No Equivalency in Dangerous Inciteful Language Between the Left and the Right
We can all agree that there is too much hateful rhetoric in our politics these days. Even worse, much of the demonization of political figures is hyperbolic and untrue. It exists to some degree on both sides of the political divide, but there is no equivalency – as the left likes to claim in a display of whataboutism.
President Trump has said things that make people cringe, to be sure. He was glad Robert Mueller was dead (and one has to wonder why since the Mueller Report exonerated Trump of conspiring with Russia). The comments following the murders of Rob Reiner and his wife were tasteless to say the least. Trump has called military leaders traitors — and reminded Americans that the punishment for treason is death. But these comments – as bad as they are – have been few and far between compared to the 24/7 onslaught if extremely hateful demonization of Trump, Republicans and conservatives across the left-wing ecosphere. In stark contrast, the sheer volume of extreme and violent rhetoric coming from Democrats and the left-wing establishment has been far more provocative, more vicious and more dangerous.
The three attempts on President Trump’s life are connected to left wing demonization language by the shooters themselves. In their posting and manifestos, they justify their actions based on the language describing Trump as an evil dictator, fascist, racist, xenophobe, misogynist who will bring down the American Republic. He has been compared to Hitler and even referred to as the anti-Christ. “Trump has to go now” and “Trump has to be eliminated” is the mantra of the left.
One need look no further than President Biden himself suggesting it was time to put Trump in the “bullseye.” Or Representative Dan Goldman declaring on national television that Trump “has to be eliminated.” Or Maxine Waters urging supporters to “create a crowd” and “push back” on Trump administration officials in public spaces. Robert De Niro, that paragon of the Hollywood left, has repeatedly called Trump the enemy of the country who “must be stopped now” and that “we have to get rid of him.” Vice President Harris and others have branded him a fascist and an existential threat to democracy itself.
Even after the third attempt, they doubled and tripled down. In a CNN appearance, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker was asked about his describing Trump as a Hitler and Republicans as Nazis. The Jewish governor responded that he has been proven correct. Congressman Adam Smith appeared on MS NOW and reiterated his claim that Trump is a dictator. These are not fringe voices from the outer edges of the movement. These are not some nutcases on the fringe, but the most prominent Democrats, powerful elected leaders, influential celebrities and major media outlets operating at the very center of the left-wing establishment.
And the hate does not stop with Trump. Left wing rhetoric goes far beyond the President. It is directed at other Republican leaders, the entire Republican brand, and even grassroots voters. Remember Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables”? Or Biden labeling MAGA Republicans as “semi-fascists,” “garbage,” and a “threat to democracy”? Conservatives are painted as enemies of the Republic simply for holding traditional views. This dehumanization is systemic. It has now been embedded in the DNA or the contemporary Democratic Party.
The hateful rhetoric and demonization have been amplified and endorsed by an incessantly biased left-wing media on a daily 24/7 basis. Cable news channels and major newspapers do not merely report. They echo and amplify the demonization with hyperbolic headlines and panels of pundits competing to see who can be the most extreme. One has to chuckle at the hypocrisy.
According to Chuck Todd and others on the left, it is all Trump’s fault. He is to blame for all the vicious rhetoric. According to Todd, only the President can set the tone. What malarkey.
They engage in unbalanced whataboutism to deflect responsibility and to remove the onus from their own shoulders. They point to a few isolated comments from Trump and pretend it is the same as the systemic, unrelenting barrage of venomous accusations from their side. But there is no equivalency. Trump’s occasional sharp elbows pale in comparison to the pervasive institutionalized campaign of hatred coming from the left. The scale is different. The volume is different. The prominence of the speakers is different. And most importantly, the real-world consequences are different. The left’s rhetoric has led to actual assassination attempts, with shooters echoing the very talking points from MSNBC, CNN, and Democrat press conferences.
The rhetoric of the left is more extreme precisely because it frames political disagreement as a moral apocalypse. They do not just criticize policy. No. No. No. They call for the elimination of the policy makers. It dehumanizes opponents not as wrong but as evil incarnate. It normalizes violence by suggesting that stopping “fascism” justifies almost anything. Meanwhile, they act shocked when deranged individuals act on the very narrative they have pushed for years.
It is time for honest Americans to reject this false equivalence. Dangerous inciteful language from the left is pervasive and has real consequences. Until the left tones down the vitriol from their leaders, media, and celebrities, they bear the greater responsibility for the toxic political climate and the violence it breeds. It is one thing to call out right-wing rhetoric they see as offensive – to oppose actions and decisions with which they disagree – but It is quite another to shed responsibility with false claims that the hateful rhetoric is evenly spread across the political landscape. There is simply no equivalency.
So, there ‘tis.
Interesting commentary Larry-but flawed as always. In the current regime, there is more commentary about trump and the toadies that support him, but looking at things objectively (which no one would ever consider you doing) perhaps the commentary is negative because of what conservatives are doing to the nation? Trump is definitely running the country as his personal fiefdom, trampling norms because in many instances there were no laws because nobody thought them necessary. Trump is despised by the majority of the US, (except for the basket of deplorables who Hillary sagely described-not smart politically, but true none the less) and universally worldwide. Republicans in Congress have (mostly) delegated their responsibilities to trump, so commentary about them is to be expected. How to solve this issue? Simple-stop with the bullshit, take that other senile man out of office and bring in leadership we can look up to, not the incompetent fools we have now
Mike f as in fag you and cunt Killery should eat deplorable shit and line up and kiss Trump’s ass. And don’t forget to bring Dunger.
The only thing faster than liberals calling for gun control after a mass shooting is Republicans blaming Democrats for all the political violence since the dawn of man after an assassination attempt. Larry performs as expected as mirroring is literally baked into his DNA.
I note that Trump is both sage and stupid in his depiction of this. The sage part was to note that assassination is the result of consequential men, perhaps the smartest thing the guy has ever spoken. The stupid part was this sociopathic narcissist does not even count the 45,000 gun deaths in America for us inconsequential just-plain-folk each year. That’s like 900 per state every year. We just live with it.
I have highlighted the 1996 story about Larry a number of times which starts: “On election night Larry Horist was the dog that didn’t bark.” That’s woof, weally woof :>) Larry hates long, boring, screeds and rants, but when it’s about him, he’s OK with this one. It continues depicting Horist after a Republican loss in Chicago: “Horist, a prominent Republican spokesman here for years, had nothing to say and no TV mikes to speak into even if he’d wanted to.” The year before he did get airtime for his primary loss to Spanky the Clown. Everyone wanted to hear that one.
The guy writing this story seems to know Horist and Horist history quite well, or is that “Horistory,” but I digress, summing the guy up as: “For a full quarter century Horist has been popping up in local controversies, tossing off ideas and marching orders with equal ease, all the while proclaiming his own rectitude. He’s like the kid on your block who was always getting into fights but always swore he never threw the first punch.” I have labeled that a “pugnacious prick.” And he’s proud of it. Larry does not mind making fun of people, likes to demean them, often in a passive-aggressive manner so as to avoid direct confrontation and better hide his name calling.
As Reagan said, “there you go again,” Larry, for this story, on an issue that you started, you escalated, and you are far more extreme in your dubious demeaning depictions of Democratic devilry. You have called us scum, treasonous, traitorous, enemies of the people, and worse. You refuse to listen to us, work with us, compromise with us, just your way or no way. No way in hell will you be the bigger man and take the first step, make the first accommodation, offer the first olive branch. Nope, you absolve your side, call us worse, and demand that we take the knee to your bidding. You even let criminals that do your violent bidding off the hook and out of jail upon legitimate conviction, often after pleading guilty to crimes you no longer seem to care about. And then you blame us for doing the same in our cities. Shameful.
Well, I agree with you.
I totally agree with Larry’s most astute conclusion: “It is time for honest Americans to reject this false equivalence.”
Just one minor tweak: you first.
As paraphrased from Billy Joel’s opine: “We didn’t start the fire. It was always burning since Trump’s been turning. We didn’t start the fire. No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it.”
So much for getting things right; Larry could not be more WRONG: period. Full stop. Mic drop. It would be laughable if not deadly serious, no pun intended. We didn’t light it; now we fight it, and in November, we will right it. Unless you cheat again like 2016 and 2020.
For the past 25 years, according to CATO, a right leaning think tank, right-wing extremists in America have perpetrated much more violent murders than the right — even after you exclude the 9/11 and the horror of Oklahoma City as outliers. The more recent you scan, the worse it gets. That’ the conclusion of what you started, your rhetoric, your words —- like this story.
As to you starting it, you allowing it, you voting for it: Trump 2015 to protestors: “I’d like to punch him in the face.”
Trump 2018 calls the press: “the enemy of the people,” tells supporters to “push back hard” on opponents, praises a congressman for body-slamming another congressman.
2019 Trump tells four black congresswomen to go back to their countries. Three out of four born in US, one as a young child, no whites.
2020 Trump amongst armed protests against covid lockdowns, tweets “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!”, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” and “LIBERATE VIRGINIA!” As looting starting in Minneapolis, he rhymes: “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
This is just tip of the iceberg, mere cream skimming, I can go deeper, cruder, and harder without effort. I mean we can go “wipe em off the planet” genocidal deeper.
Larry’s side never committed to a peaceful transfer of power, they never conceded the election to Biden, and Trump’s words were the last words the 1/6/ criminals heard before they assaulted the Capitol building: “If you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore,” as he urged the criminals to “stop the steal.” And that’s what they tried to do in the largest riot on our federal government yet.
Since taking the throne he has called me a traitor democrat and urged followers to attack our leaders. If we don’t applaud his speeches, he calls us treasonous, enemies from within, evil, and even demonic. Made fun of a Congresswoman’s purple hair streaks, wanted Kelly and friends arrested for sedition when they quoted military law, tackled Congressman Padilla without apology even, shot a protestor in the face at point blank, shot another in the back when down already, shot another innocent citizen five times and then hauled her out of ER to detention.
I am sorry Larry, but you first. I would rather not see this rhetoric from our side and never will accept violence. After all, “never wrestle with a pig: you both get dirty, and the pig likes it.” And are you not entertained? You seem to be given how often you broach the topic. I would not condemn our side for fighting back, nor amplifying their chatter with a few expletives undeleted. Sorry if you don’t like what you started, but asking us to stop it is disingenuous at minimum, more likely just more of your “kid who was always getting into fights but always swore he never threw the first punch” mirroring trick that you love to deploy for your devious deceptions.
I spell my name: D A N G E R, and …. You first. It is that simple. Willing to meet you at the table of less hate speak, less name calling, as well as our other huge issue: calling out lies and liars for what they are, not electing them to rule us all. Just don’t ask us to do the heavy lifting while you sit back and laugh.
Frank Danger … Just the fact, man. Just the facts.
Larry Horist; you seem all facted up.
Larry, You wouldn’t know facts (or objectivity) if you didn’t have dementia-so much worse now that you are losing it. Frank has done his homework on his comments, you are a failed person who regularly blames others (democrats) for those failures. And now you try to persuade your ignorant readers that it is the other side causing the problem, rather than the demented guy in the oval office who regularly makes vile comments about anyone who disagrees with him. Unlike Frank (who is a much nicer guy than I am) I do dislike anyone like yourself who pushes bullshit on a class of people incapable of thinking on their own….
+10 Mike F as in Fantastic!
Mike f… Great example of psychological projections. Thanks.
Larry, Just the facts…
One more time for Larry who seems brain-dead on the topic; “one has to wonder why since the Mueller Report exonerated Trump of conspiring with Russia. Note the narrow construction technique to limit crimes to conspiracy.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the issue of obstruction of justice regarding the Russia investigation, a point he explicitly confirmed in his May 2019 public statement and subsequent congressional testimony.
From BBC story titled: “Trump was not exonerated by my report, Robert Mueller tells Congress,” that seems to contradict the Horist claim. “Mr. Mueller said he had not exonerated Mr. Trump of obstruction of justice.
The former FBI director spent two years probing alleged collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia, but did not establish collusion in a crime.
He concluded that Russia had interfered in the election with the intention of benefitting Mr Trump’s campaign.” Over 30 people were charged from his investigation; many were part of Team Trump.
*https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49100778*
The NPR title reads: “Mueller Report Doesn’t Find Russian Collusion, But Can’t ‘Exonerate’ On Obstruction.”
“While the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign criminally conspired or coordinated with the Russian government, the report specifically stated: “While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him”.
*https://www.npr.org/2019/03/24/706318191/trump-white-house-hasnt-seen-or-been-briefed-on-mueller-investigation-report#:~:text=House%20Speaker%20Nancy%20Pelosi%20and,on%20the%20question%20of%20obstruction.*
Let’s be clear: Mueller himself stated that his team did not clear the president of criminal wrongdoing. He said it, loud and clear. The report detailed multiple instances of potential obstruction of justice. Each obstruction of justice potentially hides a crime; that’s neither indictment nor exoneration.
The investigation did not ESTABLISH a criminal conspiracy with Russia. Mueller notes that “collusion” is not even a legal term. The report documented 140 contacts between the campaign and Russia. Who the fuck meets with foreign adversaries during a Presidential campaign, much less Russia? What the fuck WERE they doing? 140 contacts, many with Russian intelligence agents. We know what the Russians were doing; what was Team Trump doing?
Mueller was never going to indict a President; he said as much. The report was evidence, mouse crumbs if you will, for Congress to take up. The Republican led Congress did not.
FYI: Mueller, both privately and then publicly, disagreed with AG Barr’s four-page report summary, believing it did not adequately represent his findings and purposefully created public confusion.
So yeah, it did not prove collusion which in itself is not even a crime. Good catch. But it did not exonerate them on obstruction which is a crime, the crime of hiding the truth. And Congress did not follow the bread crumbs.
Frank Danger ,,=… We seem to agree that Mueller exonerated Trump and the campaign from conspiring with Russia. Of course that is clearly stated in the Report. Where you are misleading is on the issue of obstruction of justice. Mueller made no determination on that — did not exonerate nor did he accuse. Mueller left it up to the Justice Department to make that call. After a review the committee and the AG, it was determined there were no grounds for prosecution. Trump was never charged with obstruction of justice… and that is the fact. Frank, you try so hard and wind up looking ignorant or hopelessly biased. As is your habit, you twist the facts.
OMG!!!!!! Dunger got caught in a lie. One of many.
Paul DunGoff accuses me of lying, many times, when he has been asked, many times, to prove it and he has not. That’s because he’s a low-life-liar. This time, again, he has not proven me a liar, just is leveraging Larry who says I am “misleading,” again, proving DunGoff a liar, now many times. Figures he’s not smart enough to carry his own water.
I spell my name: D A N G E R and DunGoff lies many times over, can’t do his own work, and is a low-life liar of ill repute.
Larry, You may have me, let me review. Yes, a Russian conspiracy could not be proven. Exonerated, not quite. Mueller pretty much said everyone lied so he can’t find the truth. No truth, no indict. Then he said the guy is President, so here’s my report, there’s the crime of obstruction in them there pages, I put all the liars in jail. Congress, you have the ball from here. Congress did not fail, did not fumble, they took the season off.
My story is simple, and then I will provide same from the report itself showing Larry’s errors of interpretation. My story is that Team Trump has over 140 contacts with Russia, many with Russian Intelligence before the vote. That’s worthy of investigation, so get over it. No one does a foreign tour before being elected; no other Presidential Candidate ever did it in our history that I can tell. The investigation resulted in over thirty people being charged, many on Team Trump, many Russians, many for crimes unassociated with the investigation. There were a lot of criminals on Team Trump. Seven pled guilty, two convicted, all let loose by Trump. Just a little lying about Russians messing with America. Nowhere in Volume One that Mueller says he exonerated Trump on Russia. The word is never used.
Mueller says there are grounds for obstruction of justice, said obstruction makes truth much harder to uncover. When you lie, you hide the truth. When everyone lies, truth is even harder to uncover. Thus, the obstruction led Mueller to conclude: “First, the Office determined that Russia’s two principal interference operations in the 2016 U.S. presidential election—the social media campaign and the hacking-and-dumping operations— violated U.S. criminal law.” Law was broken. Then: “Second, while the investigation identified numerous links between individuals with ties to the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump Campaign, the evidence was not sufficient to support criminal charges.” And finally: “Third, the investigation established that several individuals affiliated with the Trump Campaign lied to the Office, and to Congress, about their interactions with Russian-affiliated individuals and related matters. Those lies materially impaired the investigation of Russian election interference. The Office charged some of those lies as violations of the federal false statements statute.”
OK, Russians were dirty; there was smoke coming from Team Trump; Team Trump lied to the point of materially impairing the investigation, no fire found. Dude, if this was the Mafia, we would have locked em up and sweated the truth out of them. Instead, Trump let them go.
Who lied, from the Mueller Report:
“Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying about his interactions with Russian Ambassador Kislyak.”
“George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about, inter alia, the nature and timing of his interactions with Joseph Mifsud, the professor who told Papadopoulos that the Russians had dirt on candidate Clinton in the form of thousands of emails.”
“Former Trump Organization attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress about the Trump Moscow project.”
“Paul Manafort lied to the Office and the grand jury concerning his interactions and communications with Konstantin Kilimnik about Trump Campaign polling data and a peace plan for Ukraine.”
The report on the obstruction: “The investigation did not always yield admissible information or testimony, or a complete picture of the activities undertaken by subjects of the investigation. Some individuals invoked their Fifth Amendment right against compelled self-incrimination and were not, in the Office’s judgment, appropriate candidates for grants of immunity.” “Even when individuals testified or agreed to be interviewed, they sometimes provided information that was false or incomplete, leading to some of the false-statements charges described above.” “Further, the Office learned that some of the individuals we interviewed or whose conduct we investigated—including some associated with the Trump Campaign—deleted relevant communications or communicated during the relevant period using applications that feature encryption or that do not provide for long-term retention of data or communications records.”
That’s my story. There was smoke, they investigated, most of Trump’s people lie, they convicted them of lying, they put em in jail, and Trump let them out: case closed. But exonerated — hardly.
From Volume two on obstruction and exoneration. FYI the only place you will find the word. “if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment. The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” The term exonerate is used three times in Volume II; all in the exact same context.
Larry said: “Mueller made no determination on that — did not exonerate nor did he accuse.”
BUSTED.
Larry said: “We seem to agree that Mueller exonerated Trump and the campaign from conspiring with Russia.” No, you are taking a molehill and making a mountain. I said: “The former FBI director spent two years probing alleged collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia, but did not establish collusion in a crime.” Let me amend “collusion” to be “collusion and conspiracy.”
I have two points: 1) not enough evidence to indict, and 2) obstruction made getting the evidence impossible especially with pardons on the horizon. They had to know about the pardons. You can’t tell me that the fix was not in from the very beginning once he won the election.
FYI: Good call to go with “misleading;” certainly is some accuracy to that given the over-the-top reaction to what is basically garden-variety rico crap and Mueller’s reluctance to grow a spine. So, nicely played team Trump. Not sure it was a criminal masterpiece or a convenient clusterfuck of chance, but nicely played. We’ll be OK though, we’ll always have Benghazi :>)
Like sand through the hour glass, these are the scandals of our lives. Quick, gotta go: Trump and Maher are dueling social media…. Or is that drooling social media??