In a republic ravaged by political correctness, it’s almost inevitable that 2020 will be a year for clearer vision.
And too many people will be using that same ophthalmological allegory.
After the 2016 election, the “resistance” went mad. Liberal members of Generation Z, who experienced the inconceivable situation of not getting everything they wanted for the first time in their lives, led the angry revolution to radicalize our culture.
But the pendulum swung too far. Drawing upon historian Crane Brinton’s stages of revolution — and my own long-ago studies of revolutions, which I am finally putting to use — it appears we’ve passed through the crisis stage in which moderates are rejected, radicals take over and mob justice reins.
The 2016 election began the recovery stage in which radicals are overthrown and the status quo, national pride and faith are restored. I see this trend maturing in 2020.
Youngsters sniping back with “OK, Boomer” can’t stop it.
Three full years of accusations, complaints, hearings and investigations produced only weak and partisan articles of impeachment against President Trump. The once-anticipated Mueller Report gathers dust on congressional bookshelves and the salacious Steele dossier used to discredit the 2016 election has been itself discredited.
While it’s nice to see Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her comrades suddenly respecting our flag and the Constitution, expect them to forget all that soon enough. The American people, notsomuch. And they are watching.
Expect the worm to turn on Russia in 2020. The criminal investigation about the origins of the collusion accusations may result in John Brennan, James Clapper and other former Obama intelligence officials facing their own charges of corruption.
Settle back for real fireworks as the racial accusations fly about the emerging presidential field. The party that nominated and elected Barack Obama twice is now regarded as not so woke because Kamala Harris and Cory Booker have lost or are losing to Joe Biden and Mike Bloomberg. The winner of the pageant to be the purest candidate will thus wear a tarnished crown.
In my home state of Virginia, angry liberal voters hoping to punish the president flipped the state legislature last November. Bills on tap for 2020 include gun confiscation, late-term abortion, legalized pot, legalized gambling and an end to right-to-work protections. It’s a Pandora’s box of extreme politics and not the moderation most voters seem to crave. And there’s already a backlash. Over 100 Virginia cities and counties have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries that won’t comply with any future gun bans. Consider the consequences — any legal challenge could compromise similar sanctuaries for illegal aliens nationwide. Genius!
There’s also a backlash against corporate virtue signaling. CEOs are learning that getting woke can lead to going broke.
Procter & Gamble CEO David Taylor told the Free Enterprise Project this year that customers — particularly younger ones — “expect a brand to take a stand,” but he strangely wasn’t cheering about the billions that the company’s Gillette division lost after its Super Bowl commercial railed against “toxic masculinity.” Likewise, Dick’s Sporting Goods has acknowledged losing $250 million after restricting and discontinuing gun-related sales.
Then there’s the problem of not doing enough to satisfy the mob. When Levi’s CEO Chip Bergh was done patting himself on the back at his shareholder meeting for the company’s activism against guns and for green causes and LGBT rights, he was annoyed to find it wasn’t enough for animal rights activists who demanded he remove the iconic leather label from Levi’s jeans!
Between impeachment and the new Virginia and corporate America being their muscle, liberals may feel they are riding high right now. But there is a silent majority that exercised their vote in 2016. They have also exercised their power as former Dick’s consumers and former NFL viewers. And they’re not going away.
The pendulum is swinging back, and in 2020 there’s going to be a lot of wailing and moaning from the left as a result.
