Why violent riots will only help Donald Trump win
The recent unchecked violence and lawlessness we’ve seen sparked by leftist agitators in the US could prove to be a game-changer for Trump in the presidential election, writes Rita Panahi.
Rita Panahi
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There’s nothing so-called “progressives” hate more than a member of a minority group who dares stray from the leftist reservation.
In a flash, the same folk who bleat endlessly about diversity and inclusion reveal their true bigoted natures. Perhaps the leftist obsession with race, colour and creed is little more than projection of their own prejudices.
The same phenomenon is evident with male feminists who are hypersensitive to any criticism of a woman who shares their ideology but feel entitled to use sexist language to denigrate conservative women.
On Wednesday Melania Trump was the target of vicious, misogynistic abuse after speaking at the Republican National Convention. Not satisfied with shaming the First Lady for her appearance, the abuse also extended to her accent, intelligence and immigration status.
Hollywood actress Bette Midler tweeted: “Oh, God. She still can’t speak English” and “Get that illegal alien off the stage!” as Melania who is fluent in five languages delivered a 26-minute speech. Comic Kathy Griffin posted: “Seriously, f..k this b...h” while CNN political analyst Brian Karem wrote Melania made him “want to vomit”.
It’s worth noting one stupidly bigoted tweet ended Roseanne Barr’s career even as she was starring in a top-rating program bearing her name.
Clearly, the same rules don’t apply to the left. No wonder they think “cancel culture” is a myth.
The virulent racism of the left was also on display on night one of the RNC, which featured a number of speakers of colour.
That saw the racist slur “Uncle Tom” trending on Twitter, which tells you everything you need to know about that platform.
The identity politics-obsessed left share a great deal in common with white supremacists; both are preoccupied with race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion and their own imagined victimhood.
It should surprise no one neo-Nazi Richard Spencer formally endorsed Joe Biden as president, though Biden has denounced the endorsement. The RNC is taking place as riots rage across a number of Democrat cities from Minneapolis to Seattle to Kenosha.
In some cities such as Portland, the violence has raged for weeks with leftist agitators from Antifa and Black Lives Matter breaking the law with impunity.
During this period, the bulk of the media has either ignored the mayhem, or worse, attempted to whitewash lawless thuggery as social justice activism.
Brazen acts of violence, arson, looting and property damage captured on video have received scant media coverage on the bulk of left-leaning media outlets including CNN, ABC, MSNBC, NBC, Washington Post, and the New York Times.
One can imagine the saturation coverage if Trump supporters were setting up their own autonomous zone in Republican heartland or engaging in daily acts of politically motivated violence.
This week a police shooting in Kenosha, a Democrat city in a Democrat state, saw another violent uprising.
Businesses were looted and burnt to the ground while government buildings including a library were badly damaged. Even a church with a massive marquee that read “black lives matter” was set alight.
An elderly man trying to protect a store from rioters was beaten unconscious and a police officer was lucky to survive after a protester hit him in the head with a brick. Despite these attacks being on camera they have received minimal coverage.
The media’s complicity in minimising the mindless violence of BLM and Antifa was summed up beautifully by a CNN chyron over footage of Kenosha in flames that read “fiery but mostly peaceful protests”.
CNN anchor Don Lemon said the quiet bit out loud when he implored the rioters to stop because their behaviour was hurting the Democrats. Violent protests have also recommenced in Minneapolis after a murder suspect shot himself dead as police approached him.
Expect to see more coverage of the violence now that several protesters are among the victims.
The third night of the Kenosha riots saw two protesters shot dead and a teenage vigilante charged with murder. The escalation in the violence was almost inevitable with the Democrat mayor and governor refusing to supply adequate police numbers to quell the mayhem.
It’s one thing for home and business owners to protect their property from violent thugs but no good can come from armed vigilantes, of any age, joining a riot.
The unchecked violence and lawlessness we’ve seen in numerous Democrat cities could be a game changer for the presidential election.
Republicans would do well to remind the American public that according to the FBI not one of the 20 American cities with the most violent crime per capita is run by Republicans.
IN SHORT
The Victorian government repeatedly claimed only 10 to 15 per cent of healthcare workers infected with COVID-19 contracted it at work. This week we learnt the real figure was 70 to 80 per cent. Incompetent politicians working with dodgy figures ... what could go wrong?
Rita Panahi is a Herald Sun columnist