In what is sure to be lauded as civic-mindedness by the complicit media, Congresswoman Maxine Waters called on activists, concerned citizens, and just about every crazy person in the country to specifically target and harass members of the Trump administration. After the ideologically motivated Steve Scalise shooting, is it really sensible to drum up a Holy War against your political opponents? And will Mad Maxine take responsibility for the inevitable damage to come?
In recent days we have already witnessed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen being harassed and hounded out of a restaurant by angry activists. We have also seen Trump adviser Stephen Miller chased away from his dinner, the Trump supporting Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly shamed at a movie screening, and more.
Those that support and work with Trump are being routinely attacked, and yet leftist politicians and the media either ignore these assaults or openly encourage them. None have been more supportive of this type of political harassment than California Representative Maxine Waters.
In the Name of God
Headlining a “Keep Families Together” protest, Waters took to the stage to roll out her usual calls for impeachment. But then she ventured down a darker path:
“Already you have members of your cabinet that are being booed out of restaurants. We have protesters taking up at their house who are saying, ‘No peace, no sleep. No peace, no sleep.’”
“We’re gonna win this battle, because while you try and quote the Bible, Jeff Sessions and others, you really don’t know the Bible. God is on our side. On the side of the children. On the side of what’s right. On the side of what’s honorable. On the side of understanding that if we can’t protect the children, we can’t protect anybody.”
“If you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. Tell them they’re not welcome any more, anywhere!”
This is asking for trouble. Not only is she suggesting that the public harass government officials when they may be out with their families, she is also telling them that the protestors have God on their side. How many unhinged people will watch the video or read her words and see violence as an acceptable next step?
One episode from the U.K. illustrates the effect this can have on politicians and their families. In 2015, pro-Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage was at a pub with his wife and two of his children, aged around 10 and 15. The family was harassed by aggressive protestors, who chased them out of the building and began jumping on their car. The children were so afraid that they ran away to hide and were missing for some time until a relative went to look for them. Waters does not stop to consider the trauma that will be inflicted on the innocent or non-political family members of Trump Administration officials.
The Next Step
Calling for this type of action is dangerous. “Create a crowd” is merely coded language for “form a mob,” and when the mob is in control, violence takes over.
By extension, does Waters believe that such vile behavior will be limited to those who are directly employed by the president? More likely, this will spill over to those who support President Trump. It will no longer be safe to wear a Trump t-shirt or a MAGA cap in public. People will be hurt… and those causing the harm will feel justified and righteous.
The sad fact is that we will see acts of violence committed against either Trump colleagues or Trump supporters. The media will downplay it, Waters will say that she “did not intend” violence, and the undercurrent will be that if you support Trump, you should expect trouble.
Waters’ words are those of a coward. She fears what Trump can achieve. She fears what America can achieve away from her party’s sclerotic ideology. But most of all, she fears that her politics are dead and finished; her actions are that of a cornered rat, willing to do anything to escape the impending doom.
