“Don't say that” is not a persuasive political argument.
However, those who have believed that they can win on cultural issues by controlling the debate in their favor continue to act as if they are one, even after suffering a crushing election defeat. are.
The left's strategy has been to insist that everyone adopt its popular vocabulary, calling opponents bigots and using moral blackmail and threats of punishment to bring center-left skeptics into line. It was to be used.
But this model, which has been so successful over the years, has a flaw.
If a cause is so outlandish and unpopular that it becomes the subject of a political debate in which the broader public can participate, attempts to define common sense as thought crime are doomed to failure.
This is what happened with the transgender issue in the election. Donald Trump's “She's for them” attack ad has become the most effective and consequential political talking point of this century.
How are the leftists taking it? By clinging to old rules.
In a high-profile exchange on CNN, Republican strategist Sharmichael Singleton said many families don't think boys should play girls' sports, and progressive panelist Jay eliciting an incensed reaction from Mr. Michelson.
Michelson interrupted the conversation and passionately stated that he had no intention of listening to such “transphobic” opinions, and strongly stated that referring to “transgender girls” as “boys” is a “slander”. insisted.
Notably, anchor Abby Phillippe — a host on what's supposed to be a serious news network — intervened and reprimanded Singleton, though she didn't say he was free to use whatever words he saw most appropriate. That's what I did. Ask him, “Please try to talk about this matter respectfully.”
The left's attitude on this issue is not, “You may disagree, but I do believe that transgender girls are girls,” but rather, “They are girls, and you have no other choice.” There is no moral right to say or think anything.”
It adds to the underlying absurdity of the position on the merits a spirit of intolerance, making everything even more unpleasant.
The problem is that progressives always take ownership of any new boutique obsession they come up with. The great moral issues of our timein fact, should always be morally equivalent to the fight for civil rights.
In other words, anyone who doesn't want to see boys competing in women's sports and simply rejects the popular terminology is considered a modern-day Bullconer.
This means that any compromise, even on the most pragmatic political grounds, is unacceptable.
Gilberto Hinojosa, the longtime chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, recently came under fire for daring to speak out on transgender issues.
“You can support transgender rights in every category where the issue is raised, or you can understand that there are certain things that we've gone too far that a large part of the population doesn't support. “It can also be done,” he said in the paper. Election post-mortem.
He would have been better off saying that in the future the party should call for the formal abolition of the gender binary, even by violence if necessary.
After being criticized by his own side, Hinojosa groaned and said: “Today, I sincerely apologize to the people I hurt with my comments.” And now he's gone anyway.
An aide to Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Mouton resigned after the Massachusetts congressman disrespectfully said he didn't want his daughters “running over male or former male athletes on the field.” He resigned as a result. But as a Democrat, I think it should be scary to say that. ”
Well, there must be a reason why he's afraid. He was also heavily criticized by left-wing groups.
The left's moralistic frowning may succeed in strengthening its own trans-orthodoxy.
But as we learned on November 5th, the rest of the country will not abide by such harmfully stupid and illiberal rules.
Twitter: @RichLowry
