America was shocked by the screaming, temper tantrum and outright threats by those opposed to the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. However, if anyone had any hope that the so-called adults in the Democratic Party would tell the violent children to cool it, Hillary Clinton put an end to it, telling CNN’s Christianne Amanpour, “You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about.”
Let’s deconstruct what Clinton is saying so it cannot be missed.
“You cannot be civil” is an imperative that means you have no other choice but to not be civil. There is no equivocation it is a call to continue and expand the street takeovers in Portland, Oregon, the screaming at the Capitol, and yes even the violent threats and direct confrontations against those with whom you disagree.
“[W]ith a political party” tells us that this is a mass movement war which justifies virtually any action against those with whom you disagree. Far from the days of “I disagree with what you say, but will defend with my life your right to say it,” Clinton justifies virtually any action against the over half of America which doesn’t identify with her political party.
“[T]hat wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about.” This is no single-issue appeal, Clinton leaves it to the minds of the mob as to which offense they can justify attacking those with whom they disagree.
Please understand that one of the reasons the celebration of the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh was muted in many circles is that it underscored what many of us privately feared. The left hates us and will justify anything to take back the power they lost at the ballot box.
Under the Clinton standard no amount of electoral cheating is condemned, because the end justifies the means. No amount of intimidation is too much, because their cause is much more worthy than the one the opposing political party holds dear. Every action is justified under the rubric of protecting everything you stand for.
The Kavanaugh hearing truly showed that there are two Americas with each believing that they are correct, and at least one-side justifying a no-quarter given approach that had heretofore been rejected by both. Gone are the days where the notion that even in our disagreements we stand together on core principles. Hillary and the Democrats no longer believe that the opposition party has a right to exist, largely because it had to audacity to win elections and begin the process of governing based upon Constitutional principles.
In the process, political violence is the new Hillary credo which makes GOP Senators like Rand Paul, who was assaulted by a neighbor while mowing his lawn, express concerns that someone is going to get killed due to this new radicalism.
But it should be no surprise that the left is justifying verbal and physical violence to achieve its ends, anyone paying attention to the presidential campaign witnessed repeated instances where Trump supporters were assaulted with few legal ramifications. And the justification was always that Trump’s language on immigration or other issues warranted the actions.
The silence of Senate Democrats in the face of the anti-Kavanaugh mob demonstrated clearly that the only difference between the primal screams of those arrested and the elected Democrats on the dais was the choice of clothing.
Even Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez inadvertently got it right when he stated, “there are no moderate Democrats left… no moderate Republicans left.” Perez’ Freudian admission that moderates have left the Democratic Party as they have effectively purged their former middle-class worker base in favor of radicalized activists who self-identify by gender, sexual orientation or racial hyphens.
Clinton’s defense of the new, angry, win at all cost left shows clearly that the democratic socialists and their Antifa brothers and sisters have won the day. But in winning the battle, the left has likely lost the war for at least the next generation.
Rick Manning is the President of Americans for Limited Government.
