An American cultural war is simmering – and it lies on the fringes, just in the peripheral view. Transparency is a promise being kept and accounted for by Elon Musk, who is uncovering fraud and corruption on nearly every level of a bloated federal government, showing it for all the world to see. And many progressives want to put him in jail – or worse.
"71% of Democrats think that Elon Musk should go to prison for his work eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse from the government," was the latest poll from Rasmussen Reports and The Heartland Institute. Justin Haskins, a senior fellow at The Heartland Institute and the poll's primary author, said the quiet part out loud:
"The fact that a majority of Democratic voters would support imprisoning Elon Musk for trying to make government more efficient is a shocking indictment of the modern left, which has become increasingly more tyrannical in recent years. We've reached a point where many Americans would rather unjustly punish innovation than fix the broken systems Musk was trying to reform."
Death of Civility to Claim Musk
The left seems to have forgotten about the US Constitution. There is an argument at every turn: The Second Amendment must go, and free speech must be curbed for hurt feelings. Don't like your opponent on the right? Throw him in jail. Although Elon Musk is the current flash point for the left, he is just one of many targeted by some progressives.
Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) and Rutgers University Social Perception Lab surveyed 1,264 American citizens to get a read on the acceptance and willingness for violence against a political foe. The researchers call it Assassination Culture and use the term throughout the 16-page data document. What they found was chilling: 41% of Democrats said they believed killing a "powerful political leader" is "at least somewhat justified."
But add in the names of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and those numbers are even more shocking: Among those left of center on the political spectrum, 55% said killing Trump was justified, and 48% said the same about Musk.
For what? And what is with the hero worship of the man who assassinated a healthcare CEO? Luigi Mangione was apparently unhinged. He was glorified for committing violence, and much of the left-wing media and some fringe outlets seemed to think that Mangione killing Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, was the way to go. Numerous progressives praised his etching of "deny, defend, depose" on the casing of the round that killed Thompson.
This week, James Comey, former FBI Director, posted "86 47" on his Instagram account. During the campaign, as Trump was nearly assassinated in Butler, PA, during his rally, a Democratic politician posted, "The last thing America needed was sympathy for the devil, but here we are," said Rep. Steven Woodrow of Denver. And in a phone call after the Butler incident, then-President Biden told donors that the media wasn't doing enough to scrutinize Trump and that it was "time to put Trump in the bulls-eye."
Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York said Trump is so "dangerous" to democracy that he "has to be eliminated." Then-Vice President Harris said, "Does one of us have to come out alive?" when asked if she'd rather be stuck in an elevator with Trump, then-VP Pence, or former Sen. Jeff Sessions.
And Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) told a group of protesters gathered outside the Derek Chauvin trial for the death of George Floyd: "Well, we gotta stay on the street. And we've got to get more active. We've got to get more confrontational. We've got to ensure they know that we mean business."
However, the violence is not only against Musk and Trump. It's being primed, promoted, and inflicted by progressive politicians.
Storming the Bastille
Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) was caught on video during the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at the Delaney Hall Detention Center, allegedly body-slamming the police during a heated confrontation. Baraka was being detained for trespassing – he said he wanted to inspect the facility. McIver denies the incident: "Absolutely no. I mean, I honestly do not know how to body slam anyone. There's no video that supports me body-slamming anyone. We, as Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman said we were simply there to do our job. There for an oversight visit."
But that isn't a true statement: DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN that lawmakers could be arrested; the Department has "body camera footage of some of these members of Congress assaulting our ICE enforcement officers, including body slamming a female ICE officer."
The scrum with ICE agents is the latest escalation of progressive pushback. Raymond Brown, an attorney for Baraka, dismissed the Trump administration officials who said Baraka "stormed Delaney Hall" and then referenced storming the Bastille and, of course, the go-to mantra – the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol.
"That's storming. It's a term of art. He didn't do it," Brown said.
Can We Dial It Down?
Two assassination attempts on a presidential candidate were committed by unhinged men who have been indoctrinated with the worst possible ways to cope with reality. High percentages of Americans believe that murdering the enemy will save democracy. Our democracy is in good hands; it’s the mindset that needs retooling. The actions of progressives, such as destroying personal property, tossing Molotov cocktails at Tesla dealerships, and promoting the elimination of Jews in America, are the exact opposite of what this great experiment stands for. Heroes are not those who murder healthcare executives. Heroes are not those calling for the genocide of the very people this nation liberated in WWII. Heroes don't assassinate presidents.
We all must question our times and ask whether these events are aberrations or reflect an increasing national problem. Are they linked to a larger network? And does the public support them? It appears the public – at least a large portion, anyway – is way ahead in embracing the violent side in the political world.
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