Democrats and the Media Wield ‘Racism’ to Attack Free Speech

Executive producer Reza Aslan speaks onstage during ABC's Of Kings and Prophets panel as part of the ABC Networks portion of the 2016 Television Critics Association Winter Tour at Langham Hotel in Pasadena, California on Jan. 9, 2016. Aslan recently made news by tweeting an extreme criticism of President Donald Trump and his supporters as racists, an example, Tom Borelli argues, of the mob mentality seizing the media and Democrat politicians. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Free speech is rapidly becoming a casualty of mob rule, prompted by a propaganda campaign waged by Democrats and the anti-Trump media against the president.

Following the horrific mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, Democrats and their media allies are escalating their campaign to brand the president as a racist and white supremacist.

In a new twist, the racist and white supremacist negative attribute assigned to President Donald Trump is increasingly used to justify intimidation of his supporters, including the president’s financial backers and media outlets that dare to resist the Democrats’ agenda.

Central to this strategy is holding the president responsible for the Texas shooting because the suspect held deep anti-immigrant, racist feelings that Democrats incorrectly claim match the president’s views. The strategy conveniently links racism and violence to the immigration debate, putting the suspect, the president, and his supporters on the same evil playing field.

Putting the line of attack in moral terms gives license to aggressively challenge anyone who is associated with or supports the president, because they are considered an evil racist and must be shamed and intimidated—with consequential threats to person, property, and free speech.

Disturbingly, the “Trump is a racist” propaganda carpet-bombing by the anti-Trump media is having an effect on public opinion, giving license to Democrats to go on the attack.

A poll by Quinnipiac University at the end of July reported that 51 percent of voters think Trump is a racist.

Regarding Trump voters, a Rasmussen Reports poll found almost half of Democratic likely voters (49 percent) backed the statement, “Vote for Donald Trump, and you are a racist.”

Now empowered, the anti-Trump mob is declaring open season on supporters of the president and any media outlet that refuses to join the “President Trump is a racist and white supremacist” party.

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) outed 44 constituents in his San Antonio district who financially backed Trump’s reelection campaign.

Castro’s tweet stated, “Their contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as ‘invaders.’”

Despite his denial, Castro appears to have sought to name and shame people for exercising their lawful right to exercise political speech, with the understanding that these individuals and businesses would be a potential focus for the anti-Trump mob.

On cue, many San Antonio locals slammed the Texan restaurant chain Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, based on the owner’s support of the president.

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough also criticized businesses that financially support the president.

During a segment on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program, Scarborough blasted business donors that are “working hard for his reelection despite his white supremacy,” and added, “You guys need to stop making fools of yourself and stop enabling a guy who is actually giving the OK, the presidential good housekeeping sign of approval to white nationalists.”

Obviously, business owners and corporations don’t want to be called enablers of a white supremacist because of the potential of public controversy and brand damage.

Castro and Scarborough are doing their best to limit contributions to the president’s reelection campaign by introducing a big downside risk for small-business owners and corporations. That’s an intimidation tactic and an assault on political speech.

Even The New York Times was a victim of the anti-Trump mob, when it changed a front-page headline because of external pressure. The newspaper acknowledged that it had changed a headline about Trump’s speech on the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio from “Trump Urges Unity vs. Racism” to “Assailing Hate but Not Guns” because “many readers, including Democratic politicians and other critics of the president, condemned the first headline on Twitter.”

Fox News, the home of commentator programs that back the president, is under attack.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a 2020 presidential candidate, blasted the cable network after the shootings, writing on Twitter, “Fox News is a hate-for-profit machine that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists.”

Dan Pfeiffer, former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, attacked Fox News’ employees and its advertisers in a tweet: “[They] are enabling the spread of White Nationalism in America.”

That’s not all. Fox News host Tucker Carlson is facing calls for an advertiser boycott of his show because of his position on immigration and comments he made about how marginal white supremacy is in today’s America.

Finally, the sentiment of Democrats following the mass shootings was summarized by former CNN contributor and college professor Reza Aslan, who wrote in a tweet that all of the president’s supporters are “white nationalist terror supporters” and “the MAGA hat is a KKK hood. And this evil, racist scourge must be eradicated from society.”

Democrats and their allies are willing to go to extreme lengths, including torching free speech, to prevent the reelection of President Trump.

Tom Borelli, Ph.D., is a contributor to America’s Voice News and a TV and radio political commentator.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.