Democrats were demolished in the 2016 election, bringing their party to its lowest point of power since 1920. But rather than regrouping and developing solutions to better the lives of American voters, they have chosen a different playbook entirely: distort, distract, destroy.
The efforts of distorting Trump’s words, actions, and character began during the election, failed on November 8th, and have nevertheless persisted to today. Splicing and dicing the president’s words to maximize blowback has become the leftist norm.
Consider many of yesterday’s headlines alone.
How dare Trump say he would be “honored” to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un?! For several publications, the words “under the right circumstances” were conveniently excluded:
The Daily Beast: “Trump ‘Honored’ to Meet World’s Worst Despot, Kim Jong Un?“
ABC News: “Trump ‘would be honored’ to meet with Kim Jong Un, defends Duterte White House invitation“
HuffPo: “Donald Trump Says He’d Be ‘Honored’ To Meet With Kim Jong Un“
Can you believe Trump really asked “Why was there the Civil War?” Lost was the context, the fact that Trump was lamenting that America could not right our wrongs and mend our fences peacefully rather than through bloodshed.
And then there is the ultimate Democratic distortion: Russia. Trump’s optimism toward U.S.-Russian relations was deemed sinister. But recall that a young President Obama praised Putin’s “extraordinary work… on behalf of the Russian people” and a young President Bush issued a joint declaration with Putin hailing “the new strategic relationship.”
{mosads}Despite past precedent, when Trump expresses hopefulness toward Russia, he must be a KGB agent infiltrating the U.S. government and criminally hacking the Democratic National Committee.
In the Democratic playbook, distortion is often intended as distraction. The Russia storyline dominated Trump’s first 100 days despite a myriad of Trump successes: consumer confidence at a 16 year high, border crossings at a 17 year low, TPP rescinded, Keystone authorized among other signature achievements.
Nevertheless, Russia and wiretapping filled the headlines at the expense of issues that matter to American voters.
The Democratic efforts to distort and distract serve the ultimate goal of destroying the Trump presidency. Don’t take it from me, take it from the Democrats themselves. Congresswoman Maxine Waters declared, “I don’t respect this president. I don’t trust this president… I will fight every day until he is impeached!”
And fighting is exactly what they have done. Democratic efforts to obstruct are indeed a bit puzzling, particularly when considering that Trump might be the least partisan president in modern history. Eschewing party doctrine, Trump has called for protecting individuals with preexisting conditions, passing paid family leave, and rescinding unfair trade deals — all proposals that run afoul of traditional Republican Party doctrine.
Even so, Democrats refuse to come to the negotiating table; instead, they obstructed from the outset. Dozens of Democrats ditched the inauguration, sitting out of a traditionally bipartisan event. Representative Waters vowed never to meet with President Trump. Asked what she would do if Trump invited her to find common ground, she curtly replied, “I won’t go.”
From Russia to North Korea, the Democratic playbook is distort, distract, destroy
Democratic hindrances continued not just in word but also in deed. The left engaged in historic obstruction of Trump’s cabinet nominees, confirming just seven in a three-week period. Previous presidents like Obama and Bush had 12 and 14 approved respectively. Despite being exceedingly qualified, Trump’s cabinet garnered more no votes than any in history.
Democrats likewise rebelled against Trump’s widely praised Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, engaging in the first ever partisan filibuster of a nominee to the Court.
Democrats threatened a government shutdown over an impending healthcare bill and promised not to compromise on healthcare with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer proclaiming, “Not a single Democrat is negotiating (on ObamaCare). We ain’t resting until the move to repeal the ACA has a dagger through its heart.”
Refusal to compromise or come to the table with America’s choice for president will ultimately backfire on Democrats. The Harvard-Harris poll found that a full 73 percent of voters wish Democrats would cooperate with the president.
Compromising, however, has been sidelined for counteracting. Recovering from electoral rejection is never easy, but if Democrats want any chance at rebounding, it is absolutely necessary to move on and work for the betterment of our citizenry. When Democrats rebel, the American people lose.
Kayleigh McEnany is a CNN political commentator who recently received her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. She graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and also studied politics at Oxford University. Follow her on Twitter @kayleighmcenany.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.