A Way to Vanquish Mob Rule
Little Rock, Arkansas, 1957 – when white mobs tried to prevent black students from safely attending school. Jason L. Riley reminds readers in the WSJ, President Dwight Eisenhower “decided to do something about the mob defying the Brown ruling.”
In a prime-time television address, the president explained that “demagogic extremists” and “disorderly mobs” were thwarting the law and that he had an “inescapable” responsibility to respond if Arkansas officials refused to protect black students. “Mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of our courts,” he said. Then Eisenhower sent in the 101st Airborne Division.
Where’s President Joe Biden?
As Mr. Riley notes, particulars may vary, but the principle remains the same.
The federal government was obligated to come to the aid of an ethnic minority group being threatened by mob violence. Jews in 2024 deserve no less protection than blacks in 1957.
And if university officials can’t handle the situation, or won’t let police deal properly with the unrest, Mr. Biden needs to step up.
An Honorable, Capable, Courageous Leader
Unlike President Joe Biden, President Eisenhower’s job-approval rating over his eight years in office averaged 65%.
… 1957 was the first year of (Ike’s) second term, which he won in a landslide. Mr. Biden’s job approval is 40%, and he trails Donald Trump in most battleground states.
A related problem for Mr. Biden is the Democratic Party’s attitude toward law enforcement. Illegal immigration has gone unchecked for the past three years, and concern about the crisis is dismissed as racism. Rampant crime is abetted by progressive district attorneys who won’t prosecute lawbreakers. Leftists want to defund the police, shutter the prisons and erase the border.
Choosing to Do Nothing
President Joe Biden’s “response to antisemitism is also tempered by political expediency,” continues Mr. Riley.
From President Joe Biden:
“I condemn the antisemitic protests,” before quickly adding:
“I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”
That sounds like someone who knows how badly he needs Michigan, a state with a large Arab-American population that has soured on him for supporting Israel.
The young people acting out on campuses are a crucial voting bloc that Democrats worry about losing to independent candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West.
Contrary to what Mr. Biden suggested, the outrage over what is happening to Jews isn’t the result of ignorance or a misunderstanding. Rather, it stems from yet another viewing of a movie Jews have seen too many times. It’s the one where those in a position to do something choose to do nothing.
