Memorial Day is a time to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country, and a weekend to gather with family members and friends in their memory. What it is not, however, is an occasion to try to sway others’ political beliefs.
Unfortunately, Hillary Clinton, who needs to just go away, has issued a Memorial Day weekend call to action. In a Friday morning social media post, she assigned a holiday mission to her supporters. She asked them to “talk to two people—friends, neighbors, cookout attendees—about why Trump’s proposed budget would be a disaster for American kids. We owe the next generation every chance, and this isn’t it.”
To ensure supporters were prepared, Clinton included a set of talking points—complete with specific details on how the budget would affect children.
Just imagine what a hit you’ll be at the neighborhood barbecue: ‘Hi Kate, so great to see you! By the way, have you had a chance to review Trump’s proposed budget? It’s a total disaster for our kids, you know.’
Because only accounts followed by Clinton can reply to her posts, it was difficult to gauge public reaction. But at least one notable voice weighed in: retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Robert ‘Buzz’ Patterson, who served as a military aide to former President Bill Clinton, reposted Hillary’s message with a pointed caption—”Or, you could spend Memorial Day weekend honoring our fallen heroes in the manner they deserve and not make the cookouts political. I choose that approach.”
Clinton’s post reveals a troubling disregard for Americans who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. To her, Memorial Day appears to be less about remembrance and more about seizing an opportunity to push a divisive political agenda.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be too hard on Hillary—she’s hardly the first politician to treat a holiday as an opportunity to campaign among friends and family. Some of us may remember that days before Christmas 2011, the Obama 2012 campaign released an instructional video called “Home for the Holidays: Share Why You’re Working to Re-elect President Obama.”
Describing the contents of the video at the time, conservative commentator Michelle Malkin wrote, “the president’s monomaniacal campaign staff and volunteers provide ‘pointers’ and ‘strategies’ for converting their ‘stubborn’ families.”
Supporters are told:
If the conversation at the dinner table turns to politics over the holidays, don’t just quickly change the subject. As you head home this weekend, think about how you’ll steer the discussion to the progress we’ve made over the past three years – from health care to ending the war in Iraq – and why the people you’re passing the mashed potatoes to should support President Obama in 2012.
Typically, advice on how to steer political conversations with relatives seems to be most abundant ahead of Thanksgiving.
In a 2018 piece titled “Thanksgiving is not for telling your angry uncle he’s wrong, it’s about loving him anyway,” Kemberlee Kaye covered the latest wisdom on how to navigate the minefield that awaited them that holiday season.
The New York Times, she wrote:
[W]ent so far as to create an Angry Uncle Bot which coaches users on how to respond to the proverbial angry uncle who never passes up an opportunity to discuss his politics in the brashest of terms during everyone’s favorite meal of the year.Users are able to select their uncle’s political persuasion. And you would know that the conservative angry uncle is a complete ignoramus who speaks in hashtags (literally) while the progressive uncle is thoughtful and well spoken. Conversely, the liberal niece or nephew in this hypothetical is also far more polished and well-spoken than their conservative counterpart.
Kemberlee cited a second article titled, “You’re Morally Obligated to Call Out Your Racist Relatives at Thanksgiving.” The author concluded by asking:
Is there a better opportunity than this moment, when everyone is sharing a meal, to bring people together in a way that actually, honestly invites everyone to the table? If we are truly committed to justice for all, we have to create just spaces wherever we are. Our failure to translate private disapproval of bigotry into public protest, even at the dinner table, is an endorsement of immeasurable cruelty.
Call me crazy, but it seems like the push to inject politics into holiday dinner conversations almost always comes from the Left. Is it possible that conservatives have more reverence for sacred or special occasions than our liberal counterparts? Maybe it’s a side effect of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
I love politics—but I also understand that few things in life have the power to inflame, divide, and disrupt more than politics. Memorial Day should be a time to remember sacrifice, not to spark arguments over burgers and potato salad. There’s a time for debates and a place for activism—but this weekend, let’s honor our fallen heroes the way they deserve: with gratitude, unity, and respect.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn or X.
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