One would have thought that our city fathers might have learned something from the Boaty McBoatface calamity, which has been a slow-motion beclowning of “democracy” unfolding on social media all spring. (If by some chance you missed it, the British government asked the public to “vote” online to pick the name of a new super cool government research vessel. The descendants of the world’s most consequential empire chose “Boaty McBoatface,” and now the few remaining dignified people in London are trying to figure out how to disrespect democracy in some politically correct way.)
Apparently not. In Austin, a similarly ill-advised invitation to rename Robert E. Lee Elementary School (because Confederacy) came up with, er, Robert E. Lee in second place, behind only — drumroll, please — Donald J. Trump.
Who no doubt finished first because the opposition to him was divided among so many alternatives.
Nobody ever said democracy was pretty, folks.
Addendum: Look here for the full list of nominees, including the demographic characteristics of each — Adolph Hitler is “German/White” according to the official compilation, to which I suppose Austrians might object, or not.
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The Austrians all claim Beethoven as their own while disavowing Hitler. The Germans the other way around.