RICHARD COHEN: Democrats Are Wrapping a Gift for Trump.
Democratic socialist ideas appear to be making significant headway in the party. The Democratic part is fine, the socialism part is not. It suggests a massive government intrusion in the economy that has not worked elsewhere — post-war Great Britain or that contemporary mess called Venezuela — and that, in a cultural sense, is un-American. Time and time again, the American people have shown they want nothing to do with socialism. While socialist movements have at times been politically strong in Europe, such has not been the case in America. This, in fact, is one of the original meanings of the phrase “American exceptionalism.”
If Americans are not about to embrace socialism, they certainly are not about to support reparations. This proposal, which seems to have come out of nowhere, has the support of Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Julian Castro and Marianne Williamson. This supposed redress for slavery — nothing can redress slavery — polls abysmally. Sixty-eight percent of Americans oppose making payments to descendants of slaves, and 72 percent oppose paying reparations to African-Americans in general. Among whites, 81 percent oppose payments to descendants of slaves.
At the moment, these proposals are reassuringly vague: Who would benefit? Just the descendants of slaves? All African-Americans? What about the very rich? As you can see, this can get a bit complicated.
It can also can get dangerously divisive.
They can’t help themselves; modern leftism has zero limiting principles. None.
Yet this is the kind of Democrat which some NeverTrump dead-enders are perfectly happy to help elect.
The major broadcast television networks will air live coverage Wednesday of the Democrat-led House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing with former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen who has turned on his former client since being targeted by federal prosecutors. The cable news networks will also carry the hearing live in which Cohen will reportedly say of President Trump, “He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat.”
JIM JORDAN & MARK MEADOWS: Democrats put out welcome mat for a liar. We can’t trust Michael Cohen.
h/t SG