The election is really heating up and if you have been paying attention, and even if you haven’t, you can feel the political climate getting more and more contentious. The liberal newspapers (which is to say most of them) are full of cartoons about what a buffoon Trump is, all the while letting Hillary off the hook or making a joke out of the email scandal or Benghazi fiasco. Most of the opinion pieces and letters to the editor seem to be overwhelmingly from liberal types agitating to tell readers what a liar, crook, or menace Trump is, while ignoring the obvious flaws their own candidate, Hillary Clinton, has, of which there are many.
But beyond the flaws of the candidates, Republicans, libertarians, independents and free-thinking liberals this election might want to think about the psychological and legal ramifications of electing Clinton to basically a third (and perhaps fourth) term of Democratic rule: those who do not agree fully with the liberal agenda may be at risk at work, in the courts, and even in interpersonal relationships. Let me explain.
In 2008, during election night, my husband Glenn and I did some commentary for PJTV. I remember PJTV host Bill Whittle asking me if the election of Obama would reduce the anger of liberals, to which I said: “No, it would probably enhance it because now they feel entitled and emboldened to be even nastier.” If one thinks of liberal bias and anger in behavioral terms, winning the presidential election would reinforce the self-entitled behavior of liberals even further:
In operant conditioning, positive reinforcement involves the addition of a reinforcing stimulus following a behavior that makes it more likely that the behavior will occur again in the future. When a favorable outcome, event, or reward occurs after an action, that particular response or behavior will be strengthened.
So, what does all this psychological jargon mean for the individual in regards to politics? It means that liberal bias and anger against those of us who do not go along with the liberal agenda could increase and in ways that cost people their jobs, livelihoods, relationships, etc. A Trump election means that people (mostly liberal) will stop to think about the consequences of their actions more with the other side in power. The fact is, the media, schools, universities and much of society in general these days are driven by liberal thought. With a liberal president and Justice Department at the helm, people feel very free to engage in acts against dissidents without much restraint.
How would this play out during a Hillary presidency? There would be fewer conservatives allowed in the media, in schools and universities, and in all institutions that are left-leaning — which is to say most of them. If a conservative (one of the few) happens to be within earshot of a liberal, it is possible that he could lose his job, his reputation, or his livelihood.
But with President Trump, though liberals may be angry at conservatives and try to get them fired, harassed, mobbed, or jailed, they will try a little less or maybe not at all if they feel that they will not be backed up by the Justice Department or other liberal henchmen (or women). And for those who are not conservative and think you are safe if liberal, not so fast. Fewer conservatives in the liberal crosshairs means fewer targets; then they start picking off their own.
Don’t be surprised if you find out that your fellow liberals will take you down too. But you will have nowhere to turn since the government and your office are all on the same side. Some political diversity makes sense for everyone involved, except the bureaucrats and administrators who feed on power and prestige in front of their peers in order to keep their jobs secure.
So, while many on our side of the aisle fight about whether or not Trump is a true conservative, I think it is more important to look at the bigger political picture. If Trump is elected, liberals will start to worry that their backstabbing, hostile, and potentially litigious ways might not get the pass they used to, and those who are conservative may have a friendlier voice when it comes to liberal threats and PC behavior. The cover that liberals have had over the past eight years for their hostile and entitled behavior will be diminished and they may have to consider consequences for their actions as opposed to having free rein. Maybe the lack of hostility will lead to more conservatives in universities, schools, and in the media.
The above is not the only reason I donated to Trump but it is one of many. Encouraging the liberals to engage in more entitled behavior such as riots, mobbing, harassment and downright rejection of anything conservative because they get away with it has to end. It ends when we have more political diversity, not less.
Godspeed in the presidential race, Mr. Trump. There are many of us who are counting on you and your ability to end the PC insanity and restore “common sense” to the American vocabulary.
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