BREAKING: Trump Could Be Discharged from Walter Reed On Monday
Things continue to look good for President Trump as doctors now say
he could be released from Walter Reed Medical Center as early as Monday.
Trump has remained without a fever since Friday, and assuming his
condition continues to improve, Trump will be able to return to the
White House while continuing treatment.
“Today he feels well. He’s been up and around,” said Dr. Brian
Garibaldi of Walter Reed Medical Center. “If he continues to look and
feel as well as he does today our hope is that we can plan for a
discharge as early as tomorrow.”
President Trump could be discharged from hospital as early as tomorrow.
Public safety is the issue of the day, especially in the suburbs.
This ad was produced by “Moms For Safe Neighborhoods” and is playing, I
believe, mostly in Florida. But there are also some spots in Minnesota,
and likely elsewhere. It includes an imaginary news person who says that
the Democratic Congress and President Biden have cut spending on the
police, which the federal government doesn’t really do. But the basic
point is correct. If you like riots, looting and arson, the Democrats
are the party for you. The fact that Joe Biden can’t bring himself to
condemn Antifa–and no Democrat, needless to say, will condemn #BLM–makes
the case.
This year has gone from bad to worse. From a pandemic to an economic crisis to riots, and now the president contracting COVID-19 during the home stretch of his reelection campaign, it seems there is always more bad news to upend our plans.
Certain figures on the Left have shown that their famed “compassion” is the real mask they habitually wear. More than a few explicitly have wished harm and death on the president and the first lady in the wake of the news. Michael Moore said his “thoughts and prayers” are with the coronavirus. At the same time, some, to include rather surprisingly Rachel Maddow, have shown welcome class. Not everything has to be political all the time.
I confess this news has rattled me. A friend with whom I’ve had a long-running debate about the seriousness of the coronavirus was surprised I was so concerned. But even those of us who think COVID-19 is overblown understand it’s not nothing, particularly for someone Trump’s age.
The people who have died are chiefly the elderly. From friends, family, and statistical data, we know that some of the people who survive have a tough time in their recovery, taking several weeks to return to health. The statistics are on Trump’s side; even at his age, 94.6 percent survive. But it could be a few weeks until he’s better, and this is truly a critical moment for his campaign and the country.
Getting sick also affects Trump’s campaign more dramatically than it would most.
Trump’s campaign, unlike Biden’s, is built on generating enthusiasm. The man is a campaigning machine, with multiple rallies in various states over the last few weeks. These large rallies are an important symbol. They visibly demonstrate a significant enthusiasm gap between him and his opponent and remind his supporters that they’re not alone, even though social media is apt to make them feel as though they are.
In contrast, Joe Biden’s campaign is mostly virtual, and he can only muster sad-looking gaggles of mostly obligated supporters in backyard settings.
The rallies also show something relevant about Trump and his character. He is showing up in a way Biden is not. From Biden’s “lids” to his lethargic debate performance, nothing about him shows energy or strength. These are difficult times. The presidency is always a difficult job. Hillary bragged about taking a 3 a.m. phone call. One wonders if Biden could handle one at 3:00 p.m.
While the virus is constantly in the news, it has not affected most of us personally. A truly deadly pandemic shouldn’t require constant testing to reinforce its seriousness. It became clear by May that the early predictions of a disease akin to the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 were overstated. Obviously, some people died from COVID-19, and others were very sick, but this happens every year with the flu.
Even with the more precise data, there is still enthusiasm for extended lockdowns and other measures enacted by blue state politicians and their busybody allies. If Trump gets well and does so quickly, it will be good for him and the country. It will remind everyone that this is a highly survivable disease that is completely mild in the vast majority of cases.
But symbolism works both ways. If he fares poorly, that will cause a double blow to the country. It will wreck his campaign and encourage the destructive risk-aversion among the Lockdown Mafia. An outlier event for an elderly person will become an excuse for keeping schools shut down, destroying social life, extending our economic pain, and other insanity.
There are some indirect signs Trump may have a serious case. For starters, he is now in the hospital. And he’s apparently on an experimental drug cocktail. It could all be the product of an abundance of caution and a desire to speed up his recovery. His video and public appearance on Friday night do not look like someone at death’s door. But life is full of surprises.
Trump has risked his health and wealth to serve the country. His contracting COVID-19 is not a sign he was foolish, but rather that he has been public-spirited and patriotic. He surely knew there were some risks to him from the virus. But a calculated risk for a higher purpose is not stupidity, it is courage.
We all should wish and pray that President Trump enjoys a speedy recovery, not only so that he may continue his service to the country, but so that his condition does not become a rallying point for those who would destroy it.
There’s no question that social media seems to bring out the crazy in some people and that Twitter is an acid bath full of that crazy.
But the complete and utter lunacy of folks on the left and in media is really something else, with their nuttiness over the president being sick with the Wuhan coronavirus.
Some refuse to accept the doctor’s report. They refuse to accept that Trump was actually tweeting himself. Some refuse to believe, even, that that was him in the video from the hospital, even speculated that that was pre-recorded — even though it makes no sense and had to have been made today.
It’s like a festival of loons, and one hopes that they don’t vote, because they have no grasp of reality.
But even with all that lunacy, Vanity Fair “reporter” Gabriel Sherman may still win the prize.
Now, keep in mind that the doctors already briefed us on Trump’s condition today. He had no more fever, was feeling much better, reduced cough. Everything looked good, but naturally, they have to monitor him.
But this is what Sherman put out from “sources.”
Sources: Trump had heart palpitations on Friday, a possible negative side effect of Regeneron antibody treatment. His fever reached 103. And a G7 ally wonders if he’ll appoint Ivanka president instead of Pence. My latest: https://t.co/ND8zVtyodU
OMG, fever! Heart palpitations! Things spiraling out of control! Allies panicking! Some think Trump might appoint Ivanka president!
It’s complete insanity and has no relation to reality, or the actual facts we heard from the doctors. This is not a serious person. Yet, this pretends to be news when it’s complete fiction. Stuff like this can endanger the country, if allies or enemies actually believed it.
But not only does he spread nonsense from “sources,” he apparently thinks he can diagnose Trump as well.
Just watched Trump hospital video a second time. His breathing is clearly labored. He seems to be leaning on table for support. And there’s so much fear in his eyes.
The video, of course, shows no such thing, as you can see.
BREAKING: President Trump posts a new video statement from Walter Reed hospital, thanking those who wishes him well and saying the next few days will be vital in determining the severity of his case of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/wZ0RYyTpIl
Trump sounds perfectly fine, no difficulty breathing. At worst, he appears a little tired. “Labored breathing,” “So much fear in his eyes?” This is projection; it’s what he wants to see, not reality. In fact, Trump seems completely at ease and even makes a couple of jokey comments.
Imagine someone so sick and twisted as to tweet this stuff.
We have an early contender for single silliest tweet of the Trump-having-COVID era https://t.co/DdbU2HCEhI
Just looked at this tweet a second time. His logic is clearly labored. He seems to be leaning on cognitive dissonance for support. And there’s so much fear in his life. https://t.co/KFaYvBd6NJ
Melania Trump, America’s beautiful mystery, is privately a trenchant political analyst with a keener power of observation than just about every sweaty, bespectacled nerd on CNN. The delightful irony here is it’s only thanks to CNN that we know this.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a woman who seems to have milked her former friendship with the first lady for profit at least twice now, secretly recorded Melania gleefully reveling in the deeply underrated sport of “driving liberals crazy” and ranting profanely about the thankless work of planning White House holiday decor. “Who gives a f-ck about Christmas stuff and decoration?” she asked.
Winston Wolkoff sat on these gems from 2018 until she had a tell-all book to sell, releasing them to CNNa month before the presidential election, somehow convinced it improved her credibility as a human being while also eroding the first lady’s. Of course, to everyone outside Manhattan, Winston Wolkoff looks like a silly grifter for recording her close friend, then saving the tapes for a spot on “Anderson Cooper 360″ to peddle a book only made possible by shameless betrayal. But that’s show biz, baby.
Meanwhile, we’ve learned that Melania, a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in Ferragamo, pairs high-fashion with brilliant profanity, a beautiful James Carville with a more intelligible accent and slightly less balding. That her steely public demeanor masks a breezy but authoritative contempt for the haters is a profoundly helpful revelation when it comes to Melania’s public image.
What’s more is that she’s right. The sneering political class is wrong. What’s even better is that she’s savage enough to be amused by it all. “I’m driving liberals crazy, that’s for sure… and they deserve it,” Melania laughed.
It’s possible the recordings were edited, but in the context of the clip, her complaint about Christmas decor actually seems to be a complaint about the tradition’s comparative triviality. She rightfully hammers the media for hypocritically whipping the public into a frenzy over child separations at the border under Trump but not Obama. She demonstrates a detailed understanding of the issue. She knows why the media treats her badly. And she’s confident enough to laugh it off.
Winston Wolkoff, on Cooper’s show, attacked her former friend for having “no understanding.” It’s, of course, the very opposite. Winston Wolkoff lacks all understanding, as evidenced by her bizarre decision to parade these tapes around for profit like they disqualify Mrs. Trump, who’s actually correct about pretty much everything in the leaked (but hilarious) audio.
There’s something sublime about knowing our glamorous first lady speaks privately like a lib-owning “Hannity” lover. The mystery of Melania grows ever more intriguing. Prayers for a swift recovery.
With President Donald Trump recovering from COVID-19 at Walter Reed Medical Center, his campaign on Saturday announced the launch of “Operation MAGA,” a series of in-person and virtual campaign events throughout the remaining 31 days prior to the election.
Vice President Mike Pence will kick off the effort with a “Make America Great Again!” event in suburban Phoenix on Thursday, following the lone vice presidential debate between Pence and Biden running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Wednesday.
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien — who also tested positive for the virus on Friday— said in a statement that Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Lara Trump will also be among those participating in the operation. He also encouraged Trump supporters to “pick up the banner” and redouble their efforts as Trump remains sidelined.
“Operation MAGA will fire up the entire MAGA universe to keep President Trump’s campaign at full speed until our Commander-in-Chief returns to the campaign trail.
“Vice President Mike Pence, the First Family, our coalitions, and our grassroots supporters will be out in full force to show the real enthusiasm behind the President’s re-election and to show we’re working as hard as he always does.
“We also encourage all of the President’s supporters to pick up the banner themselves by volunteering in our grassroots Army for Trump, flying their Trump flags, putting out more yard signs, and wearing their MAGA gear proudly.”
It appears the Trump campaign isn’t letting Pres. Trump’s bout with the coronavirus slow down his momentum going into the home stretch.
Trump campaign keeping at ‘full speed’ with 'Operation MAGA' as Trump fights COVID-19https://t.co/SKIu0PaKRe
— Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) October 3, 2020
A senior campaign official told Fox News that while the campaign intends to continue at “full speed,” it will also to continue taking “every precaution for the health and safety of participants and attendees.”
Despite the predictable histrionics from the usual suspects — Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat Party, giddily aided by the “we told you so” liberal media — the official said the campaign has taken “great care” to ensure attendees at Trump’s events have been “safe,” pointing to temperature checks and staff distributing masks and hand sanitizer.
Trump Director of Press Communications Erin Perrine told Fox News there will be a “big virtual rally” to kick off “Operation MAGA” on Monday.
Trump campaign's @ErinMPerrine says on Fox News that on Monday there will be a "big virtual rally" to kick off "Operation MAGA"
As this supporter tweeted, it appears that some Trump supporters had no intention of waiting until Monday. “It’s a good day to be a cop in Cali. Operation MAGA is ON!”, he wrote.
It’s a good day to be a cop in Cali. 💙#OperationMAGA is ON!
ALL THE GEAR ALL THE TIME FROM NOW UNTIL ELECTION DAY!
Meanwhile, as my RedState colleague Nick Arama covered on Saturday night, Trump continues to do what he does best, despite testing positive for the virus: being Trump. And “being Trump” means continuing to work.
And just to be even more “Trump,” he also taped a video to assure the country he’s doing well, as reported by my RedState colleague Becca Lower.
Trump being Trump. Loved by supporters and loathed by Pelosi and the Left. Meanwhile, “Operation MAGA” will do its best to continue to fill in for the boss.
If there’s anything President Donald Trump has learned in his nearly four years in office and during the time he was running for the office, it’s that he has to go over the heads of the mainstream media if he wants to get his messages out to Americans. And he hasn’t stopped doing that, even while in the hospital recovering from the Wuhan coronavirus.
This afternoon, he took to Twitter to knock down the pernicious conspiracy theories the media’s been trying to hard-sell all day. As my colleague Nick Arama wrote, addressing the crazy, liberal media, just try getting around the tweets from this POTUS.
On a related note, earlier on Saturday, the NY Post reported that the president spoke by phone with his attorney and former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani — echoing what Trump’s doctors quoted him as saying at the start of the Walter Reed press conference this morning — that “[he] could get out of here right now.” His message, dictated to Giuliani, also touched on the fake news media’s disgraceful behavior over his health.
“You go tell people I’m watching this coverage [reporting he’s taken a turn for the worse].”
Then he continued, giving an update on his condition:
“I feel I could get out of here right now. But they’re telling me there can always be a backstep with this disease. But I feel I could go out and do a rally.
“I am the president of the United States. I can’t lock myself in a room. … I had to confront [the virus] so the American people stopped being afraid of it so we could deal with it responsibly.
“We have made tremendous progress on treating this disease. Fatality rates are very low compared to [the beginning].”
Returning to his own health, Pres. Trump enthused:
“I’m going to beat this.
“Then I will be able to show people we can deal with this disease responsibly, but we shouldn’t be afraid of it.
He then remarked on how his administration has handled COVID-19:
“If I had handled it any other way, I would have created more panic, more fear in the American people.
“We are making great progress on dealing with this disease and making better progress with the economy than anyone had the right to expect.”
But he wasn’t done reaching out directly to the people. Saturday night, he recorded a four-minute-long video from the hospital’s presidential suite.
You can watch his full message to the American people in the video below:
To Squash Civil Unrest, the USA Must Remember Its Virtuous Roots
It
was October of 1859 when the fateful event of John Brown's raid of
Harpers Ferry took place, turning a politically tense nation into one of
mutual distrust, fear, and misunderstanding. The attack on federal
property with the intention to create an armed, violent insurrection
alarmed the nation.
Since
its founding, the country had often engaged in heated, intense, and
even personal political feuds. Citizens need only think of the battles
between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, or that of Andrew Jackson and
central banker Nicholas Biddle, for reminders of how pressurized these
contests of wills and intellects could be. However, at the end of the
day, despite who "won or lost," Americans viewed it as a natural,
healthy part of the political discourse and an organic process of
national growth.
Brown's
raid, however, was far from that — it was an avocation of violence, of
blood, and an assault on the peaceful institutions of their Founders
they so revered. A tumultuous election followed by a bloody civil war
ensued, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost, cities were razed to
the ground, and citizens of all regions of the country were faced with
the question of whether such catastrophe could have been
avoided. Regardless, post-1865 America was reunified, the ancient evil
of slavery had been rectified, and Americans could be American — not
Unionist or Confederates — once again. This reunification lasted for
nearly a century and a half — until the country seemed to witness
another outbreak of John Brown–style rage across its cities beginning in
the summer of 2020.
In
his gripping biography of legendary Virginian general Thomas
"Stonewall" Jackson, author S.C. Gwynne ponders how Jackson, a West
Point graduate, a noted veteran of the Mexican-American War, a deeply
devout Christian man who opposed secession and war, and a man who
personally provided time and resources to help educate blacks in his
community, came to become one of the Civil War's most accomplished
Confederate commanders. His conclusion may be surprising: he posits
that it was the North's reaction to John Brown's bloody raid on
Harpers Ferry that ultimately determined the divided nation's
fate. Virginians believed that the North's "presses, pulpits, public
meetings and conversations, disclosed such a hatred of the South and its
institutions as to lead them to justify the crime" and that it was
"wealthy Northern benefactors who had helped Brown finance his
enterprise" (Gwynne, p.26). The result, Gwynne argues, was that
Virginians felt that, more than anything, they had to repel hostile,
violent invaders from their lands; it was, they believed, the North's
"maligned intent" that drove them to war (31). For the average man, it
was not politics that motivated him to fight, but fear of unchecked
civil unrest and violence spreading to his towns and cities. These
people feared, at the root, the destruction of principles that they
believed the country was founded upon. For the average man today, the
recent events in cities Portland, Seattle, and numerous other places may
not seem so different from what the 19th-century man saw in Harper's
Ferry.
In
a recent speech at Hillsdale College, prominent historian Victor Davis
Hansen made the case that the "2020 election is about civilization vs.
anarchy." It's no accident that he discusses heavily how media,
academic, and political institutions have sided with, funded, or simply
attempted to justify the looting, violence, and the suppression of
competing ideas is effecting not just the election, but the culture. The
goal, he states, is to transform "the structure of America so that it
can't revert back to America." He clarifies the statement by predicting
that should the radical left take control of the presidency and Senate,
the abolishment of the Electoral College, the packing of the Supreme
Court, removal of the filibuster in the Senate, and perhaps even
altering senators to be redistributed via population instead of two per
state would soon follow.
Unlike
previous political epochs in the last half-century or longer, this one
is effectively driven by raw, unabashed ideology. When an individual,
or a well funded group, becomes so possessed with his ideology that he
believes that their pursuit of power with the subsequent use of that
power justifies any action they are taking, they create the situations
that, if not checked, lead to political upheaval, civil violence, and
destruction.
The
situation seems strikingly similar today; most Americans actively want
to live among each other peacefully and prosperously and be able to work
out their differences in a politically non-destructive, non-venomous
manner. Yet divisiveness has reached a fever pitch, and continuing
violence looms over the nation. The crux of the issue, both for the
observers of Harpers Ferry and for the modern rioting, therefore centers
on two central concepts: fear of being hurt, punished, or ostracized
for political philosophy and, secondly, the inability to adequately
articulate one's political and moral philosophy to combat the possessed
ideologues' hostile approach due to incomplete education. Both can be
remedied.
Philosopher
Edmund Burke famously opined that "the only thing necessary for evil to
triumph is for good men to do nothing." Truly being effective in
overcoming the aforementioned fears faced by the American citizenry has
to begin with learning about virtues — from Marcus Aurelius and the
Romans from Benjamin Franklin and Washington, from ethical philosophers
ranging from Aristotle to Ayn Rand. Only from the foundation of ethics
can we properly teach our people about its history and the political
systems that logically derive from the code of ethics a people
holds. If men are properly trained in virtues and ethics, they cannot
so easily be deceived by events like Harpers Ferry or the 2020 urban
destruction. On the contrary, they will be able to utilize their
education of ethics, history, and politics to prevent the fear of
violence and ostracism and will be able to articulate a defense of
virtuous living within the framework that the Founders devised, all the
while being able to acknowledge its faults and limitations.
If one is to battle the ideologically possessed, then he cannot cede them any ground in the arena of virtue. In Gibbon's epic Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,
he warns that the end of the empire was marked by "minds corrupted by
education, luxury, and despotic power" that depended on one or two
virtuous people for their survival, oblivious to their internal and
external dangers, and mostly notably ignorant of the virtuous nobility
of their ancestors (Gibbon, p. 527). For the Romans, the result was
corruption and decay, with inevitable subjugation and humiliation. To
avoid such an end, the United States would be wise to avoid losing touch
with its virtuous roots.
References:
Gibbon, Edward. Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Edited by D.M Low. 1960
Gwynne, S.C. Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson. Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2014.
Weaponizing COVID-19 for the ultimate political benefit, the usefulness of COVID-19 fear cannot solely rely upon the infection of President Trump. For maximum election usefulness the infection fear must be nationalized; and at the very least emphasized in those states most important for electoral gains.
Cue the next predictable phase in the 2020 political weaponization…
YAHOO – As the summer slowed down in August and early September, it seemed the U.S. had reached a turning point in the pandemic—finally COVID case numbers were going down. But in recent weeks, the country’s fate has changed. As of Oct. 3, the U.S. is seeing an eight percent rise in COVID cases from the average two weeks earlier, The New York Times reports. Of course, as has been the case throughout the pandemic, some states are being hit worse than others. It’s clear the virus has been ravaging the Midwest and now, is inching its way into western states as well. Based on the latest data, those two regions have the worst COVID outbreaks nationwide.
There are many ways to measure a state’s COVID outbreak, but these are the three key metrics: the number of new daily cases per 100,000 residents; the positive test rate, which is the percent of COVID tests done in each state that yield a positive result (a metric Anthony Fauci, MD, has called a “good predictor of a surge“); and the infection rate, which indicates the number of people each positive patient will infect. (read more)
Is the United States in the Midst of an Insurgency?
The
violence and rioting in the US result from far more than just
dissatisfaction with the police. Extreme ideological social justice
movements today are more likely to carry firearms than items for a food
pantry. We currently face nothing less than the early stages of a
socialist insurgency.
Insurgency
is an organized rebellion to overthrow a constituted government by
undermining its legitimacy through protest and disinformation, and
ultimately through armed conflict. This may sound dramatic, but consider
the steps already completed by BLM/ANTIFA in the Insurgency Pyramid
used by the US Army Special Forces community to characterize an
insurrection (Figure 1).
Initially,
when the insurgents are still weak, they organize around a group that
is actively dissatisfied with political and social conditions and
desires ideological or other changes. In America, who better to target
than the poorest and least educated black Americans, for they already
believe they have a legitimate grievance?
Insurgents
use propaganda and political efforts to exploit this atmosphere,
creating more significant discontent that discredits the government.
BLM and ANTIFA have made it abundantly clear that they believe the
existing government and socio-economic system are unjust and exclude
them.
It’s
well known that leftists intimidate people, so they refrain from
presenting counter-factual arguments. Then, by spinning the narrative
for high-profile events, they build credibility and feed the general
sense of public dissatisfaction.
Leftists
are adept at vilifying anyone who defends the current system, even if
they acknowledge its flaws and signal a willingness to improve it.
After all, who wouldn’t support racial justice? Nonetheless, if you are
not absolutely for the cause as presented, leftists will accuse you of being absolutely against it. Hence, saying “All Lives Matter” is synonymous with “I’m a racist.”
The
insurgents foment distrust for public institutions, which leads to more
favorable public opinion for the insurgency. We’ve seen that BLM’s and
Antifa’s preferred targets are the police and the judicial system, which
are the very foundations of law and order.
At
the same time that they garner popular support for the movement and
vilify its opponents, the insurgents also work to infiltrate public
institutions and spread their narrative into all sectors of society.
Celebrities, government officials, universities, corporations, and
others have bought into the BLM narrative, either through intellectual
laziness or for personal gain. This results in broad popular support
through funding, quasi-intellectual backing, active protest and rioting,
and even sympathetic inaction.
Hawk
Newsome, the chairman of BLM’s New York chapter, claims BLM is
following in the Black Panther Party’s footsteps and adds that former
“Special Forces officers” train the movement to protect itself — presumably from the police.
Armed members have attempted to replace police officers in abandoned
areas of Seattle and Atlanta. Justifying and introducing armed
insurgent personnel is a key step toward more militant acts. One
example, from June 26, is the pre-planned ambush against two police
officers in Tampa who were called to a phony shooting, only to have
glass-bottle throwing rioters attack them.
Having
foreign countries legitimize and support the insurgency is also
critical. BLM protests erupted worldwide after George Floyd was killed,
and Antifa has fraternal organizations across Europe. It’s still
unclear what America’s die-hard international enemies are doing to
support BLM and Antifa. Still, if they aren’t acting yet, they are most
certainly looking for their opportunities.
Insurgency
Pyramid. Actions already completed or begun by BLM/ANTIFA are in
color. These actions do not have to take place in the order they are
listed. Graphic by Matt Rowe.
The
three co-founders of BLM — Patrisse Khan Cullors, Alicia Garza, and
Opal Tometi — all have Marxist Socialism at the core of their
ideologies. According to the Capital Research Center,
the three women worked for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s
front groups. The FRSO is one of the country’s largest radical-left
organizations. Tometi actively promotes Socialism and anti-western
socio-economics, while Cullors has publicly stated that the leaders of BLM are “trained Marxists.”
Antifa
nominally believes that the country is heading toward Fascism and touts
President Trump’s election and “America First” platform as proof. The
organization has existed since the 1980s, but its radical anti-globalism
and anti-capitalist rhetoric was inconsequential. By taking on BLM’s
“anti-racist” cause, Antifa significantly increased its opportunities to
act. Antifa has not hidden its Marxist Socialist objectives, but it
has modified the traditional conflict from “workers versus the owners of
capital” to “identity conflicts” based upon race, gender, sexual
orientation, etc.
The
vast majority of BLM members and supporters make up what Vladimir Lenin
called “the useful idiots.” That is, the people actively working for a
cause without really understanding the cause’s objectives. They are
cynically being used to achieve an end they may have never intended.
The core organizers’ goal is to keep the useful idiots blind to the
truth for as long as possible while indoctrinating them into the cause.
To
defeat this insurgency, we must eliminate the dissatisfaction that
drives the largest groups of actors. We cannot change the political
beliefs of hardcore Marxists. Still, we can help lift the millions of
the poorest and least educated black (and other) Americans out of their
current conditions and deteriorating culture. First, we must counter
the propaganda that their plight is the result of current systemic
racism. Instead, they must be led to understand that their current
problems are the result of old behaviors. They require new solutions
that will reintegrate them into society to give them a genuine stake and
the ability to exercise legitimate influence.
Doing
so will deprive the insurgency of millions of activists. It will also
harness the sympathetic energies of the millions of people who
understand that there is a problem but are misled into believing the
insurgency can fix it. This means acknowledging that the pain our most
impoverished communities experience, regardless of race, comes from
long-standing cultural behaviors.
We
must redirect cultures that have a history of welfare dependency;
single motherhood, depriving children of fathers; skyrocketing numbers
of high school dropouts who are unprepared to meet the needs of an
increasingly technological society; higher risks of drug use and
dependence; the extraordinarily higher crime rates with community
members as both predators and victims; and the isolation and utter
hopelessness that comes from being trapped there.
Good
families, good educations, real opportunities, and the hope that every
person can achieve the American dream are not racial or police issues.
What we’re currently seeing is a halfway completed insurgency. If we are
to end this unrest, we must face these truths and develop longer-term
solutions immediately. Otherwise, judging by socialist “successes”
worldwide, the suffering could increase exponentially for all of us.
