We protest to make our voices heard and to enact meaningful change in our country that aligns with our own policy goals and agendas, but to what extent are modern-day protests from the left, as well as extreme anti-Trump rhetoric, impacting the actual effectiveness of the initiatives? And are they possibly even helping to unify the Republican Party before the midterm elections?
Every person living in America has freedom of speech and the freedom to assemble as a result of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, and in the wake of President Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election and his inauguration in January 2017, predominantly left-wing protests and demonstrations have erupted all over the nation. For example, it was estimated that the Women’s March in 2017 involved about 4,157,894 people in the United States, and nearly 700 people were recently arrested in Washington, D.C. as a result of Brett Kavanaugh’s highly controversial nomination and confirmation to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court.
The Left feels energized for the midterm elections in November in hopes of a “blue wave” that will take back control of Congress, but are their protests and extreme anti-Trump rhetoric actually driving away moderate voters and uniting Republicans?
Another major criticism of Democrats is how they handled Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegations against the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Many moderates and Republicans wonder why these allegations came out at the last minute when Senator Feinstein had access to Dr. Ford’s letter much sooner. Even Kavanaugh himself called it a “calculated and orchestrated political hit” during his hearings. Many moderate and conservative voters hold quite similar ideas, and they view this timeline as evidence of a left-wing conspiracy to sabotage efforts made by the Republican Party to rule effectively.
In their final debate for a Senate seat in Texas before the midterm election, Senator Ted Cruz and his opponent, Congressman Beto O’Rourke, were asked about civility in politics. Cruz stated that there is a “rage on the far left that is very frightening” and he referred to protestors as a “mob” as a way to incite fear in voters and to try to sway moderate voters towards the right for the election. Additionally, President Trump has even begun tweeting “#JobsNotMobs” and saying that Democrats “have gone so far left, they can’t even believe that they’re over there” as a way to polarize the electorate and unify Republicans against Democrats.
Again, the Constitution ensures freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, but nothing is protecting people from the consequences of those actions. The conspiracies swirling around Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation, as well as polarizing speech from leaders of the Republican Party are attempting to use fear and hatred of the “other” as a way to maintain power. The right’s criticisms of their political opponents on the left merely perpetuate the already polarized political climate.
However, with a president who has openly bragged about grabbing women without consent and two justices on the Supreme Court with sexual assault allegations against them, it is unclear why protesting against these clearly outrageous facts is so controversial. Regardless, the backlash against these left-wing actions that unify Democrats and left-wing independents could actually be driving away moderate voters that will be crucial to the success of the Democratic Party in the 2018 midterm election.
—Cassi Niedziela
