The Double Standard of Demagoguery

Ever since Donald Trump launched his campaign last June, the media has relentlessly attacked him for his controversial language. Rightly so perhaps, many of Trump’s comments are alarming regardless of your political affiliation, but that article has been written already.

Only one side of the political spectrum is held accountable when it comes to demagoguery and fear-mongering in American politics. While conservatives are oftentimes criticized for their divisive rhetoric, liberals have received a free pass. Look at Hollywood, where Transparent creator Jill Soloway labeled Trump an “inheritor to Hitler”. Hitler was a man who systematically exterminated millions and started World War II. With all due respect to Ms. Soloway, that is an incredibly reckless and lazy comparison, even for someone that works in television. Howard Dean, a 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, accused Donald Trump of being on cocaine not once, but twice.

Most notably, Hillary Clinton has declared that half of Trump’s supporters are part of a “basket of deplorables” and that they are “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it.” Sure, these comments have drawn some criticism, but the media refuses to call them what they really are: demagoguery at its worst. Secretary Clinton’s comment implies that a Trump victory would usher in an embrace of the ideals of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and Islamophobia. Not only is this grossly unfair to Mr. Trump and his supporters, it is meant to scare Americans into deciding to either vote for Secretary Clinton or to stay home on November 8th. It’s despicable. In spite of these many examples of fear-mongering on the part of liberals, it is conservatives who are chided and demonized for “atrocities” like suggesting that letting in thousands of Syrian refugees without a proper vetting process might be a dangerous way to move forward.

Liberal demagoguery is not limited to criticism of Donald Trump. Remember in 2012 when Democrats ran an attack ad depicting vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan actually murdering a helpless grandmother? These not-so-subtle slanders of conservatives and their objectives have been leveled by Democrats for years, and with little backlash.

Whether it comes courtesy of the left or the right, fear-mongering has no place in American politics. However, unless it’s Donald Trump or another big, bad conservative who’s espousing it, there will be no media outrage.