Dems Do Not Have the Moral High Ground; They Are Just Not the Immediate Threat.

by Rod Williams, Oct. 7, 2025- There is no doubt that Donald Trump has coarsened the dialogue. One could offer various examples. That being said, like so much liberal criticism of Donald Trump and his "basket of deplorables," it didn't all start with Donald Trump. From the use of lawfare, to contempt for freedom of speech, to promotion of violence, to violating the Constitution, to incivility, we are all supposed to pretend that this all originated with Donald Trump. It didn't. 

Donald Trump is an immediate threat, and resistance to Trump should be our focus. I am convinced he has the heart of an authoritarian and he is a threat to democracy. He is unique in that he will violate norms and he is unique in the degree of his administration's vindictiveness and abuse of power. However, he is unique in degree, not in kind. 

Donald Trump has broken norms and transferred power to the administrative branch. Even after Donald Trump passes from the scene, I am not sure we will return to normal. I see signs that the Democratic party is not committed to the same values I am. I fear that after the Trump era passes, we may get an illiberal liberal version of Donald Trump.

While I consider myself part of the resistance, I am uncomfortable with the self-righteous, sanctimonious, delusional, and selective outrage about Donald Trump and his administration. Where were all of the champions of democracy when Joe Biden, on his way out the door, tried to amend the Constitution by executive fiat? Where were all of the opponents of violence and advocates of civility when angry BLM mobs were burning buildings, toppling statues, looting, and beating innocent people back in 2020? 

Where are all of the advocates of civility and opponents of inflammatory rhetoric, and critics of incitement to violence when it comes to Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s attorney general? 

Jones, a former member of the Virginia state house, is running in the November election for Attorney General, challenging incumbent Republican Jason Miyares. Jones has said some disgusting things. When former state legislator Joe Johnson Jr., a moderate Democrat with a long tenure in Virginia politics, passed away, he was eulogized by Virginia politicians of both parties. Jones said of those Republicans eulogizing Johnson, "“If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves” to “send them out awash in something.”

He also said, if he was trapped in a room with a gun and two bullets, alongside Hitler, Pol Pot, and Todd Gilbert (then the Republican speaker of the state house), he would shoot Gilbert — twice. 

These comments were inadvertently made public. However, Jay Jones has not tried to explain them away or apologize.  Can one imagine the outrage if a Republican had said something similar about a Democrat? Where are the Democrats calling on Jones to resign? Where is the outrage?

Like I said, Trump Republicans are saying and doing more bad things than Democrats, but not different kinds of things. Dems do not have the moral high ground; they are just not an immediate threat. 

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