Press "Enter" to skip to content

Editorial: Rise above

It’s wonderful that representative democracy in our nation was planted at Jamestown in 1619, that it has continued, and flourished, and that our people have had a voice in our government for 400 years, in all times, bad and good.

This is worth celebrating with all the honor and glory that should mark such an occasion. And yet, the occasion may be tarnished. Some of Virginia’s Democratic leaders have vowed to skip Tuesday’s commemorative event if President Trump, as reported, speaks.

No matter what they think of the president, their absence is not the right way to comment on his politics, which have been called divisive, nativist and nationalist. Their attendance does not condone the recent “go back” tweets, nor denote approval of his policies. These are all serious issues and deserve serious debate, but not at the birthplace of democracy in the New World.

The presence of the head of our state commands respect for the office and for the system of governm...

To view the rest of this article, you must log in. If you do not have an account with us, please subscribe here.