We know how Democrats see the world. They — and the media — have been telling us, for the past four years, that Donald Trump is the second coming of Hitler.
To them, anything Trump does is proof he is a racist, or a dictator, or at least — with Russia “collusion” — the puppet of a racist dictator.
Theirs is an imaginary tyranny.
But Trump supporters have lived through a real tyranny: an anti-democratic effort to prevent Trump from governing, and to oust him from office.
Stage 1: Hillarygate. The Obama administration contrives to allow Hillary Clinton to continue running for president, and to escape accountability for mishandling classified information and destroying government emails on her illicit server. Attorney General Loretta Lynch never recuses herself, but meets with former President Bill Clinton; FBI director James Comey intervenes to save Clinton. The Inspector General concedes Comey broke the rules, but lets him off the hook.
Stage 2: Spygate. The Obama administration launches an investigation into allegations of “collusion” between Russia and the Trump campaign, based on flimsy foundations: a joke at a press conference, a boast at a bar. Later the FBI uses phony opposition research funded by the Clinton campaign — the “dossier” — to obtain FISA warrants to spy on Trump staffers and their communications. The dossier and the investigation are leaked to Trump’s opposition and the media.
Stage 3: Michael Flynn. The outgoing Obama administration contrives to undermine its successor by investigating the incoming National Security Advisor, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (Ret.). With the acuquiecense — perhaps encouragement — of Vice President Joe Biden, the FBI pursues Flynn for contrived violations of the obscure Logan Act, even after agents concluded Flynn had done nothing wrong. They leak transcripts of his calls with the Russian ambassador and entrap him.
Stage 4: Investigation. Democrats insist on a special counsel investigation of Russia “collusion,” and pressure Attorney General Jeff Sessions by accusing him (falsely) of perjury. Sessions yields, and Robert Mueller assembles a prosecutorial team of partisan Democrats. Investigators know there is no “collusion,” but they indict and convict Trump associates of unrelated or “process” crimes, and drag the inquiry through the 2018 midterm elections, when Democrats take the House.
Stage 5: Impeachment. New Attorney General William Barr prods Mueller to produce his report, finding no collusion. Then a “whistleblower” — who reportedly worked closely with Biden and has ties to House Intelligence Committee staff — emerges to claim that Trump asked Ukraine’s leader to interfere in the 2020 election (“collusion,” with Ukraine filling in for Russia). Though the transcript suggests otherwise, Democrats impeach Trump, paralyzing and polarizing the country.
Stage 6: Pandemic. When the coronavirus pandemic emerges from China and infects the world, Democrats — and the media — do their best to undermine public confidence in the president. They insist on shutdowns that damage the U.S. economy — then applaud as left-wing protests erupt, without “social distancing” precautions. They demand Trump listen to scientists — except when scientists urge reopening schools. They do everything to make things worse, to hurt Trump.
Stage 7: Riots. Democrats governors and mayors do nothing to stop rioters who exploit legitimate “Black Lives Matter” protests to burn and loot in major cities, prompting the country to board up storefronts from coast to coast. The “mostly peaceful” rioters also target statutes and monuments — and Democrats do nothing. When Trump calls in National Guard troops, and crosses Lafayette Park to hold up a Bible at a burned-out church, he is attacked — even by military leaders.
Stage 8: Censorship. Tech giants, which have already been censoring content and changing algorithms to drown out pro-Trump voices or crucial information (none would publish the name of the “whistleblower,” for example), begin actively censoring the president and his supporters. The “cancel culture” goes mainstream, infesting the media and the workplace. Those who dare to express anything positive toward the democratically-elected president are targeted by boycotts.
That is the tyranny unfolding in America, as seen by Trump supporters. Not an authoritarian regime, but a left-wing tyranny, emboldened by the media and the “deep state.”
Democrats relish what they feel is a revolutionary moment — against a president who actually gave working-class Americans what they wanted.
Republicans sense the Terror that is to follow. They fear their votes may not be counted. But they will vote — not just to save Trump, but to save themselves.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.