March comes in like a lion and in part is going out like a Lamb

Conor Lamb's win of a House seat in the Pennsylvania 18th District, a heretofore completely Republican blood red district, was thrilling!  He was a perfect candidate for that deeply conservative district reminding me of Gene McCarthy for whom I stumped in the NH primary in the late 60's. The anti Vietnam War student movement of that era propelling Gene McCarthy to come in a strong second in the NH Democratic primary sent a message that the government could not play with and send young lives to their deaths by the thousands in a futile foreign policy never ending adventure without being held accountable.  To my chagrin, the protest movement that birthed Gene McCarthy turned violent presenting a ruffian image the electorate hated.  It saw, as Connecticut Sen. Abraham Ribicoff said from the Chicago Democratic presidential convention podium, "Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago" to put it down.

Those in our student movement protested the wrong candidate as Vice-President Humphrey may have stopped the Vietnam war he hated. Instead, Richard Nixon capitalized on the cultural divide that ensued.  He won the presidency and prolonged the war even expanding it into Cambodia.  Before he was through thousands more died handing a defeat to this nation from which it has never recovered.  The Vietnam War took 50,000 American lives and a million Vietnamese lives.  Worse it lead to the formation of the so called "Moral Majority" allowing the Republican Richard Nixon the presidential win.  The modern day Republican Party with its Tea Party sidecar, has morphed from it into a mostly white supremacist, gun-loving group with a penchant for right wing extremist violence egged on by a mendacious, conflict-of-interest ridden, treasonous Russian Manchurian president who encourages the madness.

The student movement gathering blistering steam today following a brutal high school assault rifle killing of 17 innocent students in Parkland, Florida presents, unlike its late 1960's forebears, a gentle, non-violent but strong, articulate and well groomed image appealing to many in its attempt to gain political power to change policy and ultimately dethrone a con man clown from a presidency he won with Russian assistance and support of his Republican Congressional lackeys blinded by Citizens United boundless coffers of cash.  Trump is using the presidency as a cash cow and Republicans do not have the fortitude to reject the money and take their Party back from crackpot crazies.  We will lend an assist.

Most of America rejects crass, crude, mendacious and violent politics as they rejected the same in the 1960's.  Conor Lamb's victory gave the Democratic Party a kind, smart, articulate, impeccably dressed and nicely coiffed candidate with a sterling Marine Corps and federal prosecutorial history.  Democrats should take note from Lamb and from the new non-violent and articulate student protest of 2018 over insane gun NRA owned policy to wrest Republican seats in the House and perhaps even the Senate from their flypaper grip on gerrymandered seats that should be earmarked for Democrats.

We as Democrats bide our time until we take Congressional power to impeach this embarrassing excuse for a president and neuter his administration.  Eric Schneiderman Attorney General of NY is waiting in the wings to prosecute them in New York state with no chance of presidential pardons to negate their horrific crimes.  They will face prison.  Huge congrats to Conor Lamb for his impressive Democratic victory and for giving Trump with his hair netted son a reminder that they are not kings!  Conor Lamb came in as a lamb and left as a lion.  May we all benefit from the example his win taught.