Vice President-Elect Mike Pence was in New York with his family during the transition, and so he took his family to Broadway to see Hamilton, the hot hip-hop Founding Father musical that people are overpaying to see. What resulted wasn’t exactly surprising. Rude, obnoxious -- but not surprising.
Pence entered the Richard Rodgers Theatre to both cheers and boos, which is unsurprising for national politicians at public events, especially sporting events. But after the show, at the curtain call, Pence was singled out from the stage.
Actor Brandon Dixon, who plays Aaron Burr, lectured the Vice-President Elect: “We, sir, are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us — our planet, our children, our parents — or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us.”
Can anyone imagine Broadway actors singling out a Democrat after a show to proclaim their “alarm and anxiety” at an election result? That’s why you dismiss the absurdity that this “diverse America” of hard-left theatre people represents anyone outside of the zip code where they perform.
Then it came out that Dixon and other Hamilton stars haven’t voted in years. So much for the “alarm and anxiety” they’ve been feeling about the country. It's yet another reason to reject the pleadings of the elites that cannot conduct even the most basic exercise in the democratic process -- vote -- yet demand their voices be respected.
Pence knew going in that Hamilton has become some kind of a Rocky Horror Picture Show crowd-participation event for Trump-hating liberals, who cheer wildly at the musical’s lyrics boasting about how much immigrants can do. Pence knew going in that the Hamilton folks hosted a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in July – touted by “news” media as a “boost of Tony-winning star power” -- with ticket prices ranging from $2,700 to $100,000.
So who was reflecting a tolerance of diverse views, and who was ranting inside a bubble?
The controversy took off when Donald Trump tweeted that this lecture constituted “harassment,” and Pence deserved an apology. Hamilton fans insisted their lecture was polite. It wasn't.
Then The New York Times lectured from a half-mile away that this protest speech represented "American principles like free speech, respect and the ability to challenge authority in the Trump era." Now that is just hilarious. Lecture or heckle Pence, and you represent free speech. Lecture or heckle Barack Obama, and the New York Times insists you represent white people's rancid failure to accept a black president.
It's going to be a long four (or eight) years of the usual arrogant liberal mockery from the entertainment elite. On the American Music Awards, 21-year-old supermodel Gigi Hadid was hailed by liberal media elites for a bad Melania Trump impression, repeating the tired Michelle Obama-plagiarism joke.
Liberals couldn't imagine that a large chunk of red-state America are tired of multi-millionaire supermodels and Broadway stars telling them that they represent the common people. Earth to the elites: You don't represent the common people. The election was not just a dismissal of your candidate, but a rejection of your condescension.
