And the Mighty Union League Stumbles
Poor Ron DeSantis, who really wants to be Benito Mussolini, got a warm reception on January 24, during an ill-considered visit to Philadelphia. I don't think it hurt DeSantis much, but I think the Union League is not going to have an easy time crawling back from this humiliation.
There were actually two protest rallies in front of the League building on Broad street, two blocks from City Hall, and just across Moravian street from the building that, years ago, housed the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. The first rally began at noon and lasted about an hour. The second began at 4 pm and extended into the evening, with a dwindling but enthusiastic contingent of pickets.
For me, the protests felt a bit like a reunion. I found some people I hadn't seen since before the pandemic, and I met some new people. It's fun rallying in front of the League. And the building is so photogenic.
I also have memories of being inside. I ate there several times, many years ago. The food was profoundly old-fashioned. They even had succotash, which is a mixture of lima beans and corn.
And here I was again, as darkness came over the city, standing on a picket line in front of the Union League, which at this point was protected by a long barricade of bicycle racks. The League members on their way to visit with Florida's governor had to walk along the sidewalk behind the barricade and then proceed up the steps to the main door on the second floor. They'd had to park at the Bellevue, a hotel in the next block, and they weren't wearing overcoats, and a few of the women were actually shivering.
Some of the protesters said they felt like they were watching a perp walk. And perhaps they were.
Oh well. So many clubs have died in Philadelphia. I'd hate to see the Union League building knocked down, but frankly the club just bet the farm on a turkey.
(For a story in BillyPenn, click here. For an opinion piece in the Inquirer, click here.)
See also And So the Worm Turned, On Demagogues.
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