Liberal politicians use two go-to tactics to appeal to voters. They offer “free stuff” in exchange for votes (such as ObamaCare and “free” college) and they accuse anyone who disagrees with them of being a racist.
Given this political reality, it is hardly surprising that, with the 2020 elections fast approaching, prominent Democrats have been bombarding the public with “generous” offers to redistribute other people’s wealth while constantly accusing their opponents of racism.
Notably, in recent weeks, Democrats’ shrill claims of racism have gone into overdrive, with even fellow Democrats being targeted. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has come “under fire” from his own party because he opposed forced busing in the 1970s and has boasted about how he “got things done” in the past by working with Democrats who were staunch supporters of segregation. (RELATED: Brandon Tatum: How President Obama Turned Me Into A Proud Republican)
More recently, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clumsily played the race card by accusing fellow Democratic congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of being “outright disrespectful” for the “explicit singling out of newly elected women of color.”
And, now, prominent Democrats, with the assistance of their liberal allies in the media, have returned to their favorite target: President Trump. This time, we are told that the president is purportedly guilty of making “racist comments” because he tweeted that “progressive congresswomen” who come from countries with corrupt and inept governments should go back to fix those broken countries instead of lecturing “the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful nation on earth, how our government is to be run.”
According to one hyperventilating author, “Trump’s ‘go back’ tweets leave no room for doubt” — he simply must be a racist. Others have gone so far as to claim that anyone who supports Trump or votes for him is also a racist. But, as a former federal prosecutor who happens to be black, I see ample room to doubt both of these histrionic allegations. (RELATED: Obama Ignores Black Economic Woes To Focus On Racism)
First, sad to say, liberals have falsely leveled accusations of racism so often and so frequently that reasonable doubt naturally exists whenever they accuse a conservative of racism. It’s the boy-who-cried-wolf syndrome. When people are called “racists” simply for believing that illegal aliens who commit serious crimes should be deported, or for wanting our national anthem to be respected, or for calling out left-wing politicians who minimize the destruction caused by al Qaeda, the label “racist” becomes diluted.
By defining racism downward — solely to score political points and virtue-signal — liberals have created plenty of room to doubt both their sincerity and accuracy whenever they smear their political adversaries as “racists.”
Second, President Trump’s tweets were undeniably directed at congresswomen who have falsely accused our nation of torturing innocent children in “concentration camps” while championing destructive ideologies like socialism. One of his targets even claimed that she was “ashamed” of the United States for “continuing to live in its hypocrisy.” (Curiously, very few mainstream media organizations covered the fact that a United States congresswoman openly declared herself ashamed of our country.)
The president’s comments were clearly focused on anti-American viewpoints expressed by the “progressive congresswomen,” not their race or skin color.
Third, a strong case can be made that, when you judge politicians by their actions and not simply from their rhetoric, President Trump is the most color-blind president in history. Based on his actions to date, it is undeniable that the president will embrace anyone, regardless of their color or family origins, if that person loves the United States and shares his view that our nation is the greatest country on earth. On the other hand, if you insult the United States or disrespect our nation’s flag or anthem, President Trump will have a problem with you whether you are white — like soccer athlete Megan Rapinoe — or identify as black — like former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
At the end of the day, the only colors that appear to matter to the president are red, white, and blue. For this reason, conservatives should not fall into the liberal media’s trap by playing the “Was what Trump said racist?” game.
Trump’s tweets confirm that he can perhaps be faulted for not being thick-skinned enough to shrug off harsh criticisms leveled against him or his country. However, considering his embrace of Americans of all colors who love the United States, and given the historic levels of economic success that black and Hispanic families have enjoyed under his administration, President Trump may be the most color-blind politician to have ever occupied the White House — certainly more so than President Obama, who curiously always sided with people who looked like him (Professor Henry Louis Gates, Trayvon Martin and so on) in any public controversy involving race.
Nick Pilgrim is a trial attorney in the Washington, D.C. area who formerly worked for the United States Department of Justice as an award-winning federal prosecutor. He is the author of a new book, “Black Culture Matters: Why It’s Time To Stop Pretending Racism Is The Problem.“
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.