On Monday, the execrable Charles Blow of The New York Times wrote a piece that seems to sum up the thinking of many on the Left these days: mob politics are fine, so long as the mob has the right politics. Reacting to President Trump’s sloganeering about Democrats’ sudden fondness for activists mobbing Republicans at restaurants and swarming the doors of the Supreme Court, Blow embraces the charge: if opposing Trump requires being a member of the mob, he’s all for it.
Blow explains:
Well, count me among the mob, if that means people who stand in opposition to Trump’s degradation of the country in all ways. If the mob stands up for women and stands up to the National Rifle Association, I want in. If the mob hates corruption and loves the increasing diversity of this country, then it is for me.
The question isn’t political opposition, though – it’s whether mob tactics are worthwhile in American politics. They aren’t. They’re bad when pursued by the Right, and they’re bad when pursued by the Left. But because Trump is so uniquely evil, the logic goes, every manifestation of opposition becomes legitimate. And what makes Trump uniquely evil, according to Blow? His motives, which Blow simply ascribes to anyone who agrees with Trump on policy.
Take, for example, Trump’s statements regarding the massive migrant caravan currently making its way across Mexico toward the US border:
This is an easy target for Trump and his base because it encapsulates a sentiment without expressly articulating it: America is being invaded and overrun by people who are not white and not European, which risks the maintenance of American heritage, which is white heritage. White people’s control of this country is in danger and under assault and must be defended and protected at all costs. But rather than ever using words like white supremacy and white nationalism, he uses proxies, like law and order, border walls and infestation.
Actually, the caravan isn’t a target at all – it’s a reality. And people oppose it because those marching openly state that they wish to violate American immigration laws, and because people like Blow continue to proclaim that they ought to be welcomed rather than turned back. This isn’t about color or ethnicity – it’s about the basic sanctity of law. Trump himself has tweeted that people can continue to apply for asylum. But the purpose of this very public march is that no such applications should be necessary.
Because Trump is a creature of id, and because so many of his comments can easily be attributed to racism, it’s tempting for Democrats to use Trump to paint all those who agree with his policies. But for most Americans, protecting our borders isn’t about white supremacy or white nationalism – it is actually about law and order and border walls. Mobbing politicians who agree with Trump on policy and abhor his comments isn’t exactly smart politics. Even Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), no immigration hawk, opposes the entry of such a caravan: “These caravans will never be stopped by Nancy Pelosi. And when it comes to stand up to the world, you need a strong leader like President Trump.”
But Trump’s trollery has obviously pushed the Democrats beyond the bounds of sanity. Instead of analyzing the worth of policies, Democrats merely analyze their view of Trump’s motivations, and use that view to tar half the country. Good luck with that electoral strategy.