Sir: I read yesterday of your apology to Robert Letcher, the wheelchair-bound Parkinson’s victim you mocked during a health care bill protest last week. That hateful and harmful action — one which propelled the public narrative to turn against the tea party protests — is not undone by an apology, yet is welcome all the same. It speaks well of your conscience and character.
I must take exception to one point, however:
“That was my first time at any political rally and I’m never going to another one,” Reichert said.
“I will never ever, ever go to another one.”
Mr. Reichert, what happened in Columbus went beyond the bounds of “political rally.” I have attended many rallies over the years and never witnessed that sort of behavior. The “rally” in Ohio was, in fact, an angry mob — a phenomenon in which reactionary, negative emotions (anger, fear, and hate) turn normally staid and stable individuals into a dangerous, ravening group mind.
Rather than abuse you, I would invite you to reconsider your decision and attend a Martin Luther King parade or a demonstration for health care, civil rights, or other liberating causes. You needn’t carry a sign or take part, but may observe at some remove how a gathering of citizens can provide a democratic release of positive energy.
This would be a whole new sensation for you. Such rallies invariably leave me beaming for the rest of the day. Instead of anger, you would feel pride; in place of hostility, you would find peace. Then you might understand why reactionary politics are an inherently un-American domain.
