MOB. MOB. MOB. I have just uttered a word that has been “banned” on CNN. Henceforth, when you see an unruly, disorderly group of people harassing someone at a restaurant or out in public you cannot, must not, describe them as a “mob.” So says Brooke Baldwin, a CNN anchor. According to Baldwin, Don Lemon and others that particular word is a “dog whistle” for white supremacy, racism and other similarly distasteful words. If you don’t believe me, in the words of the late sportscaster, Warner Wolfe, “Let’s go to the videotape.” Baldwin, Lemon and others, in another misguided example of pc policing, have all banned the word on their shows and chastised others who have used the word.
So, let’s all scurry to the dictionary or Google and try to find another, more acceptable word. You wordsmiths, please help me out. How about, “horde,” “multitude,” “rabble,” “throng,” or “assemblage.” Are they acceptable? Obviously, I’m being somewhat facetious to illustrate a point, which is the extent to which the mainstream media has now gone to sanitize the reporting of the mob rule that has become endemic on the “left.” Some (e.g. an RNC campaign ad) have gone so far as to characterize it as “unhinged.”
I have been watching this growing trend since Mr. Trump’s election, and I am appalled. Not only for me, but also for the future of the country. To some, free speech, which is guaranteed to ALL of under the Bill of Rights only seems to be available if one is expressing an opinion with which they agree. It appears to me that an extremely vocal, and sometimes violent, minority has developed that has anointed itself the governor of what is and is not acceptable. If you cross them, you will pay. They will hunt you down on the streets, in restaurants, in parks, anywhere. If this trend continues, I fear what kind of country our children and grandchildren will be living in. I don’t think it is unreasonable to compare their bullying tactics to the notorious “brownshirts” in Germany in the 1930s. They, too represented a small but vocal minority and used similar tactics to incite, intimidate, and harass. As we know, at some point they escalated to violence, extreme violence.
Examples of mob rule on the left abound, but in the interest of time and space I will discuss only a few of the more egregious ones:
1. Kanye West is a well known, hugely successful rapper who recently has expressed support for President Trump. He has been very vocal about it, and has met with Trump a few times, including in a much publicized meeting in the White House. West commands a great deal of influence among African American voters. In fact, various polls have indicated that AA support for Trump has increased significantly directly as a result of West’s support for him. This is anathema to the Dems. They now view West as a “traitor” and have sought to ostracize and discredit him. The fact of the matter is that West raised legitimate concerns with Trump, such as “stop and frisk,” that are of significant concern to the AA community. Yet, after he met with Trump in the White House CNN and MSNBC, which, in my opinion, have increasingly become nothing more than shills for the far left, devoted several hours to criticizing and belittling West. CNN anchor, Don Lemon, went so far as to characterize the Trump-West meeting as a “minstrel show.” (Talk about racism!) In my view, it was embarrassing and disgraceful behavior for so-called legitimate journalists.
2. People who have been to Portland, Oregon tell me it is a lovely city. Yet, it seems like every couple of days we see news reports of violence in the streets showing Antifa thugs harassing or beating up citizens while the police stand by. A few days ago, I saw a “mob” chasing a man in a car, which I believe was sporting a sticker in support of Trump. In addition, I saw a thug harassing a woman for wearing a hat with a NYPD logo. He didn’t let up even after she told him she was doing so to honor her late husband who had been an NYPD cop who had died on 9/11. By the way, I suspect that many, if not most, of these Antifa thugs who disrupt, harass and attack, are not normal, everyday, citizens, but paid protestors funded by far left groups. They are also cowards, who wear masks to hide their identity, reminiscent of others you may recall who hid their identity behind white sheets and hoods.
3. A gunman, who happened to be a Bernie Sanders supporter, attacked a group of GOP congressmen playing softball. One of them, Steve Scalise, was seriously wounded. Thank God, he recovered, but should we be surprised at occurrences such as this when Dem leaders, such as Kamala Harris, Eric Holder, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, to name a few, have advocated confrontation, incivility and harassment? What makes this most disturbing is that these are mainstream, prominent politicians, and, in some cases potential presidential candidates in 2020. I know they have not been advocating shooting someone per se, but there will always be deranged people out there who will misinterpret and act out violently. As Kentucky Senator Rand Paul denoted, “Those who are ratcheting up the conversation – they have to realize that they [would] bear some responsibility if this escalates to violence.”
According to the Chicago Tribune the Scalise shooting was not a spur of the moment attack, but, rather, carefully planned. The Tribune reported the gunman scouted the ballfield for days beforehand and made sure that the congressmen playing there were Republicans. It is very fortunate that there were not more casualties.
4. There have been various incidents of GOP Congresspersons and staffers, for example, Ted Cruz and Sarah Sanders Huckabee, being harassed in restaurants while eating with their families.
5. Regardless of one’s political bent, the spectacle of the Kavanaugh hearings was a disgrace and an embarrassment. The left, fearing his nomination would endanger a mother’s right to an abortion, resorted to threats, incivility and intimidation. Senator Flake was harassed by a woman who claimed she had been sexually assaulted some 30 years ago. Senator Susan Collins received death threats and Senator Cory Gardner received a video of a beheading just because they had the temerity to vote in favor of Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
CONCLUSION
To be sure, there have been cases of incivility on both sides. Dems point out that Mr. Trump made some inflammatory remarks during the 2016 campaign, and some of his tweets have fanned the flames. Fair enough, but the incivility, harassment, threats, and physical violence have been much more pervasive on the Dem side of the ledger. What is particularly troubling is that, as mentioned above, the mainstream, prominent leaders of the party have not only failed to condemn these actions, but, in some cases, have spurred the fringe on.
I have expressed my feelings on this before, but it bears repeating. In 2016 the Dems lost a presidential election that they never in their wildest dreams thought they would. They lost power and influence that they viewed as rightfully theirs and expected to keep. They couldn’t believe it. They have not been able to accept that the election validly reflected the will of the people. They are adamant that the election was “stolen” from them. They want their power and influence back and will stop at nothing to get it. They are not content to work within the system, i.e. campaign and win the next election.
Kavanaugh’s nomination was the crowning blow for them. They tried everything to prevent it, even trying to overturn the concept that one is innocent until proven guilty, which has been a basic tenant of law for some 1,000 years going back to medieval England.
I have to believe that this small vocal group does not represent the bulk of the Dem party. I know a lot of Dems, and, to my knowledge, not one of them has advocated or supported any of this behavior. So, why haven’t the moderate Dem leaders criticized this extremism? Are there any? Are they afraid they, themselves, will lose their next election or be attacked? As Senator Lindsey Graham said “they are willing to cede the rule of law to violence and mob rule.” I agree with “The Hill,” which has stated that “while every ideological group has an extreme fringe great trouble arises when the fanatical fringe conquers the center,” and that seems to be happening within the Dem Party.
In my view, this has backfired against the Dems, politically, as many of the independent and moderate voters have been turned off by these tactics. In addition, I maintain that these sentiments are being underreported in the polls, but they will be heard on the only poll that matters – Election Day.
We Built It Blog by Larry Jacob 