Let the Left Start by Canceling Lawfare
Following the July 13, 2024 failed assassination attempt on President Donald Trump that left one supporter dead and others severely wounded, President Biden has spoken about unity and turning down the heat. If he really means it, he could start by calling off the dogs currently twisting America's legal system beyond recognition to persecute political opposition. It is called "lawfare": political warfare extended into the courts.
Of course, the U.S. judicial system was once the envy of the world and was a major component of what made America great. Previously our courts operated under the Rule of Law—not the capricious law of the rulers—and Justice was supposed to be blind.
On the day following the assassination attempt, President Biden addressed the nation with a statement which, so far, appears disappointingly self-serving. Basically, he urged the nation to dial back the rhetoric, but so far it seems he feels only the right side of the dial needs adjustment.
To illustrate just how high the left side of the dial has been set ever since Donald Trump stepped onto the political stage, consider...
• The very day of his inauguration, Left-wing rioters trashed and terrorized the streets of Washington, DC. This was essentially ignored by the mainstream legacy press at the time.
• Getting more attention was the so-called Women's March held in the city the next day, where participants wore knitted caps simulating their genitalia and singer Madonna spoke to the crowd from the stage of "blowing up the White House."
• In the following months comedian Kathy Griffin posted her ISIS-style video of herself holding a prop resembling President Trump’s bloody, severed head.
• In June 2017, a Shakespeare in the Park performance of “Julius Caesar” in New York’s Central Park gained international attention for its timely interpretation of the Bard’s masterpiece. In a diverse cast, the character of Caesar stood out for being portrayed by a white male actor with yellow-orange hair and his supporters wore red baseball caps. At one point the actor playing Caesar rose nude from a bathtub. Of course, Caesar is assassinated in the play. Once news of the Caesar-as-Trump production circulated some sponsors withdrew their support, raising predictable cries of censorship. Public Theater, which mounted the production, surely drew knowing snickers with its disclaimer stating, “Our production of Julius Caesar in no way advocates violence toward anyone.”
Mind you, all of this, and more, took place within President’s Trump’s first six months in office. The Left, and the Democrat Party in particular, has only piled on ever since. I could cite examples, but everyone knows them already and you can search the internet and easily verify all I have written.
If anything, Donald Trump’s support has only grown as a result. Another result is that large swaths of the entertainment industry has alienated much of its audience. The mainstream legacy media has lost all credibility along with most of its viewers and readers. Despite corrupting the electoral process in a number of states, including Michigan, Democrats tremble at the thought of losses in November 2024.
With all else failing, they turned to lawfare—corrupting the judicial system for political gain. Lawfare has been waged not only against President Trump, but also against his legal counsel, advisors and supporters.
In Michigan, we have witnessed state Attorney General Dana Nessel’s persecution of the 16 alternate Michigan Republican electors following the 2020 election. Those 16 civic-minded individuals did nothing wrong—alternate electors for close elections have been the accepted norm for over half a century. Yet A.G. Nessel is causing them to incur massive personal legal expenses. (To the Michigan Republican Party’s shame, three of its state chairs have blithely stood on the sidelines, leaving those who answered its call to action and agree to serve as alternate electors swing in the breeze.) A.G. Nessel has brought multiple charges against these civic stalwarts, including the accusation that they have somehow defrauded the people of Michigan. Simply put, it is not the 16 alternate electors who are perpetrating the fraud here. And the message is clear: there is a price to be paid for supporting Donald Trump. Of course, history shows it won’t stop with Trump supporters… all opposition will be quashed by any means necessary.
This lawfare, while continuing, seems to have again only increased and solidified President Trump’s support.
For many, it has been clear for quite a while that the Left has only one arrow left in its once-hefty quiver: assassination. For many, especially those with a sense of history, the attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13 was entirely predictable. While the collateral death and injuries are tragic and victims deserve prayers, President Trump’s survival with minor injury seems providential. But the stakes for the Left, the Democrats and sections of the entertainment and news media industries haven’t changed. Unless there is real change from the Left, it seems another attempt looms.
As this is being written it was announced that one set of lawfare charges against President Trump—the classified documents case—was dismissed. This could signify the beginning of real change. If President Biden used his authority to call for all these lawfare cases to be immediately dropped, it would represent a real and big step back from the dangerous brink that we find ourselves at.
If they were really disturbed by Saturday’s assassination attempt, President Biden, Michigan A.G. Nessel and their cohorts would respond by immediately dropping their spurious, patently politically motivated lawfare attacks that only serve to cheapen the judicial process.
That would be a good start. Anything less is just cheap talk.