largely due the COVID-19 pandemic induced inflation endured during Biden’s term, Trump was again successful. But this time, he learned from his earlier “mistake” of appointing qualified, experienced people who were devoted to the welfare of the country. Instead, he faithfully followed the guidelines developed by Project 2025, and had no compunctions about basing all his appointments using only a single rubric: will this person be loyal to him above any consideration of ability, experience, or obeying the Constitution? And with Republicans majorities in both houses of Congress, almost all of his initial appointments were confirmed. And once in office, besides pardoning those convicted in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, he went full bore into developing schemes to further enrich himself and his family, and to strive to ensure his hold on power.
Now don’t get me wrong – I have no illusions about the Democratic Party. As the biggest political party throughout much of the 20th Century, their “big tent” included a lot of disparate communities, including labor unions, civil rights organizations, environmental groups, and until George Wallace’s run and Nixon’s “southern strategy” in the late 1960’s, the South. And as electioneering got more and more expensive, the democrats had to cater to the wealthy that they could prise away from the GOP. As such, while giving lip service and supporting at least some “left-wing” issues, the core of the party was still guided by a centralist policy that accepted capitalistic guidelines, resulting in a more or less “steady state” in the economy and governmental bureaucracy.
Philosophically, my politics are probably most aligned with the Green Party, but I am cognizant of the fact that the last time a third party candidate won the presidential election was in 1860. Since then, third party candidates for president have only split off votes from one of the two main parties, often with significant results (in 2000 Ralph Nader’s run for president probably cost Al Gore the election). So although I might support Green candidates for offices such as congressional seats, realpolitik demands that only a Democratic candidate would have any chance of defeating a Republican presidential candidate … which in this day and age now conforms to the MAGA movement that is totally antithetical to all that I believe in.
This is not to say that people on the right of the political spectrum haven’t had anything to complain about. For one thing, bureaucracy can easily get out of control, and that makes for an easy target (although in a society that strives to be fair to all, I find it difficult to come up with a way to streamline bureaucracy that still doesn’t end up favoring one group over another). And over the past several decades we have experienced a host of economic problems as industrial jobs disappear through automation or outsourcing to other countries, while labor unions are quickly going extinct, and the idea of upward social mobility appears to have blown a gasket. Small businesses are disappearing as large box stores and fast-food restaurants take over the economic landscape. High inflation and further job cutbacks during times of stress (like the COVID-19 pandemic) help to further the income gap between average workers and CEOs, as the rate of homeless people in America has steadily risen since 2016. Our nation’s extractive economy perpetuates consumerism and the concentration of wealth and power for the wealthiest through predatory financing and the consumption of natural resources, with little regard for workers or the environmental degradation that ensues. Perhaps the single worst result was the Citizens United v. FEC case, where the Supreme Court found that a corporation enjoys the same benefits as any individual person, but without the responsibilities (one wag said: “I’ll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one”).
But the leaders on the right, instead of focusing on this increasing economic inequity of corporations and political elites, looked to lay the blame elsewhere, in large part driven by distrust or hatred of “the other”. For most of the 20th century this enmity was most reserved for African Americans, but other groups were eventually folded in as well, including women, the LGBTQIA+ community, Hispanics, and Muslims (and for good measure, recently Trump threw in the Democrats into the mix as well). In short, the GOP has turned to using identity politics as a cheap and easy way to appeal to the emotion of voters, regardless of things such as facts5.
And what really frosts me are the experienced GOP politicians and pundits who KNOW the truth about Donald Trump, and yet publicly they still support him6.
Looking back over the last century or so, it strikes me that the United States of America has been unusually graced over the last 40-50 years. In the last half of the 19th century, the country was torn apart by the Civil War, followed by Reconstruction and Jim Crow. Early in the twentieth century, folks of my grandparents’ time had to deal with the First World War, and in my parent’s time, the Great Depression and the Second World War – all of which upset the “normal” lives that people wished to live, as that generation had to deal with men shipped off overseas to be wounded or killed at the front, while civilians faced hardships at home as well. In my youth, my generation had to deal with the Vietnam War and racial unrest in the 1960s and 70s, although during that time large swaths of the population could still enjoy relatively peaceful times. But since then (except for September 11, 2001), the population of the country as a whole has mostly been blessed by the absence of enemy actors, and a general feeling of peace and prosperity (well, except for the occasional financial meltdowns that always pop up here and there). And with such advancements as Social Security, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Medicare, the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, and other progressive acts, America appeared to be moving toward an equalitarian society. So, as my adulthood progressed, I found less and less to get excited about politically (although there were ALWAYS environmental issues that needed to be addressed).
But as Trump and his allies (almost daily) continue their reprehensible agenda, I am now anxious that this long period of domestic tranquility is at risk. So, besides supporting the Dems at the ballot box and shoveling money into their coffers, in 2025 I (so far) participated in five anti-Trump demonstrations: in February I drove down to San Jose (Fig. 9.2) where I met up with fellow LGHS classmate Steve Mann (Fig. 9.3) (not realizing my sister-in-law Merryl was there as well), while two months later I attended another rally outside the north Berkeley BART station, where I couldn’t help but notice Valle Rogers (whom I knew through the Essig Museum) marching on stilts (Fig. 9.4) and some great signs (Fig. 9.5). On Flag Day, I took BART to downtown Oakland to join in one of the numerous “No Kings” rallies were held throughout the nation and attended by millions with my own sign (Fig. 9.6), and joined other protesters in a rally by Lake Merritt in Oakland in August (Fig. 9.7). During perhaps the largest conglomeration of nationwide “No King” protests on October 18, I forewent the Oakland’s main rally in downtown, and instead joined a smaller group (a couple of hundred people) on Broadway, just a four minute walk from my house.
All of these are simple actions that do not require any significant sacrifice on my part. But as Trump sinks further into his narcissism and dementia, I have to consider that more extreme times may be awaiting us, things that a few years ago would have been unthinkable to even contemplate in a country with such a long standing tradition of freedoms that many of us have enjoyed to date. Martial law, the suspension of habeas corpus, the postponement of elections … all of these are possible under Trump’s regime, and have me wondering: will I have the intestinal fortitude to put my liberty and life on the line, in order to help preserve our way if life?
1 Actually, nobody (at least to my knowledge) has ever referred to me by this phrase. It is just an epithet I remember from the 60’s applied to those on the left from those on the right.
2 Annette, Monica, Janet and Vicki: Vicki was terrified of a marionette (named “Dickie”) that my brother owned.
3 Introduced in Chapter 3, section 1.
4 “Oh, they had a little party down in Newport,
There was Harry, there was Mary, there was Grace,
Oh, they had a little party down in Newport,
And they had to carry Harry from the place.
Oh, they had to carry Harry to the ferry,
And the ferry carried Harry to the shore,
And the reason that they had to carry Harry to the ferry
Was that Harry couldn’t carry anymore.
For California, For California
The hills send back the cry
We’re out to do or die,
For California, for California,
We’ll win the game or know the reason why
And when the game is over
We will buy a keg of booze,
And drink to California
‘til we wobble in our shoes.
So drink tra la la,
drink tra la la,
Drink, drank, drunk last night,
Drunk the night before;
And I’m gonna get drunk tonight
Like I never got drunk before;
For when I‘m drunk, I’m as happy as can be
For I am a member of the Souse family.
Now the Souse family is the best family
That ever came over from old Germany.
There’s the Highland Dutch, and the lowland Dutch,
The Rotterdam Dutch, and the Irish.
Sing glorious, victorious
There’s one keg of beer for the four of us.
Sing glory be to God there aren’t any more of us
For one of us could finish it all. Damn near
Here’s to the Irish, dead drink.
The lucky stiffs, they had four fifths.”
[There may be more verses, but this is all I learned]
5 Nothing is more telling than the use of “Alternative facts” coined by Trump’s counselor Kellyanne Conway, when she defended Sean Spicer’s false statement about the number of people attending Trump’s first inauguration.
6 I have seen quotes about Trump from Ted Cruz (“A serial philanderer … pathological liar … utterly amoral … a narcissist at a level I don’t think this country’s ever seen”), Lindsay Graham (“I don’t believe that Donald Trump has the temperament and judgment to be commander in chief”), Mitt Romney (“Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud … He’s playing members of the American public for suckers”), William Barr (“He does not have the discipline … He will deliver chaos”), Anthony Scaramucci (“Very crazy … low life, full-blown racist, son of a bitch, maniacally narcissistic”), Mark Cuban (“Now professionally as the president, I think he’s an idiot”), J.D. Vance (“I might have to hold my nose and vote for Hillary Clinton …I find him reprehensible”), and Tucker Carlson (“There really isn’t an upside to Trump”).