The rage of the modern left is already known. Since the 2016 presidential election, what some commentators call “Trump Derangement Syndrome” has been alive and well in the Democratic Party. Rather than work with President Donald Trump, a “resistance” has been formed to oppose the president and his supporters.
The word “resistance” likely stuck because it is the name of the protagonists’ faction in the new Star Wars trilogy. They view Trump as a sort of leader of a very real First Order, but what does this “Resistance” hope to achieve?
When it comes to the government, many Democratic lawmakers want the president to be impeached. This has been demanded since the inauguration, most notably by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).
When Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was elected to Congress in 2018, she said she wanted to “impeach the motherfucker.” Her choice of words was swiftly printed on T-shirts and have been bought by many impeachment proponents.
If an impeachment was successful, there would then be a demand for a reversal of most, if not all, his policies. Robert Reich, a leftist activist and professor at the University of California-Berkeley, wrote that the Trump presidency must be annulled to eliminate any record of it ever existing. That means firing all staff (from Vice President Mike Pence to every minor appointee), canceling executive orders, and repealing signed legislation.
That’s the political objective of the “Resistance,” but what about the president’s millions of supporters? Should leftists debate them to show the errors of their ways? Nope. Instead, they believe conservative opinion needs to be shut down and branded as “hate speech.” These are purely intimidation tactics.
Nowhere is this more evident than at our nation’s colleges, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Following the 2016 election, the Young Americans for Freedom chapter on campus brought conservative commentator Ben Shapiro to give a lecture and take questions. Protestors decided to disrupt the event for the first twenty minutes. It didn’t matter that Shapiro was a NeverTrump conservative. The protestors said he stood for white supremacy and was a threat to “underprivileged” populations.
Nothing has changed over the last three years. Last week, the office for the College Republicans of UW-Madison was plastered with anti-Trump signs by student Jasmine Kiah. Kiah argued that her actions were protected as “freedom of speech.” Her vandalism is, in fact, not protected by the university. The university responded that their policies “prohibit” unapproved signs from being posted in public spaces. Kiah said her decision to post signs with words like “sexist” and “racist” on the CRs office made her “feel better” because she passes by it every day. If seeing the office of a political party she disagrees with makes her upset, then she should probably stay away from that part of the Student Activity Center.
The CRs tweeted a statement saying Kiah’s actions were “intolerant” and the result of “complete hysteria.” It’s an accurate point, considering you don’t see the College Republicans doing the same to any Democratic Party offices. Kiah’s selfish actions are emblematic of how America’s left deals with those they disagree with. Kiah’s act of vandalism adds no value to the current political discourse. There’s no hope for an exchange of ideas, just more divisiveness and hatred.
Some commentators thought the CRs were out of line in their statement for calling leftists intolerant. Student columnist Courtney Degen wrote in the Badger Herald that the incident with Kiah “is not representative of an entire group of people.” Degen should watch more news.
Last week, protestors outside of a Trump rally in Minnesota attacked attendees as they left the event. Trump campaign gear was burned in the streets. A mural painted by the College Republicans at the University of Minnesota has been vandalized four consecutive years. A conservative student at the University of California – Berkeley was assaulted because of his political views. A College Pulse poll found that 73 percent of Republican students withhold their political views in college classes for fear of lower grades.
In Wisconsin, Governor Tony Evers won’t even protect free speech on universities. He plans to scrap a policy of the UW Board of Regents to punish those who disrupt events.
If anyone should take a stand after this incident, it should be UW-Madison. There should be consequences for Kiah for her foolish actions and she should be banned from the Student Activity Center if she puts up signs again.
William F. Buckley once said, “Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.” This remains true today, but intimidation and slander have become all too common. Several liberals who support the disruptions believe the rise of Donald Trump has brought fascism to the United States. If they want to find fascists, they should try looking in a mirror.
