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'Cancel Culture' Candidates Don't Make the Cut in Democratic Primary
Townhall.com ^ | January 5, 2020 | Debra J. Saunders

Posted on 01/05/2020 5:23:24 AM PST by Kaslin

WASHINGTON -- Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro announced Thursday that he was bowing out of the 2020 Democratic primary. The only reason to notice or care is that Castro was one of the more shrill candidates, so it's good that he never found purchase in the crowded field and hence had to "suspend" his campaign.

Like Kamala Harris, the California Democratic senator who dropped out in December, Castro has been part of the left's "cancel culture" that seeks to silence those with differing views rather than to debate in the marketplace of ideas.

Harris tried to stand out in the primary by telling Twitter to cancel President Donald Trump's account "as a matter of safety." She must have known the stunt would fail, but clearly figured that advocating to censor a Republican president was a shrewd career move.

Amen to that not working.

Over the summer, Rep. Joaquin Castro, who is the former HUD secretary's twin brother and closest ally, tweeted the names and occupations of 44 constituents in his San Antonio district who had contributed the maximum amount -- $2,800 per election -- to the Trump campaign.

Their contributions, the House Democrat explained, "are fueling a campaign of hate," and he argued that the anti-immigrant manifesto written by the El Paso shooter who left 22 innocents dead "could have been written by the people that write Trump's speeches." The former HUD secretary explicitly supported his brother naming names.

From the start, the congressman was wrong to link Trump to the El Paso shooter. The shooter said he reached his views on what he called a "Hispanic invasion" before Trump launched his 2016 campaign. There is no linkage here, only political opportunism.

Widening the circle of blame to Trump donors only expands the list to include more people who had absolutely nothing to do with the El Paso slaughter. Why would anyone who is duly appalled at those murders want to do that?

On MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Castro argued it was not his intent that Trump donors be harassed; besides, donor names are public record. "What I would like for them to do is think twice before supporting a guy who's fueling hate in this country," he said.

That's the classic guilt-by-association tactic that hangs on the lie that all Trump supporters must be racist.

Know that when a congressman tweets the names and other information about Trump donors, he is inviting intolerant co-believers to lash out at Trump supporters in inappropriate ways.

It's amazing how often partisans who say they want to stop hate and protect the innocent are happy to throw gasoline on the fire in a quest to establish their moral superiority.

And that's no way to win in 2020, by going after Trump donors for fueling hatred.

Former President Barack Obama understands that. At an event in Chicago in October, Obama admonished younger voters for demanding purity and jumping on social media to show how "politically woke" they are.

"The world is messy. There are ambiguities," Obama noted before he panned those who believe "the way of me making change is to be as judgmental as possible about other people."

Obama called out those who tweet against others for something they said and then pride themselves for being so strong on social justice. "That's not activism," Obama added. "That's not bringing about change."

The exit of Castro and Harris also shows that excelling in the smug factor is not the ticket to winning the Democratic nomination.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2020demonrats; campaignfinance; democrats; doxxing; facism; fascism; freespeech; juliancastro; theleft

1 posted on 01/05/2020 5:23:24 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

How do you say punk in Spanish?


2 posted on 01/05/2020 5:31:28 AM PST by HighSierra5
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To: Kaslin
Know that when a congressman tweets the names and other information about Trump donors, he is inviting intolerant co-believers to lash out at Trump supporters in inappropriate ways.

He was doing what other Socialists have done before him: target people who stand in the way of totalitarianism for destruction. And I mean that quite literally--the elimination of over 100 million people last century started in a similar fashion.

3 posted on 01/05/2020 5:32:51 AM PST by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org)
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To: HighSierra5

Probably the same way you say Queer.


4 posted on 01/05/2020 5:42:14 AM PST by Cowboy Bob ("Other People's Money" = The life blood of Liberalism)
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To: HighSierra5

Your party is SO LOW when obummer is the closest voice to reason :)


5 posted on 01/05/2020 5:43:05 AM PST by dp0622 (Radicals, racists Don't point fingers at me I'm a small town white boy Just tryin' to make ends meet)
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To: HighSierra5

Maricon.


6 posted on 01/05/2020 5:49:53 AM PST by EEGator
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To: Kaslin

“The exit of Castro and Harris also shows that excelling in the smug factor is not the ticket to winning the Democratic nomination”

...yet.


7 posted on 01/05/2020 6:11:53 AM PST by rightwingcrazy (;-,)
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To: Cowboy Bob

8 posted on 01/05/2020 6:16:44 AM PST by cweese (Hook 'em Horns!!!)
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To: Kaslin

I’ve noticed all the leading Democrat presidential candidates are white. I’ve always suspected the majority of Democrats are racist, and we are starting to see that now as candidates of color are forced to drop out.


9 posted on 01/05/2020 6:19:17 AM PST by Dan in Wichita
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To: Kaslin

After suffering through a barrage lying, BS Bloomberg ads during NFL playoff games, I’m beginning to believe he might be able to buy the nomination. Considering the weak field and Democrat’s love of being lied to, Bloomberg’s willingness to spend billions might turn the trick.


10 posted on 01/05/2020 6:22:01 AM PST by hardspunned
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To: exDemMom

I have been reading a lot about the American Revolution, and that’s how it happened here. If you made it known you were a loyalist you were likely to get your house burned down, or dragged in chains to a ship embarked for England with nothing but the clothes on your back, or tarred and feathered, or murdered.


11 posted on 01/05/2020 6:41:47 AM PST by ichabod1 (He's a vindictive SOB but he's *our* vindictive SOB.)
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To: Kaslin
"Cancel culture"


12 posted on 01/05/2020 7:10:39 AM PST by equaviator (There's nothing like the universe to bring you down to earth.)
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To: equaviator

Where did you get that!! It looks like it’s a Mad parody of those Camel ads of the 70s...was it?


13 posted on 01/05/2020 9:50:55 AM PST by Deplorable American1776 (Proud to be a DeplorableAmerican with a Deplorable Family...even the dog is, too. :-))
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To: Deplorable American1776

Good guess! MAD was very anti-smoking then and they didn’t mind letting people know.


14 posted on 01/05/2020 11:00:24 AM PST by equaviator (There's nothing like the universe to bring you down to earth.)
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To: HighSierra5

How do you say punk in Spanish?”””

LA RAZA

Castro brothers’ MAMA is founder of LA RAZA.


15 posted on 01/05/2020 11:25:42 AM PST by ridesthemiles
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To: Kaslin
Like Kamala Harris, the California Democratic senator who dropped out in December, Castro has been part of the left's "cancel culture" that seeks to silence those with differing views rather than to debate in the marketplace of ideas.

Delphi Technique.

Read up on it, as it is all around us and we know very little about it!

16 posted on 01/05/2020 4:01:15 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: hardspunned
I’m beginning to believe he might be able to buy the nomination.

Well; Someone is going to; and then they'll face TRUMP!!

17 posted on 01/05/2020 4:02:47 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: equaviator

Cancel: for smokers before it was JUUL


18 posted on 01/05/2020 4:05:03 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: equaviator

Mad was funny...I loved reading it when I was growing up in the 70s!!


19 posted on 01/06/2020 5:26:35 AM PST by Deplorable American1776 (Proud to be a DeplorableAmerican with a Deplorable Family...even the dog is, too. :-))
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