Remember that whether or not they are aware of it leftists simply have absorbed their ideology from hardline communists and their extremely sophisticated propaganda techniques which have kept their memes alive long after the collapse of the governments that spawned them. There is a list of ideas that form the basis of the left’s worldview and foremost among them is the notion that there are no external enemies, only internal enemies. Thus all the fear and loathing of the left is saved for conservative Americans, Republicans, etc.

Of course the left doesn’t fear the “terrorist threat” anymore than they feared the “communist threat”. But they were sure Bush was a fascist dictator and the camps were just around the corner.

Another case, albeit on a societal level, of garbage in garbage out.