For most of this century, Democrats have tried to start a civil war — a war between themselves and anyone who disagrees with their agenda.  To a large extent, this has been a cold war with a few hot spots.  Events are not going to plan.  Occupy Wall Street did not incite class warfare, Black Lives Matter did not start a race war, and Antifa did not expose a vast cadre of neo-Nazis lurking in the background.  What happened?  Why hasn't the plan worked?  Simple.  The left does not understand America.  Leftists remain in their bubbles and safe spaces and view the rest of us as caricatures.  They really believe we're a bunch of illiterate boobs who can be easily herded in any direction they desire.  They don't know us, and they have swallowed the demonization narrative hook, line, and sinker.

The primary Democrat weapons are harassment, bullying, and intimidation.  Democrats have nurtured the cancel culture, run conservatives off social media, made higher education an exclusive domain for their viewpoints, ripped up Republican yard signs, threatened canvassers, and fired guns at local Republican offices.  They even shot Republicans at a softball practice.  Some of this violence is of the lone wolf variety, but much of it is highly organized.

Since inauguration, Democrats have rejected Donald Trump as our lawfully elected president.  They vowed to resist every policy, every action, and every statement that came from the White House.  They spied on the Trump campaign and his administration.  The FBI investigated him at least twice, a special prosecutor tried to find indictable offenses, and Congress did their darnedest to find dirt.  Nothing.  When the Russia hoax failed to oust him from office, they tried impeachment and failed again.  So they took the insurrection to the streets.  Violence has increased with each iteration of street uprisings, and this latest outburst has engulfed the entire nation.  Street thugs have maimed and killed law enforcement officers, destroyed property, and beat on passersby.  Under the pretense of peaceful protest, rioters have been loudly cheered on by Democrat officeholders and their allies in the media and in Hollywood.

What's the goal?  Democrats hope to provoke bad behavior on the right.  With control of the media, provocations on the left can be downplayed while any reaction from the right can be adamantly condemned from rooftops, podiums, and studios.  This is a mindless battle for hearts — hearts won through insecurity, fear, and unbridled hatred.  These are emotions of destruction.  They may tear the country apart, but in leftists' view, they must destroy our nation to save it.  To make their utopian vision a reality, the present selfish system must be burned to the ground so society can be rebuilt based upon just principles.

It hasn't worked previously, and it won't work this time.  Leftist Democrats strive for Utopia without realizing that America is already too good for them.  We're not going to take the bait.  Instead of responding in kind, good-hearted Americans sweep up the debris, scrub off the graffiti, and contribute to small business–owners who have lost everything.  The leftist desire to incite class and race conflicts hasn't panned out for the same reason their legislation, cities, and campaigns don't work.  The progressive arm of the Democrat Party doesn't live in the real world.  Everything falls short of Democrats' expectations.  Everything.  To a leftist, life is relentless disappointment.  That's why they're angry all the time.  Somebody is screwing things up, and it can't be they, so it must be we.  Leftist Democrats say we're on the wrong side of history.  We don't understand the unfathomable forces that will define the future.  If we would just take this journey with them, in the end we would discover a wonderland filled with kind, caring people who enjoy life in any manner they chose.  Most don't realize that this mantra comes directly from Marx and, although tried many times, has always failed.

Most Democrats vote for their party out of habit or because they adhere to the qualities Democrats once espoused.  They remain unaware that their party has been hijacked by extremists.  These radical elements may be loud, but their numbers are incredibly small.  They need all of us to jump on board, and we're not cooperating.  Nor will we.  You see, we understand and accept that we live in an imperfect world.  We want to improve our lives and the lives of others by building on what has come before.  We don't need to wipe out this life so we can have another.  We don't crave a new normal.

Despite recent events, we will not rise in revolt.  We will not act as a catalyst for additional violence.  Instead, we will vote.  We will use the finely honed system that the Founders bequeathed to us to relegate the extremists to the dustbin of history...once again.

James D. Best, author of Tempest at Dawn, a novel about the 1787 Constitutional Convention, and the Steve Dancy Tales.

Image credit: Pixabay public domain.