In The Land Of Trump, Only He And His Followers Are Allowed To Be Politically Incorrect
This week, we were presented with the latest example of hypocrisy coming from the Make America Great Again movement. Now, this has actually been something that has been omnipresent when it comes to Donald Trump’s campaign, but hadn’t really been widely remarked on (except on this site) until a kerfuffle occurred between the conservative #NeverTrump movement and a paid Trump supporter.
Over the weekend, on CNN’s Reliable Sources, professional Trumpkin Kayleigh McEnany stated unequivocally that “you are not a conservative if you do not support Donald Trump.” This was directed at conservative panelist and RedState editor Ben Howe, who is one of the leading #NeverTrump voices. He responded by telling McEnany that since Trump isn’t a conservative, that can’t rightly be the case.
Now, on its face, this is a pretty ridiculous statement, just like one can’t say that a person isn’t a liberal if they don’t support Hillary Clinton. It is just patently stupid, and kinda shines a light on the lack of intellectual seriousness we’re getting from the Trump shills and cultists embedded in the media. But a fellow #NeverTrumper decided to take it to another level on Monday with her own criticism.
Conservative radio host Dana Loesch devoted a segment of her radio program to personally ripping McEnany. In her lengthy tirade against the CNN personality, who was largely unknown before this election, she took McEnany to task for being the gatekeeper of conservatism. In doing so, she ridiculed her appearance, while simultaneously pointing out she was acting like Kayleigh’s personal hero:
“Babycakes, this was more than going on television and flashing them pearly whites and your flat-chested, red-dressed, over-sprayed bleach blonde hair, while you sit here and you preach all this stuff about who is and isn’t a conservative. You like Donald Trump so much, let me act like him.”
Below is video of the entire segment, courtesy of RedState:
Well, it appears that McEnany had a voluntary double mastectomy a while back, due to her family’s history of breast cancer. After this was pointed out in the media, Loesch found herself under attack from Trump supporters. Speaking to right-wing website Daily Caller the following day, Loesch was unapologetic, pointing out that “playing victim” and being overly sensitive is something Trump’s followers are supposed to despise.
“While I don’t know her or anything about her, it changes nothing about the kind of environment Kayleigh believes is best for America or my point,” Loesch wrote The Mirror. “I know how horrible a disease cancer is: I lost both sets of grandparents, two aunts and two uncles on both sides to it and helped my family care for my cancer-afflicted WWII veteran grandfather when the VA failed him.
“Anyone who defends a candidate that has mocked a reporter’s disability, POWs, and blasted women as “bimbos” with “blood coming out of their wherever” surely has no problem with my addressing surrogates in a similar fashion. I’m sorry for the struggles she had but perhaps being the “victim” of my words can give her an insight into the kind of harm Trump’s words inflicts on others.”
Loesch decided to respond with a blog post on Wednesday, especially as she continued to receive criticism and invective thrown her way on social media and the Trump-friendly blogosphere. In the piece, the right-wing activist pointed out the rank hypocrisy going on from the Trump faithful, comparing them to the liberal groups and social justice warriors they supposedly despise.
This election cycle the most fervent Trump supporters have excused, defended, even cheered a candidate that has mocked a disabled reporter, the appearance of cancer-survivor Carly Fiorina (sadly, this gene also runs in my family which has been ravaged by cancer), and women in general. They mob-rage against anyone who demonstrates the slightest difference of opinion with them on Trump-the-candidate and when faced with feedback or criticism they recoil, as do feminists and Black Lives Matter, in want of a safe space. It’s the furthest thing possible from being “politically incorrect.” In fact, this most fervent group’s behavior is the epitome of Social Justice Warrior Political Correctness. I pointed this out in my monologue (also here and here) regarding a Trump surrogate who had the audacity to play bouncer of the conservative movement by personally attacking and smearing conservatives I know and claiming that you can’t be a true conservative unless you whole-heartedly support Donald Trump. Her statement was asinine and my observation, delivered in the stated style of Donald Trump, was absolutely valid. That I chose this rhetorical device (I even predicted the outrage and literally mocked it mid-monologue in the video) served the purpose of highlighting the hypocrisy of these most fervent supporters, and they didn’t disappoint with their hypocritical reaction. My valid remarks struck a chord with this fervent group and perhaps the surrogate herself, as they chose to fabricate from my words an “attack on mastectomies” (silly, as it falsely presupposes I know as much about the person I criticized as she knew about the people she attacked) because it is easier to argue against a straw man than to address my accurate observation of the surrogate’s remarks. It’s an offensive, disingenuous, and progressive deflective tactic by people seeking to shrink the definition of “conservative” to include only those people who wholly and without question support Trump.
Look, the last person in the world I either want to defend or agree with is Dana Loesch. Her ideological views are nearly the polar opposite of mine, especially when it comes to guns and abortion. But, regarding the Alt Right/GamerGate/MRA/white nationalist/FREEDUMB crowd that makes up a large portion of Trump’s base, she is 100% on point.
The fact is, this group prides itself on hating political correctness. They rail against SJWs and safe spaces and namby-pamby libtards and whiny feminists and whatever other pejorative you want to toss regarding those on the left. They piss and moan about how they have to watch what they say and that the PC POLICE is killing this country.
However, say one thing negative or slightly offensive about one of them, and good GAWD you’ll never hear the end of it! The bleating and complaining, the whining, the HOW DARE YOU?!?!? attitude…you find out they are the softest of the soft.
In the end, it is only OK if they are the ones offending. It is a one-way street. Turn the tables back on them, and they immediately start crying. Sure, they believe in being politically incorrect. It just can’t be used on them.
