It is vexing that, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, peaceful protests have invariably descended into rampaging violence – complete with mercenary looting and police assaults that make a mockery of BLM chants for criminal justice. But the failure of Democratic leaders to decry and condemn this violence is as self-defeating as it is stupefying.
In fact, my stupefaction became such that I thought framing it as a crude political imperative might get Democrats to take heed. That is what motivated me nearly six weeks ago to write “Folks, If Crime Stats Begin Rivaling Covid Stats, Trump Wins! So Shut Up, AOC!” on July 22.
Unfortunately, it resonated like a John-the-Baptist sermon in the wilderness. This moved me just a week ago today to follow up, to no avail, with “AOC and BLM Defend Looters, Portending Life in Urban Jungles Across America.”
Meanwhile the violent rampages masquerading as peaceful protests continue:
Portland police declared a riot for a second night running Wednesday as protesters tried to smash into an ICE building and clashed with federal agents on the 84th day of violence in the city. …
The violence came 24 hours after a 200-strong mob of protesters torched the city’s famous Multnomah Building. … Portland’s police chief pleaded with protesters to call off the ‘endless destruction’ as he condemned the ‘senseless criminal activity’ in the city.
(Daily Mail, August 20, 2020)
Granted, BLM organizers are not responsible for the vandals and looters who hijack their peaceful protests in this fashion. But surely they must now realize that, by continuing these plainly feckless protests – especially at night, they are effectively providing cover for the violence that invariably breaks out. Even worse, their failure to decry and condemn this seemingly systemic hijacking reeks of complicity.
In any event, I am heartened that no less a person than Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell is now echoing my message.
Dingell has a stark warning for her fellow Democrats: The spike in violence in many urban areas, combined with attacks on the police, could become the wedge issue that once again costs her party the electoral votes of her state, and possibly the election. …
Dingell, the widow of the popular Michigan Rep. John Dingell, famously warned the Hillary Clinton campaign four years ago it was in danger of losing Michigan because of frustration among voters about trade agreements that critics charged cost the jobs of American workers. Her forecast proved prescient as Trump narrowly carried the state by 11,000 votes.
(Yahoo! News, April 19, 2020)
With all due respect to John the Baptist, this famous proverb from George Santayana comes to mind:
Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.
So here’s to Joe Biden taking a crash course to learn from Hillary Clinton’s cosmic mistake. Because, unless he does, and then executes what he learns, America is doomed.
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