Marches are “feel-good” theatrics these days. In the 60s when television was new and there was such a creature as political shame, marches were vivid, original and could have devastating effect. Victim zero: LBJ, forced out because he couldn’t endure the chants of “Hey Hey LBJ, how many kids did you kill today”?. Now they are passé. Politicians endure them, but are not shamed or scared into action. And the news cycle moves on.

If the two voting bills do not pass, the Democrats are facing a long decade of being on the outside looking in. The looting will be free to resume.

Those two bills are the last fingers America has in the dyke, protecting democracy. It’s that simple. There is a bare plurality of support for Democratic ideals. So there is no unity of opposition. The labour movement is scattered and defanged. So a General Strike, which might be efficacious, will never get off the ground. The DOJ is off to an astonishingly weird and feckless start under Garland. Efforts to pass the Infrastructure Bill expose Democratic pusillanimity in the face of Republican ruthlessness and tactical noues. I fear the first post Covid summer will be frittered away, as many millions of middle class Americans will seek out the hedonistic pleasures of the “good old days”. So if anybody is putting effort anywhere today, it should be towards getting the voting bills passed to halt Republican momentum in controlling the field of play. An earnest, do-good President was a fine antidote for six months to the rabid dog who preceded him. Now he needs to show his claws. Get the voting bills passed Joe. It’ll be an ugly sight when the dam breaks and Democratic hopes are swept away.