Political Bullying and Intimidation, Courtesy of Our Elected Officials

The pages in the great novel called American Politics are too numerous to count. Some are obscure and get quickly turned, while others capture the attention of the nation; it’s often hard to tell beforehand which ones will be in the media spotlight. Since the previous election and the historic crushing defeat of political-insider and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the environment has gone from border town skirmish to near civil war. Each week, the media fans the flames of sedition and outright government overthrow with sensationalized stories, selectively edited video clips, and even staged protest events. There have been protests with isolated pockets of violence up to this point. If the rhetoric continues to be fueled by a lathered-up media, it’s only a matter of time before someone loses their life.

We are seeing public displays of bullying and intimidation comparable to the Civil Rights era. Instead of the conflict being about race, it’s currently about political affiliation. Many businesses have taken sides, so to speak, in support of one Party over another, but backlash from consumers has demonstrated that this is a losing strategy. Social media giant Facebook is currently embroiled in a major data-sharing controversy and users are starting to abandon the platform. Coffee giant Starbucks just announced store closures and reduced earning shortly after announcing new social policies that resulted from a racially charged incident early this year. Dick’s sporting goods jumped in on the NRA/Gun Control debate and made changes to their business model based on what they felt was popular opinion, but what instead hit their bottom line hard. Now we’re seeing outright discrimination at retail outlets due to politics. What’s even more concerning is that elected Democrat leaders are behind some of the scathing rhetoric and are inciting harassment against their opponents.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was forced to leave a Virginia restaurant simply because she worked for the President. The Lexington, Virginia Red Hen restaurant owners refused to serve Sarah Sanders and her group, much to the squealing delight of Liberal supporters. Owner Stephanie Wilkinson told Sanders that “the restaurant has certain standards that I feel it has to uphold, such as honesty, and compassion, and cooperation.” She is a cousin of actress Meryl Streep, who is a Democrat and has expressed her disdain for President Trump as often as she gets a chance. Once the news of the incident started circulating, the internet came alive with both those in favor and those against the restaurant’s actions. The social site YELP had so many negative reviews about the establishment, that it took action to suspend comments and censor the ones already on-line. Other business owners in Lexington have also spoken out condemning the actions of the restaurant.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was literally chased out of a Washington D.C. restaurant last week by open-border supporters. Margaret McLaughlin, a member of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America Steering Committee, stated the intent of the protestors in an e-mail to media sources. “We will not stand by and let Secretary Nielsen dine in peace, while she is directing her employees to tear little girls away from their mothers and crying boys away from their fathers at our border.” The false narrative being pushed by leftists has been debunked, but protests have continued. Loudspeakers blast the sounds of crying children outside of her home daily since the initial incident.

White House Senior Advisor Stephen Miller, known as a strong supporter of the zero tolerance policy of the Trump administration, was heckled while dining out. It’s been reported in several media outlets that one of the hecklers has this to say to Mr. Miller. “Hey look guys, whoever thought we’d be in a restaurant with real-life fascist begging money for new cages?” He was also reportedly called a fascist by restaurant employees, who were overwhelmingly of Hispanic origin.

Elsewhere, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was confronted by protestors while at a movie theater. Several members of the leftist group, Organize Florida confronted her as she left a Tampa theater after seeing ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor’ a documentary about famed television host and child-advocate Fred Rogers. Ms. Bondi is an open supporter of President Trump and his policies, especially on Obamacare and immigration. Protestors surrounded her and a companion, forcing the State Police to escort her in and out. She has stated that she will not be intimidated.

In just a short span of a week, members of the Trump Cabinet and other supporters have been bullied and mobbed. There has been no call by any member of the Democrat Party for civility; in fact America is seeing just the opposite. Maxine Walters, an elected Congresswoman from California, made headlines over the weekend with a fiery partisan speech that among other things called for increased harassment toward anyone associated with the Trump administration. She was quoted as saying, “I want to tell you, these members of his cabinet who remain and try to defend him, they won’t be able to go to a restaurant, they won’t be able to stop at a gas station; they’re not going to be able to shop at a department store. The people are going to turn on them. They’re going to protest. They’re absolutely going to harass them until they decide that they’re going to tell the president, ‘No, I can’t hang with you.’” Representative Waters has demanded President Trump be impeached on multiple occasions, regardless of the fact no evidence for impeachment exists.

Former Speaker of the House, California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, made a watered down statement which the media claims was condemning of Rep. Waters outburst. She tweeted, “In the crucial months ahead, we must strive to make America beautiful again. Trump’s daily lack of civility has provoked responses that are predictable but unacceptable. As we go forward, we must conduct elections in a way that achieves unity from sea to shining sea.” It really doesn’t say anything to condemn the inflammatory rhetoric of Representative Waters. The former Speaker has been trying to keep impeachment talks out of the public as many pundits see it as a negative, with the Midterms coming up.

The tensions we are seeing today will almost certainly escalate. In the remaining months until the Midterm elections voters are likely to see multiple major issues which will be either blown out of proportion by the media or ignored altogether. These include testimony by FBI Agent Peter Strzok, who was recently escorted from FBI Headquarters and is under Congressional subpoena to talk to lawmakers this week. Additionally, many people expect the Mueller investigation to draw to a close. A contingent of actors and actresses are making their way to the southern border; likely to posture for photo-ops and fifteen minutes of fame opportunities. The Supreme Court has taken a pass on several high-profile cases on gerrymandering and discrimination, but still has several cases to rule on before the end of the session. The Travel Ban, Union Dues, Anti-trust case focused on American Express, and two cases concerning California pregnancy centers.

The immigration battle is just getting started and it will be the center of most debates as we inch closer to voting day. Other hot topics include global tariffs and how the Trump administration is utilizing a heavy hand to bring America’s trade imbalance back to neutral. The influence of foreign entities and their influence in our election process will likely see a revived narrative, as will calls for voter ID. Plus we still have pay disparity, the corruption in the highest levels of government, the Seth Rich murder, the DNC alleged hacking, an ocean of leaks from the Deep State, and the Awan brothers to discuss. The news cycle will certainly paint each story as partisan as possible to generate maximum discord. But the real question is when will enough be enough? Inflammatory rhetoric in the right dose and frequency will eventually lead to someone being killed or permanently injured, and for what? Different opinions? Exercising Constitutionally protected rights of free speech and assembly? Not towing the Globalist line? Surrendering our sovereignty? Sad, but all signs point toward a storm cloud, which will settle firmly over Washington and remain there for the foreseeable future.