Liberals Are Smashing Their Guitars

It has been years since I first described liberals as unhinged. When they began their war against Donald Trump, they behaved in ways that made no sense.  In order to defeat their foe, they resorted to tactics detached from reality.  Things have only grown worse since then.

Every time the Democrats sustained another loss; they resort to more extreme measures.  Do you remember when they were able to get away with stigmatizing Republicans as extremists?  Those days are gone because it is now easy to tell which party is more radical.

The Mueller Report precipitated the latest liberal lurch into fantasyland.  Democrats should have been prepared for a presidential exoneration, but they were not. Although there was scanty evidence that Trump colluded with the Russians, left-wing politicians convinced themselves that molehills were mountains.

As a result, they were ill equipped to reverse course when there was a finding of no conspiracy.  They merely doubled down by denying the validity of the investigation they had touted as a Trump-killer.  If this inquiry had not brought down the scoundrel, they would launch dozens of others.

To this end, they commenced a vitriolic propaganda campaign.  Now they are threatening to jail the president’s people if they do not comply with congressional subpoenas.  Are they serious?  Do they want to tear our government apart?  

When the Democrats controlled the White House, they sponsored many unconstitutional measures.  Are the Dems proposing to do the same in the House of Representatives?  Do they believe that our democracy can survive if legislators begin thinking of themselves as executives?

Of course, those who have been paying close attention understand the reason for this overreach.  It is designed as a preemptive strike before the Attorney General begins indicting Democrats for attempting to stage a coup against a sitting president.

Enough information has become public for objective observers to suspect that liberal partisans in the FBI, CIA, and Department of Justice used illegal means to spy upon Trump and his supporters.  So serious is this assault on our institutions that some of those involved may well go to jail.

In any event, the liberal strategy is that the best defense is a good offence.  Rather than allow the Democratic Party to suffer the fate Republicans did after Watergate, they intend to put the president on the defensive.  If he is tied up in protecting himself, he won’t be able to attack them.

The umpteen aspirants vying for the Democratic nomination for president are playing the same game.  Their approach is to make the most outrageous proposals so that others have to react to them. In this way, they can control the dialogue and keep it focused on them.

The problem with this is that in order to obtain attention, they must become increasingly bizarre.  Socialism is no longer enough to differentiate themselves.  They now have to propose racial reparations, free college, votes for prison inmates, unlimited government run medical care, and, of course, the green new deal.  Money is no object.

Liberals are essentially experiencing the dilemma of rock and roll artists.  In order to be seen as different and exciting, these performers have to smash their guitars or set their hair on fire.  Anything ordinary is liable to be rejected as boring.

As a consequence, we have a political rush away from reality.  Leftist politicians never talk about the grunt work of implementing their proposals.  They tell us, for instance, that they will improve the economy, but never explain how.  It is enough to pretend that the Trump economy is not booming.

But you know what?  Reality is reality.  Sooner or later, people are going to pick up on the fact that the Democratic candidates have no clothes.  This showdown might come with the arrivals of the debates.  The contenders may then start pointing out the nakedness of their rivals.

As for congressional foolishness, the shrillness of the Democratic committee chairs is beginning to grate.  So many certifiably false statements are made that even the most loyal partisans have trouble denying the obvious.  After all, how long can people claim they have proof of collusion without showing it?

My guess—or maybe it is just a hope— is that reality will eventually reassert itself.  At some point, even the most rabid progressives ought to grow tired of making excuses.  The denouement might come if Trump wins a decisive electoral victory.  Or it could arrive if a Democrat prevails and then wrecks the economy.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus

Kennesaw State University