Feeding Frenzy

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Dr. Malcolm Cross

A recent edition of Time Magazine devoted to the Mueller Report showed a jaunty President Trump on the cover, with an umbrella, as he pranced happily through the rain.  The image was certainly appropriate.  Mueller’s report will not stop the Democrats from seeking to impeach the President, but it’ll make the Democrats keep searching for grounds as the President, umbrella in hand, dances happily on.  And while the Mueller Report helps the President, the Democrats are helping him even more, as they continue to feast on their most favorite meals—themselves.

I’ve already written of AOC’s announced plan to “primary” Democrats she thinks are fatally moderate, and her threat should not be taken lightly.  She’s already bagged two—the incumbent whom she defeated for renomination last year, and a congressman from Massachusetts whose primary opponent—and now replacement––benefited from her support.

And of course there’s AOC’s fellow newbie in Congress, Representative Omar, whose anti-Semitic remarks provoked her Democratic House colleagues to tie themselves in knots as they fought among themselves to figure out how to say anti-Semitism is wrong without actually offending any anti-Semites (and they criticize the President for not being harsh enough in denouncing the alt. right???)

And don’t forget what happened to Chelsea Clinton.  As an article from National Review which I posted on my Facebook blog, Crosswise on Politics, describes, after she did what the House Democrats failed to do—namely explicitly denounce anti-Semitism—radical leftist nut jobs blamed her for helping incite the monster who murdered those New Zealand Muslims.  What’s fascinating here is the failure of any Democratic presidential candidate—or any other prominent Democrat, other than New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio—to come to her defense.  It’s as if other Democrats, for fear of seeming too moderate as they race for the presidency, want to throw her, and by extension, her parents, to the wolves.

Which brings us to Creepy Uncle Joe.  He’s been accused of giving women unwanted massages and neck kisses, all while sniffing their hair.

His critics do have a point.  He’s invading what many rightfully consider their “personal space.”  If he were wise he would follow Speaker Pelosi’s sound advice—join what she calls the “Straight Arm Club,” keeping an arm’s length away from strangers and anyone else who won’t welcome more intimate contact.

But still, one has to wonder not only at the timing of the bestowal of Creepy Uncle Joe’s new nickname, but at who’s criticizing him and who’s saying nothing.  He’s become Creepy only as he nears an announcement that he’ll seek the Democratic presidential nomination.  The first woman to come forward, citing an encounter with him 5 years ago, is a Bernie Sanders supporter (the Sanders campaign denies any involvement).  And despite the fact that Creepy (sorry—I couldn’t help myself) has been in national politics since he was first elected to the U. S. Senate in 1972, and until recently was almost universally beloved within the Democratic Party as everyone’s favorite Uncle, nobody’s coming forth to defend him.  Where are those who are willing to say that his tactile approach to politics may be out of date, but that doesn’t mean he’s really, uh, creepy–he only has to adapt to changing times?  My guess—they’re all running for president and don’t want to have to compete with him.  Once someone else secures the nomination, he’ll cease being called Creepy.

The best—or worst—thing about all this is that the Democrats are still in the early stages of selecting their 2020 ticket.  A lot more can happen in the next nineteen months.  No doubt rational Democrats would like to step into the current frays, and those yet to come, and shout “Children!  Children!  Play nice.”  After all, if the Democrats keep feeding on themselves, there’ll be few left to take on the President.  But between now and November, 2020, should Republicans want to retain the White House, they could do far worse than simply sit back and watch the Democrats’ self-feeding frenzy. 


Malcolm L. Cross has lived in Stephenville and taught politics and government at Tarleton since 1987. His political and civic activities include service on the Stephenville City Council (2000-2014) and on the Erath County Republican Executive Committee (1990 to the present).  He was Mayor Pro Tem of Stephenville from 2008 to 2014.  He is a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and the Stephenville Rotary Club, and does volunteer work for the Boy Scouts of America. Views expressed in this column are his and do not reflect those of The Flash as a whole.

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