Let's Postpone the Party

America's 250th birthday can wait a few years

We’re a little over a month away from America’s 250th birthday and does anyone really feel like celebrating?

I mean, think about it. In any other time, imagine what would likely be taking place. Maybe a concert featuring a who’s who of American musical giants. A beautiful unifying speech by a president. A soaring sense of civic pride. A belief that despite all of our differences and the dark chapters of our history, we are part of an ambitious experiment in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic democracy.

America usually loves a good party. And 250 years, otherwise known as the mouthful semiquincentennial, is no mean feat. It’s a big, round number, if you like such things. A quarter of a millennium, for heaven’s sake.

And now it’s another casualty of our troubled times. Another opportunity for good feeling and unity lost to the boorish squatter in our nation’s capital as he tracks the mud of corruption, vindictiveness, and divisive autocracy across our national fabric.

Trump wanted a big party that was less about the country and more about himself, although he has always tended to see the two as one and the same. But now it turns out many of the musical acts he was hoping to book for an already scaled-down concert on the National Mall have pulled out, saying they were misled about the nature of the event and believed it was, as it should have been, a nonpartisan occasion.

Instead, Trump announced that he will now headline the “Great American State Fair.” That’s what he’s calling his bash for America’s birthday. Because, you know, “state fair” is so heartland. I just hope they don’t have an award for the biggest pig because perhaps our president might not be happy with the results.

We should note that Washington, D.C., where this state fair is taking place, is very much not a state and, if it were up to Republicans, never will be. Because, you know, the people who live and vote there don’t really fit their definition of “real America.”

But I don’t want to dwell on the narcissistic autocrat’s plans for the 250th. We can all imagine how sad, angry, and unhinged the event is likely to be.

Instead, I want to offer a suggestion. Can we all just give ourselves a raincheck?

Can we agree to postpone the festivities until this nightmare is over and then find a way to celebrate our democracy? I mean, we can surely wait a few years. What better occasion to proclaim our freedom than defeating another would-be monarch bent on taking away our liberties? Heck, we could even call it Independence Day 2. As long as we don’t confuse it with the horrible sequel to the Will Smith movie.

And what could be a better way to reinvigorate our country’s values and decency than to throw the biggest party we’ve ever had? A celebration that brings together artists and teachers, immigrants and veterans, scientists and musicians, people from every corner of this sprawling and complicated country. A party about the best of America. A party that is joyful instead of angry. Inclusive instead of exclusionary. A party to which everyone is invited.

Well, almost everyone.