Good morning, it’s Friday, January 22, 2021, the day of the week when I reprise a quotation meant to be inspiring or elucidating. Today, I will offer three, all from the same man: United Farm Workers founder César Chávez. It is not a random choice. As of Wednesday, President Biden’s first day on the job, a bust of the great UFW leader is on display in the Oval Office.
First, though, I’d point you to RCP’s front page, which presents our poll averages, videos, breaking news stories, and aggregated opinion pieces spanning the political spectrum. Today’s lineup includes Martin Guri (City Journal), Ezra Klein (New York Times), Amanda Marcotte (Salon), and Julie Kelly (American Greatness). We also offer original material from our own reporters, columnists, and contributors:
* * *
Biden’s Immigration Plans Face a Warming Public Reception. Brendan Helm and Craig Kafura cite poll findings that suggest the new president’s proposals could come to fruition.
Women Must Be Central to Biden’s Economic Repairs. At RealClearPolicy, Hollie Heikkinen and Patricia McKay argue that women have taken a disproportionate brunt of the damage inflicted by the pandemic.
Why Jan. 6’s Impact Will Equate to 9/11, JFK Assassination. Myra Adams draws parallels between the assault on the Capitol and two other cataclysmic postwar tragedies.
Say No to Credit Card Fee Price Controls. At RealClearMarkets, Eric Grover writes that making the payments industry a public utility would put a damper on innovation and consumer value.
Nuclear Policy and False Narratives. At RealClearDefense, Franklin C. Miller warns the new administration to carefully scrutinize progressives’ rationale for disarmament.
The 1776 Commission Report Reinvigorates the American Mind. At RealClear’s American Civics portal, Mike Sabo reviews a document that gives a detailed account of the principles our country was founded upon.
Dems Spell “Unity” C-A-N-C-E-L. J. Peder Zane urges Joe Biden to make good on his pledge to unify Americans by calling out progressives eager to smother viewpoints that differ with liberal orthodoxy.
If Men Were Angels. At RealClearWire, Colleen Sheehan says that free communication between citizens is the key to recovering national unity.
* * *
United Farm Workers union leader and founder César Estrada Chávez, whom I was honored to march with as a boy and break bread with as an adult, was born in 1927, two years before Martin Luther King Jr. Chavez was inspired by the Rev. King, and he adapted the language and philosophy of nonviolent resistance to the labor movement. Although the two never met in person, King admired Chávez and told him so in two telegrams. The first was sent in 1966, the year Chávez led the UFW on its famous march from Delano to Sacramento. The second arrived about a month before King’s assassination. “I am deeply moved by your courage in fasting as your personal sacrifice for justice through non-violence,” King wrote. “Your past and present commitment is eloquent testimony to the constructive power of non-violent action and the destructive impotence of violent reprisal.”
In that spirit, I offer three observations from César Chávez himself, courtesy of the UFW archives:
— Violence just hurts those who are already hurt. … Instead of exposing the brutality of the oppressor, it justifies it.”
— “Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.”
— “If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him. … The people who give you their food give you their heart.”
Carl M. Cannon
Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics
@CarlCannon (Twitter)
[email protected]
