I was saddened to see the riot and attack on Capitol Hill last Wednesday (6/01/21) and especially the loss of life that occurred. A note of caution before we go any further. We should learn our lesson from the past few months and not jump to the conclusion that these four people were ‘killed’ as a result of the riot, as was reported by CNBC (07/01/21) . We see from the same report that three deaths are provisionally listed as ‘medical emergencies’ and at the time of writing there is an investigation into the deaths of Ashli Babbitt and subsequently, Officer Sicknick.
Having said that, the President has lost the opportunity to leave his mark as the person who changed the political dynamic in the States by standing up for common sense and country. The Glitterati, led by George Clooney, say that his name will forever be linked to “insurrection” and the Democratic press will make sure of that. I think that history will take another view. When all the articles from the legacy Press have faded and the Chat Shows have been forgotten the President’s Legacy will be that he challenged progressivism , forged by the elites of the press, the Arts, the Universities, Big Tech and the Democrats.
Though the Left would love nothing more, Trump supporters are not going away. The same bill of complaints leading to Trump’s ascension remains. Trump didn’t arise in a vacuum, and the Left’s mission to fundamentally transform America that gave birth to Trump and Trumpism is not only alive and well but is even more dangerous now that Democrats have captured control of the two political branches of our government.. David Limbaugh
I have to pause to highlight the sheer opportunism of Chuck Schumer comparing the riot with the attack on Pearl Harbour which was noted in a report from News 24/7, ‘The Senate minority leader’s flair for melodrama is so well known that in a city full of publicity-hungry politicians, it’s an old joke that “the most dangerous place in Washington is between Chuck Schumer and a TV camera.”‘ If we accept that this wasn’t a second Pearl Harbour or 9/11, it is serious enough to give the President’s enemies enough ammunition to compromise all the work he has done in the last four years and make the choices for the GOP more difficult going forward.
What I find interesting amongst all the talk of this being the greatest threat to the constitution is the conflation of the , rather exotically dressed leaders of the riot/ mainly peaceful protest, with all those who disagree with the liberal establishment. David McWilliams wrote a piece in the Irish Times subtitled, ‘The white working class is slipping down the US and global pecking order.’ (9/01/21) The article can nearly be summarised in following quote, “In absolute terms the “deplorables” are not much worse off than they were 30 years ago, but relative to the brown and black people who used to do their laundry, they are sinking.” He manages to introduce the Hillarian elitist term, “deplorables” early in the diatribe but doesn’t really define who he means. They are white, of course and male perhaps the above picture could serve as an identity kit to mark out his targets. Most of the support for his contention that these ‘deplorables’ are entitled and resistant to change seem to be rooted in the 19th century. One of the few modern examples he uses refers to the high success rate of West African immigrants in employment. He produces no evidence that the white working class, have demonstrated against any immigrant who would contribute to the common good. Was he saying that this demonstrates the high level of education in Africa that will fuel the increased competitiveness of the continent with the U.S.? If so, that will affect everyone and I would suggest that given the education levels in different ethnic groups that the white working class will not be the most impacted. I would add that it wasn’t the ‘deplorables’ who discriminated against Asian immigrants who wanted to access higher education but the Harvard elites.
What do we make of this sort of stereotyping ? The first thing to note is that the left have learnt little over the last number of years. If we take Brexit as an example the Remainers created a straw man of the typical Brexiteer. He was white, male, probably an ex football hooligan with a Union Jack T Shirt and aggressive tattoos. His only political belief was that immigration was bad and that you couldn’t trust foreigners. The Remainers continually called the Brexiteers ‘racist’ and reiterated the Clinton line, “it’s the economy stupid”. What they hadn’t noticed was that the debate had shifted and the question was now the same one that Maggie Thatcher posed, who is running the country? Cummings had found disenfranchised voters who knew that their voice wasn’t heard by those in power. The issue was now cultural, political as well as economic. As with the Clinton (Hilary this time) election the left in the UK was shocked to see the collapse of the ‘Red Wall’ and suffered a resounding defeat. David McWilliams may be correct in his economic forecasts, although perhaps he could tone down his glee over the demise of the U.S. but empires rise and fall and he is right that change is the natural order of things. What I don’t see is half of the voting public in the picture he has drawn. Statistically some of that number has to be non white. He refers to the, “…. brown and black people who used to do their laundry.” Does he know any working class people? Is he suggesting that the working class own or, ever owned slaves? He mentions that soon women will have more wealth than men, does the working class not have a few women amongst them?
What he and his elitist colleagues have done is to draw a very narrow picture of anyone who opposes their narrative. He has created a straw man, a member of the ‘American Honky-Tonk Bar Association.’ complete with cowboy boots and AK47. After applying the racial, gender and classist filters to conservatives there are no women, no people of colour, no one with any education, no one outside this imaginary group. He accuses the working class of feeling entitled but I would suggest that they are not looking for a hand out, as are the various lobby groups of the progressive left but rather a hand up. They are not afraid of work, something he might discover if he ever actually talked to anyone outside of his bubble. At the beginning of the First World War the British Army was called “Contemptable” by the Kaiser and they happily adopted this name and became the ‘Old Contemptables’ that eventually defeated him. By the same token I am happy to become one of the ‘deplorables’ and look forward to the return of common sense and respect to all my fellow country men/women. There are two effects of applying the Goebbels principle; one has been amply demonstrated over the past four years where you repeat something untrue like, ‘Trumps is a Russian Agent’ and through sheer repetition the base start to believe it. The second effect is that you start to believe it yourself.
Sources
David Limbaugh, 8/01/21,www.dailywire.com/news/limbaugh-trumps-agenda-must-survive-his-presidency.
Four Dead After Pro-Trump Rioters Storm Capital Jennifer Elias, Kevin Breuninger, Marty Steinbergw.cnbc.om/2021/01/07/four-dead-after-pro-trump-rioters-storm-capitol.htm
Capital rioters can’t stop the economic forces undermining their tribe., David McWilliams, 9/01/21,www.irishtimes.com/news/world/us/us-election/david-mcwilliams-capitol-rioters-can-t-stop-the-economic-forces-undermining-their-tribe-1.4452498