The level of displays of power is, also, to show power. This is why when progressives criticize the tactics employed by their communist friends, they are missing the point. Of course, protests, obstacles, and the like are not compelling in the sense of being logical explanations. Instead, they are activities of strength, and strength has a eloquence all of its own.
Power gives justifications for adherence, regardless of whether the cause is a acceptable one. So, the Jew-hating, terrorist-supporting mobs that are currently active on campuses and in the streets could reach their goals without convincing anyone. Harassment usually works as well as explanation, if no better.
What they are demonstrating is not the justice of their cause, but rather that they have the authority to carry out their would, from kicking Jews off campus to halting bridges and roads without having any real impact on their lives.
These work, of course, depend upon the capitulation of those in established positions of authority, such as politicians, lawyers, and college presidents, and securing this adherence is itself a further demonstration of power the extreme left holds.
Leftists are granted much more leeway to destroy, intimidate, and abuse, and the effects, if and when they eventually come, tend to be modest. Imagine the swift, intense action if pro-lifers or gun-rights activists blocked main roads and bridges in New York and San Francisco. Compare the leniency toward those who participated in the much more damaging Black Lives Matter protests of the summer to the continuous indictments of those involved with the ( even marginal ) riot at the Capitol.
As has been noted, this is not duplicity, but order. Liberals are permitted to break the law, going from obstructing student conduct rules to felony offenses. These tactics may cause an political backlash, but liberal concerns about communist radicalism being self-sabotaging are reasonable. However, to be effective, either liberals must get a neck, or Republicans must develop their skills once they are back in power. Neither seems possible.
Since most Democratic leaders, from Joe Biden to now, consider leftists and jew-haters to be essential components of their democratic coalition, the problem is mostly found in deep-blue enclaves. So, just as with the 2020 unrest, they are slow to respond, and when they do, the sanctions meted out to individuals are poor at best.
Republicans might be able to use this as a powerful promotion tool. However, they must develop the necessary skills to make the most of the professional branch’s great powers. After all, Donald Trump tweeted about law and order during the 2020 riots, but he did n’t impose it, even after federal buildings, including the White House, were besieged by violent mobs. Although the president does not have full authority outside, he may possess done much more to at least at least protect national home and employees.
Dominating the Public Square
So both impure Democrats and helpless Republican confirm that left-wing radicals are in fact responsible for occupying open spaces. Communist cadres have authority to harm the rest of us whenever they want to, which they usually do because it was before there was racism against Jews and Israel before there was racism against Black Lives Matter, and so on.
If liberals are given a complimentary move to threaten, ruin, and abuse, they will often find another reason to do so. And when they can intimidate, they wo n’t bother with rational persuasion. In a pleasant world, using threats and violence is a surefire way to lose; instead, halting discussion is frequently a proven strategy.
Force can produce arguments useless, and dominating the open square does allow a minority to be in control, perhaps in a democracy. The majority of people are unwilling to give up being targeted by radical. And if not strongly stopped, violent and destructive tactics can frequently rise and spread.
Such techniques are not disgusting to people. Energy is lovely, and individuals have a healthy, personal- preserving instinct to want to ally with ( or at least not anger ) it. Getting away with breaking the rules can be fun, even exhilarating. Add to this the brutal pleasures of bullying and the energizing fury of a ostensibly good cause, and it becomes obvious why so many people are eager to join the mob.
And once it is established that crimes committed in the name of a particular cause will be omitted, criminals will embrace that cause. This was especially evident during the BLM riots; it is no coincidence that the men Kyle Rittenhouse shot in self-defense were all white scumbags who were attempting to get things done.
Further entangling the power dynamic is by prosecuting those who dare to defend themselves and others ( such as Daniel Penny ), which reinforces that citizens must rely on incompetent and indifferent authorities for protection.
Conservative Response
The conservative response must be to vigorously enforce the law wherever we have jurisdiction, in contrast to the obstinate liberals who support it. Thankfully, we see some Republican- led states doing that by promptly breaking up Jew- hating campus mobs and their illegal encampments.
Conservatives must resist the temptation to view the disorder as a proper self-inflicted punishment on their citizens in Democrat-run cities and campuses. Yes, many of them did indeed cast ballots in favor of this ( though there are also millions of conservatives who live in blue states and cities ). However, offering a real alternative is the best way to change that, especially if you are a Republican in the White House. We ca n’t afford to commit the 2020 errors, which included numerous tweets about law and order but lacking in follow-through.
Instead, the next Republican administration should vigorously uphold the law, including prosecuting federal crimes committed by radical leftists while Democrats were in power. Our nation’s endemic leftist violence would be significantly reduced if we focused only on prosecuting these criminals with half the effort that Biden’s administration has put into punishing every granny who entered the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot.
Future Republican presidents should also use civil rights laws for legitimate legal purposes, such as preventing mobs from escorting Jews off college campuses. This will be a welcome change from Biden, who wants to break up civil rights regulations to install a man in every girl’s locker room. And, of course, Republicans should make reforming our corrupt, incompetent education system a top priority.
Liberals ‘ cynical views of leftist violence, criminality, and disorder, as well as the ideologically repressive educational system that supports them, will be forced to accept them. If not, then those who hate us will rule us if conservatives are unable to take serious steps to govern for the common good.
Nathanael Blake is a postdoctoral fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a senior contributor to The Federalist.
