Notebook: It is okay to laugh

EDITORIAL MUG: Larry Anderson

One of the oldest tenets of politics is to divide and conquer, and no one is better at the game than America’s hard left which has found success by pitting one against another on the basis of race, economic differences, or social preferences. The purpose is to provide a banner under which to gather while villainizing the opposition, notably those who are conservative.

No one knows the aforementioned better than Donald Trump who was ridiculed, maligned, and framed from day one by an infuriated left. Trump never found unanimity or the time to complete all that needed done. Nevertheless, he was able to give America a few good years of prosperity due to his courage and determination.

The left despised Trump (and still does) because he understood their agenda and because he did not buckle when they barked. Their politics of loathing failed to bend Trump or get him to acknowledge the left’s greatness. As citizens and voters, that purpose should fail with us too.

The hard left has long been followers of the Saul Alinsky principles of identifying an opponent, targeting that person, and then breaking him/her down through ridicule, relentless personal attacks, and accusation. The idea is to dehumanize the target, to make an individual the subject of disdain and, therefore, of rejection.

In my opinion, Trump didn’t lose the last election because of his policies; he lost because the left succeeded in turning the public against him personally. He became the bad guy even though he did more for the country than any president since Reagan. The end result was Biden/Harris. How’s that going?

At least some on the right are finally catching on to nice folks finish last, that the road to political success isn’t necessarily paved by good intentions. In other words, there is more willingness now to play the same hard ball the left plays in terms of manner. These signs are encouraging.

Let’s run with the resistance this election. Let’s see how the liberals hold up when the tactics they use are turned against them. Where is it written conservatives have to be the nice guys and, therefore, the chumps?

Don’t hesitate to heap ridicule upon the ridiculous. It’s fine to laugh at the absurd AOC and her claim the planet has only a few years left unless caring liberals win. Laughter is the prelude to failure, and her defeat next year is mighty important in the message department.

Liberals hate it when they are laughed at because they take themselves so seriously. Therefore, laugh long and often. It’s okay to point and guffaw.

Just don’t make the mistake of laughing at the likes of smug Hillary Clinton when she brings up the subject of reeducation. She let that slip subtly into an interview recently how it might be necessary for some Americans to be reeducated. Of course she was alluding to the reeducation camps used in places like Cambodia and China where resistant subjects were sent to get their heads straight. It is a tool of communist governments. It is shocking to hear an American politician even mention such a travesty against freedom, but that one sentence tells us exactly where the left’s head is at.

Right now I am counting my blessings Donald Trump was able to block Clinton during their contest and to give us a chance at fixing things albeit temporarily. Next year opportunity will knock again, and we should make the most of it.

By the way, did you know progressive Oregon State Board of Education is dropping reading, writing and evidence of critical thinking skills requirements for students? They have endorsed illiteracy and ignorance for their curriculum. Perhaps it’s part of the state’s reeducation. Perhaps it’s a cover for progressive failure or even a sign of public education’s eventual demise. It’s a little creepy, isn’t it, when you think about it? Well, folks, that’s how the left rolls.

So laugh long and hard at the inane left but don’t ever stop taking them seriously merely because they are ridiculous or seemingly a long way away. They are here, and they are the enemy of those deplorable.

Larry W. Anderson is a retired educator.