The Regressive Left Hasn’t Learned

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By Brian Nichols

The 2016 presidential election was a shock to most, if not all parties involved in American politics.  The candidates, the electorate, the news media, foreign nations… all were shocked at the outcome of the election.

Yours truly openly admits my analysis of the the polling and data, while statistically accurate, was flawed in deciding the outcome of the race.  After all, Clinton was polling far and above Trump in national polling, and seemingly was well on her way to the anointing that she and so many of her supporters believed she deserved.

However, as many uneducated political activists soon learned, the popular vote means next to nothing in the grand scheme of things.  And alas, Donald Trump won the White House through the Electoral College and ascended to the role of 45th President of the United States.

The results of the election sent Trump opponents into a frenzy, with marches and protests galore popping up all over the United States in opposition to Trump and “backwards thinking” they argued he represented.  The accusations of racism, bigotry, etc. began to be tossed about like that of a ship on the ocean.  However, these protesters and their supporters not only attributed these labels to Trump, but to his supporters as well.

Back in November, just after the results of the election were beginning to sink in, I penned an article addressing these accusations by those on the Left.  In this article, I addressed how those on the Left couldn’t fathom the reality that America had elected a “bigot” like Trump, and likewise, how they couldn’t grasp that a plurality of their fellow citizens reflected these “bigoted” sentiments:

“People [Tump voters] were tired with being labeled as something they were not. There is no doubt that there were those Trump supporters who were in fact racist. But to assume that those racist Trump voters were the cause of his victory is entirely misguided and only adds to the divisiveness that helped fuel a Trump victory.”

It is this article I wrote in November that I truly, sincerely hoped my liberal friends would read, process, and take to heart.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

In the months following Trump’s election, not only has that simple point I was trying to make back in November ignored by those Leftists, but was doubled-down upon, leading to even more divisiveness and hatred across this wounded nation.  “Antifa” who have claimed to represent an “anti-fascist opposition” to Trump and his supporters have turned into a modern day Gestapo, going out of their way to silence those they deem “offensive” (they clearly haven’t comprehended the meaning of the word “irony”).

Through this doubling-down of identity politics and divisiveness, the Left has thoroughly embraced the label that Dave Rubin so accurately identified as “The Regressive Left”.

Rubin, who used to co-star on the uber-progressive YouTube channel, The Young Turks, has stated that he had once thought that identifying as a progressive meant being like “liberals but louder.”  However, in recent years, Rubin come to the conclusion that progressives no longer seemed to tolerate freedom of speech and the acceptance of others who may think differently than they do, and have instead embraced a society founded around “trigger warnings” and banning those with opposing viewpoints from even being allowed to speak their minds.

“All of this has led me to be believe that much of the Left is no longer progressive, but regressive.  This is one of the reasons I’ve spent so much time on my show [The Rubin Report]  talking about The Regressive Left.  This regressive ideology doesn’t judge people as individuals, but as a collective.”

It is this regressive, intolerant mindset that Leftists have recently embraced that truly cost them the 2016 election, and based on recent events, it is this doubling-down of this regressive, intolerant mindset that is seemingly preparing to doom liberals in elections for years to come.

As I stated in November:

“Being a conservative/libertarian/Republican often comes with the labeling of “racism” or “bigotry.” So many on the right hide their beliefs for fear of being publicly shamed by those on the left. But when they get into the voting booth, guess what? It’s them and their vote. They don’t have to worry about the pubic shaming for their beliefs or support of a particular candidate. And that is a major reason we have a Trump presidency. People are tired of the shaming and talking down. If you want to win elections, you bring people together. And the reality is that a large reason the Democrats lost is because over the past decade, they have been dividing people based on ideology and shaming those who don’t follow their beliefs out of some moral superiority.

So what happens? Well, if this election hasn’t shown it clearly, I don’t know what will: people either keep their views silent and then cast their ballots in the privacy of the voting booth or they simply stay home. And guess what? Both of those happened this election. And the left’s inability to concede that they messed up in some way is the exact reason they lost the election. It’s not about racism. It’s not about bigotry. It’s about the smugness of the typical American liberal in their sense of some moral superiority.”

To quote Hillary Clinton (*gasp*), the left needs to focus on “building bridges, not walls”.  Through their condemnation and assault on those who believe and promote on any views that do not reflect the biases that they are so used to bathing in within their Regressive Leftist echo-chambers, the left is setting itself up for an era of insignificance and mediocrity.

So, once more to my liberal friends: I pray that this post serves as yet another wake-up call.

If you want to see “progress,” it starts with a non-biased approach to solutions, including not labeling those you disagree with.  If want to end “intolerance”, it starts with you not being intolerant yourselves.  If you want to fight “fascism”, it starts with you not using fascistic tactics to silence those you disagree with.

But I digress.

Your move, my liberal friends.

EDITOR’s NOTE: The views expressed are those of the author, they are not representative of The Libertarian Republic or its sponsors.

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