One of the interesting side stories of 2020 has been the recent explosion (no pun intended) of illegal fireworks in cities. The uptick in illicit incendiaries is a side effect of pandemic life drudgery, so it’s unsurprising that New York, hardest hit by the coronavirus and the resulting lockdown, has produced more than 24,000 complaints and some spectacular footage. Although they pose obvious safety risks, illegal fireworks are a nuisance, not a serious issue. Thus, the recently announced crackdown in New York is perfectly emblematic of our larger politics — eye-catching but inconsequential.
While contraband roman candles light up the city nights, angry mobs set about tearing down statues — of whom seems to matter less than the act itself. Hans Christian Heg and Ulysses S. Grant are hardly the targets of a coherent movement, but a mob is brainless fury. They are, to borrow a now-popular phrase, to be taken seriously, not literally. Here, too, we see our politics reflected — performative, striking, and rife with emotion, yet largely inconsequential.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the White House is incapable of effectively marshaling a response to a pandemic because the president, through sheer force of will, is failing to lead. As infection hot spots flare up like prairie wildfires, President Trump blames increased testing. On the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, a debilitated Congress sits idled. House Democrats are content to pass messaging bill fantasies such as the $3 trillion “HEROES Act” and D.C. statehood. Senate Democrats, when not whining about being forced to work, are content to wear kente clothes for photo ops and then block debate on police reform, effectively killing the prospects for the legislation.
By comparison, it’s easy to see how some might confuse shooting off fireworks and tearing down statues as productive. The summer of 2020 has shown our political leaders willing to settle for symbolism, headline-grabbing performances, and partisan advantage in a time of political, economic, and existential threat to our citizens. Small wonder that every survey since June finds nearly 70% of respondents thinks we’re on the wrong track.
There’s a widespread sense across the country that our political and media classes are missing the point, that our politics are driven by the worst impulses of incapable leaders in a moment when we need them to be and do better. Survey after survey finds bipartisan majorities that favor the federal government leading on testing and are in support of police reform measures. Yet, the president still can’t subjugate his ego enough to stop joking about testing and wear a mask, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is so beholden to her internal caucus politics that she accused Sen. Tim Scott, one of the few bright spots lately, of guilt in George Floyd’s death.
Meanwhile, all over the country, people are doing their best to figure out how to move their lives forward, to understand what their futures look like in a plague and economic collapse. For some, it’s a question of going back to work next week. For others, it’s a question of going back to school in the fall. For millions, it’s a matter of finding a replacement for a job that has vanished. For far too many, it’s coping with the void of a loved one gone abruptly and too soon.
In a moment like this, we don’t need a revolutionary or a reactionary. We need steady, competent leadership that doesn’t filter every piece of information through ego or short-term electoral prospects. In the context of the presidential election, this can only be seen as an opportunity for Joe Biden. The country is well acquainted, to the point of fatigue, with Trump. A majority of the electorate is open to an alternative, but they’re also looking for a leader. Hidin’ Biden might be sound tactical advice for winning the campaign equivalent of trench warfare, but it is a terrible recipe for a country in desperate need of moral, adult leadership.
The president will offer his substitute for actual leadership, cheap imagery, on Friday at Mount Rushmore, where he’s scheduled an event and a fireworks show. Mount Rushmore and the surrounding Black Hills in South Dakota have had a fireworks ban for a decade and are enduring a substantial dry season this summer. However, much like the health of his supporters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this is yet another setting of expendable props. The risk of an actual wildfire, like the coronavirus or racial unrest, is no match for Trump’s shortsightedness.
President Trump intends to position himself in frame with some of the most remarkable leaders in American history, no doubt hoping to leach some of their greatness for himself, to project strength that we all know he doesn’t possess. Surely, someone on the president’s team realizes what overreach this is. No matter how carefully the shot is composed, it will render him looking smaller than he already does, a pretender among giants. No quantity of fireworks can distract from that.
Steve Stampley (@stevestampley) is a former congressional aide and campaign manager. He contributes to the Washington Examiner and Arc Digital.
