Trump May Be a Rogue, But He’s Their Rogue, With the Same Redemptive Support You Give Your Rogues August 15, 2022 Vol. XV, No. 8 9:13 am Understanding the MAGA Crowd’s Loyalty to Trump FBI Raid Boosts Trump’s GOP Support for President 2024: Despite the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago, the House January 6 Committee, charges
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Trump May Be a Rogue, But He’s Their Rogue, With the Same Redemptive Support You Give Your Rogues
August 15, 2022 Vol. XV, No. 8 9:13 am
Understanding the MAGA Crowd’s Loyalty to Trump
FBI Raid Boosts Trump’s GOP Support for President 2024: Despite the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago, the House January 6 Committee, charges of tax evasion, and numerous other ongoing civil and criminal investigations, 58% of Republicans now say they would back Trump for president in 2024, a new high per an August 10 Morning Consult poll. Today’s Real Clear Politics average shows Trump’s support among Republicans at 56%; DeSantis 18%, Pence 8%, and all others 2% or less.
To illustrate why the MAGA crowd remains loyal to Trump, I would like to tell you about former DC mayor Marion Barry. I worked in DC during his rise to power and followed his career until his death.
Marion Barry, “Mayor for Life:” Marion Barry, an African American Democrat, served four terms as mayor of Washington DC. Per Wikipedia, his first three terms from 1978 through 1990, were marred by allegations of womanizing and drug abuse, slurred words and glassy eyes during public appearances, graft and embezzlement among his employees, and the highest murder rate in the United States.
Incredibly, Marion Barry was elected to his fourth term as mayor in 1994, after serving time in federal prison on a cocaine conviction. Despite a lifetime of personal mistakes, including numerous criminal charges and convictions, he was revered by the people of DC as “Mayor for life.”
He may not be perfect, but he’s perfect for DC
FBI Sting: In 1990, Mayor Marion Barry was arrested in an FBI sting when a former-girlfriend-turned-informant lured him to a hotel room, bugged with cameras, for cocaine and sex. At trial, the judge was forced to declare a mistrial on all counts resulting from the FBI sting, because half the jury believed the prosecution had set Barry up as a part of a conspiracy. Sound familiar?
Prison: Barry was convicted in 1990 of one cocaine possession incident which had occurred the previous year. That conviction led to time in federal prison from October 1991 to April 1992.
Not perfect, but: In 1992, Marion Barry ran for City Council under the slogan, “He may not be perfect, but he’s perfect for DC.” He won with 70% of the vote. In 1994, he ran for mayor and won. Although he did not run for mayor in 1998, he did run for City Council in 2004, receiving 95% of the vote, after having been caught with marijuana and cocaine in his car by the US Park Police.
IRS Problems: In 2007, Barry was chosen as one of 50 statues for Madame Trousseau’s Wax Museum in DC, even after he plead guilty to failing to file federal tax returns. He was not sentenced to jail because it could not be proved that he willfully failed to file taxes eight years in a row.
In 2010, the Council of the District of Columbia voted 12-0 in favor of stripping Barry of all committee assignments after investigations revealed that he had benefited personally from city contract deals. In 2011, the IRS put a federal tax lien against his property because of unpaid taxes. In 2014, Barry had $2,800 in unpaid tickets for speeding and parking violations.
Racist: By today’s standards, Barry was homophobic, racist, and xenophobic, having voted against a bill to recognize same-sex marriages, and frequently expressing his resentment of immigrants, like Filipino nurses taking jobs from locals in hospitals and “those Asian people and their dirty shops.”
The rest of the Marion Barry story
Civil Rights: Marion Barry earned a master’s degree in organic chemistry from Fisk University. He became active in the civil rights movement and was arrested on numerous occasions while protesting.
In 1960, Barry was elected chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and in 1964 became one of the founders of the Southern Student Organizing Committee (SSOC). In 1965, Barry moved to Washington DC to run the local chapter of SNCC and lead civil rights demonstrations.
Food for the Poor: In the aftermath of the 1968 riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Barry organized a program for free food distribution to poor blacks in DC neighborhoods that had been burned. He convinced the Giant Food supermarket chain to donate food, which he personally delivered. He was a member of DC’s Economic Development Committee, where he helped secure federal grants and private capital to rebuild black-owned businesses destroyed during the riots.
Education and Civic Leader: In 1971, Barry won a seat on the DC Board of Education, where he was elected president. He fought for larger budgets for education and raises for teachers. In 1974, Barry was elected as an at-large member of the DC City Council, followed by the four terms as Mayor.
Death and Memorial: Marion Barry died in 2014 at the age of 78. His tombstone reads, “Mayor for life, beloved forever.” His memorial includes a quote from Maya Angelou, “Marion Barry changed America with his unmitigated gall to stand up in the ashes of where he had fallen and came back to win.” He is buried in the Congressional Cemetery on a row with former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.
Marion Barry’s story illustrates why the MAGA crowd remains loyal to former President Trump. He may be a rogue, but he’s their rogue, with the same redemptive support you give your rogues.
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Thank you for reading the John Davis Political Report
John N. Davis
John Davis Political Report is complimentary. Feel free to circulate. Quote with attribution to John Davis, Editor, John Davis Political Report. Sign up for the John Davis Political Report or check John Davis’s availability to speak to your group this fall at www.johndavisconsulting.com
