This whole article is just baiting the MAGA hat guy to file a lawsuit to get this video and make it public.

I’m looking forward to getting a red cap that says MAKE ORWELL FICTION AGAIN. Tough to argue with that message.

Enjoy your weekend!

For the MAGA crowd, just a quick question i haven't seen answered yet: when did America become not great?

Have a date on that? It would help us understand your viewpoints.

Thank you.

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@Protect:

That explains a lot about the condition of our town. A small fringe group of political bounders and loonies are creating problems for everyone.

Loosing your mind and threatening to destroy someone's life over a hat is not a trivial matter. It is just one small step away from political violence that we would like to think only happens in other countries. [Portion removed.]

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What is of more concern to me is that people are defending her. She truly needs counseling.

@ MAGA when?: It's just a slogan on a hat. Like almost every presidential candidate in modern history, the slogan was about change (or, in this case, change back from the type of "change" pushed by the Obama Administration).

Here are a few examples of campaign slogans:

2016 Bernie Sanders - "A Future to Believe in."
2008/2012 Barack Obama - "Change We Need" and "Change We Can Believe In."
2004 John Kerry - "Let America Be America Again."
2004 Ralph Nader - "People Fighting Back."
2004 Bob Dole - "A Better Man for a Better America."
1992 Bill Clinton - "It's Time to Change America."
1992 Ross Perot - "Leadership for a Change."
1984 Ronald Reagan - "It's Morning Again in America."
1984 Walter Mondale - "America Needs New Leadership."
1980 Ronald Reagan - "Let's Make America Great Again."
1976 Gerald Ford - "He's Making Us Proud Again."
1976 Jimmy Carter - "Leaders For a Change."
1972 George McGovern - "Come Home, America."
1968 Hubert Humphrey - "Some People Talk Change, Others Cause It."
1968 Eugene McCarthy - "To Begin Anew..."
1968 Richard Nixon - "This time, vote like your whole world depended on it."

Going back a little further...

1920 Warren Harding - "America First" and "Return to Normalcy."
1916 Charles Evans Hughes - "America First and America Efficient."
1916 Woodrow Wilson - "War in the East, Peace in the West, Thank God for Wilson."
1904 Teddy Roosevelt - "National Unity. Prosperity. Advancement."
1900 William McKinley - "Let Well Enough Alone."
1892 Grover Cleveland - "No Force Bill."
1888 Grover Cleveland - "Unnecessary taxation oppresses industry" and "Reduce the tariff on necessaries of life."
1864 Abe Lincoln - "Don't change horses in midstream."
1860 Abe Lincoln - "Protection to American industry."
1856 John Fremont - "Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Speech, Free Men, Fremont."

As you can see, many candidates and nominees push for change. In fact, Trump's slogan is just one that was recycled from Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign. Of course, it wasn't quite so controversial back in 1980 -- and activists didn't explode in a rage and accuse 74-year-old Jewish man of being "Nazi scum" over it.

@ MAGA when?: Also, according to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (and quite a few other Democrats), America has "never been great."

Web Link

Some people need to be more civil in public. This kind of outburst was uncalled for & an extreme measure from the standpoint of conveying one's political opinion. It was harassment & rudeness combined.

If several people were wearing MAGA caps was she going to harangue all of them to make her point?

Following the elder to his car & calling him offensive names while referring to Palo Alto as 'her town' is not reflective of the community as a whole.

If this harasser happens to be a parent, how do you convey to your children that self-control & a personal sense of decorum is important when you go screaming & chasing some stranger down the street just because he happens to be wearing a MAGA cap?

Anger management counseling may be a necessity based on this unfortunate incident. Being a 'loose cannon' whether physically or verbally is very unbecoming & potentially dangerous...even more so than wearing a MAGA cap.

Hopefully this woman will learn to control her outbursts as this may not have been the first time something like this has occurred on her part.

To defend her actions is no better than a polar opposite resorting to the same type of behavior. It is boorish & uncalled for regardless of one's political leanings.

We are supposed to be living in a civil society & community. While that may appear questionable given today's political climate, it is still no excuse for bad behavior.

@ JR....I wasn't outraged over Obama Hope and Change hats and tees, I'm with her Clinton tee shirts or anything liberals had glued to their bumpers even though I didn't agree with the message. They're political slogans, that's all, and indicate support for a candidate running for office. If you think the hat wearer referred to in this story isn't the victim of a vile, unwarranted, vicious attack that included threatening language, then you're just as delusional as the attacker. [Portion removed.]

Has the media convinced this lady that she will be vindicated is the court of public opinion? Maybe we should flood the city with people wearing red hats - doesn't SU have red and white as their colors? I have a red SU cap. I would think that current publicity on the opposing party and all of their divergent presidential hopefuls should dilute what ever position that anyone could position here. I don't think that PA is ready to go socialist - too many independent thinkers. Sorry = mob rule is out of the question, mob think is out of the question. Berkley and UC-Cal have already given up and have Antifa people running around and burning up the buildings.
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From Patrick Boone, 2018 City Council candidate.

I would hope our worries in life here in Palo Alto are far beyond a hat. We have big concerns in our city, like reducing traffic, building more sensible housing, and working hard to ensure women in our community are fully respected with equal pay and work promotions.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of a MAGA hat, but we shouldn’t’t hate the person wearing it unless they’ve done or said something disrespectful or forceful towards someone.

We can’t forget we’re all on the same team, let’s work together, let’s find a way to love then hate. We can’t allow the national divide to split Palo Alto. I wish EVERYONE a wonderful weekend!

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This whole incident is sickening. We need more people to step up and express disdain for this kind of conduct. Where's the link to the video? Why are we seeing only the victim and not the alleged perpetrator? If the conduct described actually happened, Parker owes Victor F. a sincere apology. I have not seen that, either.

The worse problem we have in the state of California is the government of the state of California. They keep trying to implicate Trump in their own incompetence in running this state. They cannot own up to what the news says every day on how every element of running the state is falling short. John Q - I am Madam Q and I am saying that the Midwest was gutted out by the Clintons. I feel sorry for the people that cannot see the hypocrisy that goes on. And if I am wearing a MAGA hat and anyone tries and mess with me they will be in trouble - gladly. And I am an old woman.

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@ Jonathan Brown....if it actually happened? Are you serious?

@JR - So the First Amendment ceases to exist within the borders of Palo Alto?

Do you really feel you are that special and entitled that only one point of view is allowed to be displayed? Sounds a lot like North Korea.

There comes a time when the extremes of either belief start to bleed into their opposing belief.

Here is a link to the CBS report
Web Link

Karma I guess ...

Isn’t this a hate crime? Isn’t this a physical threat? I don’t understand why thus wasn’t prosecuted, and let a court decide if this was a credible threat to this elder’s safety and quiet enjoyment of a coffee cafe. Why is MAGA used by everyone from Jusse Smollett to this woman as an excuse for violence? It’s not a swastika, a burning cross, a hanging noose. These people who use it to incite violence are themselves a bit crazy.

@ PB1102 - I think that those are some wise words. However, I'd also point out that Palo Alto (and the nation) has always been divided along political, social and economic lines. It just happens that people on the left happen to be in the majority here.

In fact, those who are part of the "resistance" to President Trump are really no different from the people who, in 2016, felt that they were "resisting" the policies and rhetoric of the previous eight years. Of course, demonizing anyone is wrong.

> It's just a slogan on a hat. Like almost every presidential candidate in modern history, the slogan was about change.

'Let's Make America A More Affectionate Country' - Joe Biden 2020

@MAGA When:

I'd like to answer your question as to when MAGA fans think America stopped being great. I do not own a MAGA hat, but appreciate the sentiment behind it, which has nothing to do with racism. When Trump first put forward the slogan during the 2016 election, we were coming off of eight years of Obama. Years where, for the first time in a century, the United States took a step back from being the driving force of good in the world. There was Obama's "Apology Tour", the Iran Deal, (making a deal with a known terrorist nation and receiving almost nothing in return), reopening diplomatic ties with Cuba, a country with known human rights violations and, again, nothing offered in return. There were many of us who were appalled that Obama seemed to think that we needed to apologize to the world for being the face of moral good, and, yes, occasionally being the policing force. Have we made missteps? Of course. But if no one is monitoring the playground, then the bullies will be ruling it. Obama was embarrassed that we were too bold...we were embarrassed that we were suddenly too meek.

Are there some people out there that now wear the MAGA hat because it's their subtle way to show their own racism? I'm sure there are. But most are just Trump supporters who are thrilled to see someone bring America back the strong world leader that we know we should be.

Not trying to start a political discussion, but Maga-When seemed to want a legitimate answer and since I first read his request yesterday I've been wanting to sit down and give him the perspective from the other side.

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So above someone thinks wearing a MAGA hat is an incitement to violence? And a purposeful incitement to violence? Is midtown guy implying that the old lady is the victim and the hat wearer is the aggressor? Is this some type of journalistic maneuver to make the perpetrator the victim? Sorry - that appears to be a political maneuver of theatrical award - but we do know that the lady was the aggressor. We see this type of maneuver all of the time - transfer of blame. We all get to chose our rational and purpose for who we vote for and get to stand up for same. [Portion removed.]

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A missed opportunity. Instead of a vitriol-laden rant, a selfie depicting two extremes of the American political spectrum would have been far more insightful and entertaining.

OR

Being a Gryphon (albeit former) employee, perhaps she plays a stringed instrument.
A 'call & response' discourse over a catchy riff performed on a banjo or guitar would have lightened the moment and provided added entertainment for the other Starbucks patrons. Maybe even encouraging a group sing along.

Instead things got verbally abusive on the part of the MAGA hater and that is unfortunate.

Another consideration, people sporting mohawks have always generated a certain degree of visual scrutiny and apprehension on the part of regular onlookers. I have experienced this reaction myself & few people would ever imagine that I am a former minister.

Now many people will associate mohawks with this public outburst or consider people with them a throwback to the punk movement. Not so but stereotypes often have a way of lingering onwards.

Incidentally and perhaps ironically, I voted for Donald Trump in 2016 as I have always distrusted the Clintons along with their questionable foundation.

Unfortunately, many of the better-prepared candidates fall by the wayside during the campaign marathon leaving minimal choices.

I do not own a MAGA cap because it mashes my hair spikes + I am seriously considering voting for someone different in 2020.

Unfortunately there are few noteworthy candidates among the ones who have announced
their candidacies.

I think George Clooney could win the 2020 presidential election if he opted to run.
Women find him very appealing and he is an effective and eloquent speaker as most actors are.

The current POTUS is perhaps the least 'presidential' in the history of our country as he lacks civility and tact. #45 is also not very statesman-like which is what we have come to expect of our presidents regardless of their approval ratings.

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