The Democrat party is dead. Perhaps not quite literally because a tattered foundation still exists. But above that, a zombie apocalypse is raging. Not coincidentally, the rise of political violence follows the same timeline as the zombie takeover.
The zombies in charge are on a mission to fulfill Barack Obama’s pledge to “fundamentally change” the country. They are fueled by fear and hate. They prioritize virtue signaling over citizen safety. Their agenda, such as it is, focuses on fearmongering, obstruction, and opposition to virtually every proposal or action of the Trump administration.
The zombies have obliterated the Democrat party that existed when John F. Kennedy was president and told the nation, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Although not spoken in so many words, the Democrat mantra is now, “Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what you can do to ‘fundamentally change’ the country.”
If that includes violence, no problem. Zombies love violence, but these zombies are much more sophisticated than your average zombie. They don’t issue outright calls for violence. Instead, they instigate violent behavior by using carefully woven phrases that provide plausible deniability. As such, the raging Democrat zombies don’t tell their followers to commit crimes. Instead, they demonize people whom they would like to see silenced, and being zombies, they don’t care whether the silence is achieved by intimidation or by a bullet.
Liberal fearmongering doesn’t simply encourage protest; it subtly invites violence as a means of protest. The party leaders and followers who spewed hateful comments about conservatives didn’t assassinate Charlie Kirk, but in a sense, they are accomplices through their provocative words. They can also be considered accomplices in the property destruction and violence that have occurred in response to a host of tragedies, most notably George Floyd’s death.
The liberal embrace of violence as a means of protest may seem to be a recent development, but it dates back almost two decades. Obama stoked the flames of violence in 2008 when he told his followers to not merely talk to their neighbors but to verbally assault them. He stated, “I want you to argue with them and get in their face!” Worse yet, he also bragged, “If they bring a knife to a fight, we bring a gun”.
The standard denial of culpability from the left is that such statements were merely metaphors. But they have been taken as calls to arms issued by a Democrat candidate who was elected President of the United States. Calling Obama’s statements metaphors is absurdly out of touch with reality, as calling a tornado a rainstorm. Shouting encouragement to get in people’s faces and to bring a gun to a fight is a de facto call for and approval of violence. And as evidenced by subsequent politically focused riots and shootings, all too many liberals across the country took the call at face value.
In 2014, Obama changed his tactics and adopted a more subtle approach, most notably his statement- “I've got a pen, and I've got a phone”. Those words have been claimed to be nothing more than a simple expression of his intent to use executive orders to accomplish his goals.
But taken on their own, they were a pronouncement that he would ignore rules and protocol if they interfered with his agenda. Underlying the words was the message that he would put in place the policies he wanted, rules and protocol be damned.
Obama’s words didn’t trigger the gunshot that killed Charlie Kirk, nor did they start the riots and light the fires that burned in cities across the country. But they did fuel a movement towards disregard of rules and protocol. And a number of zombies from the home office have eagerly pushed that movement along.
One of those is Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who took a more direct approach to advocating violence with his 2020 pronouncement targeting Supreme Court Justices. Schumer proclaimed, "You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won't know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions". Was it merely a coincidence that in June of 2022, Nicholas J. Roske travelled from California to Maryland in an attempt to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh?
The left typically attempts to shift blame for political violence, such as the failed attack on Justice Kavanaugh, by claiming perpetrators are conservatives. But such claims are nothing more than failed efforts to shirk responsibility for rhetoric that incites violence. Malleable minds are associated with all political beliefs. Consequently, the relevant point is not whether an assassin or a fire-bomber is claimed to be a Democrat or a Republican; the relevant point is that statements from liberals encourage acts of political violence.
Evidence abounds that rhetoric inspiring violence emanates almost entirely from the lunatic fringe has taken over the Democrat party megaphone, and the legacy media happily sings along. Their hate-inspiring rhetoric is unquestionably linked to a number of mass shootings, as well as individual acts of violence- acts that leftists celebrated after they occurred.
Liberals celebrated two attempts to assassinate Donald Trump, the murder of Brian Thompson, the attempted murder of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the shooting at a Republican baseball practice in Virginia that badly wounded GOP leader Steve Scalise, and, of course, the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Those celebrations are evidence of the extent to which Democrat encouragement of violence has been embraced (tell me again how Obama’s statements were taken as metaphors). But those celebrations have consequences. Some organizations have fired employees because they took to social media to post their glee about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Anyone who thinks that cheering an assassination has no residual effect is sorely out of touch with reality- a reality that makes it clear that every public figure who is a conservative is a target of liberal lunatics (pardon my being redundant phrase). What is also clear is that increased security, including drone flights over locations where conservatives are scheduled to speak or are speaking, is essential.
Such precautions will be necessary for the foreseeable future because many of the residents within the Democrat lunatic fringe have no desire to tone down their rhetoric. In fact, they act more like 1st graders engaged in a playground argument. An example- when asked about toning down the Democrat rhetoric, Elizabeth Warren responded, "Oh, please. Why don't you start with the president of the United States? And every ugly meme he's posted and every ugly word."
Warren’s comment is a typical deflection, a favorite tool of anyone who is unable to logically respond to a statement. Rather than address the comments coming from the left, Warren’s approach was to ignore those statements and attempt to deflect blame for inciting violence. In targeting Trump, she ignored the fact that, although he is a seasoned provocateur who unquestionably says some things that are better left unsaid, or at least better phrased, he has never called for or implied that he was in favor of a physical assault on political opponents. Nor has he cheered political violence against his opponents or detractors.
Conservatives haven’t been the only targets of political violence, as evidenced by the firebombing of the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion while occupied by Democrat Josh Shapiro. A significant difference, however, is that there is no credible record of conservative officials or spokespersons calling for or cheering the assault against Shapiro. Or any other Democrat.
Without question, Republicans have been involved in the type of political commentary that fuels the current level of acrimony. Yet conservative rhetoric doesn’t preach violence- metaphorically or otherwise. After-the-fact responses are also markedly different. A prime example, leftist crowds burned and looted in response to George Floyd’s death; conservative crowds mourned Charlie Kirk’s death, expressed their condolences, and held vigils.
Unfortunately, political violence inspired by comments from the left will continue until sanity returns and the zombie apocalypse raging within the Democrat party is eliminated. At which point dialogue can replace calls for violence.
Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author's own.
If you think about Obama's rhetoric when Ferguson happened there was some approval in his attitude of violence. There was also approval in his attitude targeting police at that time. That is when the targeting started in the nature that we have today.
You're blaming the modern embrace of violence on Obama? Obama, seriously? Too funny!