Despite the rise in antisemitism and radical violence from the Left, legacy media and their talking heads can’t seem to acknowledge their side’s increasing problem with violence. Radical leftist journalist Taylor Lorenz, previously of the Washington Post, is no exception.
In an interview with CNN, she gushed that alleged murderer Luigi Mangione “seems [to some women] like this morally good man, which is hard to find” and giggled alongside correspondent Donnie O’Sullivan while discussing her social media growth after advocating the alleged killer. Elsewhere, O’Sullivan claimed “the [extremism] issue very much so is on the right” but has no “equivalent on the left.”
Lorenz was granted interviews with Democratic congresspeople and given a “new media” pass to the Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) rally in my home city of Los Angeles over the weekend. She is still embraced by mainstream Democrats despite her love of anarchy and assassins.
After the second assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, he and many of his supporters blamed the Left’s rhetoric. But it is not just incendiary language that perpetuates these acts of violence; it is society’s refusal to condemn blatant acts of terrorism.
Over the weekend, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) was sleeping in the governor’s mansion when a crazed lunatic, who claimed he would have bludgeoned the governor with a hammer had he encountered him, set the house ablaze with children inside just hours after Shapiro’s family recognized Passover in the home. In a press conference about the incident, Shapiro said it was time to end the rising tide of political violence.
“This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society. And I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other,” Shapiro said. “It has to stop.”
Shapiro is correct, but he and his Democratic allies can’t remain silent about violent rhetoric and actions from their camp. Democrats need to call on their party to hold its radicals accountable. Instead, mainstream Democrats laud the Ocasio-Cortezes and Rep. Rashida Tlaibs (D-MI) of the world, excusing those shouting for death to Jews with a second intifada and defending college students’ intimidation of those who disagree with them. Meanwhile, these same Democrats such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) remain silent on the attacks of a private company such as Tesla because its founder, Elon Musk, is pro-Trump.
During and after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, mainstream conservatives such as Erick Erickson, Ben Shapiro, and many others decried the vile actions of most of the insurrectionist behavior that day. Despite being supportive of Trump in the 2024 election, some of those same voices have said those who committed violence should be cast out of the conservative movement and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Yet, when a Bernie Bro shot Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), there were crickets from the Left. When a leftist neighbor assaulted Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), praise rang out across all platforms from the Left. When Riley Gaines, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), or conservative students on campus get doxxed and receive death threats, the Left remains silent because the threats come from its supporters.
Last week, the Young America’s Foundation chapter at the University of Iowa brought me to their campus to talk about feminism and the transgender movement. The leftists on campus went after the freshman members of the YAF committee, including 18-year-old Daelynn Wygle.
“Our social media accounts got harassed on our posts and in our DMs. We were called sexists, bigots, fascists, and idiots,” Wygle said. “One student emailed us saying, ‘Fascists like all of you are not welcome in Iowa City, and that will be made clear!’ Additionally, people posted photos of the members of our club and doxed us for being ‘Neo-Nazis’ and part of this ‘hate group.’”
Maybe, just maybe, members of campus leftist groups and radicals who target leaders such as Shapiro and Trump feel emboldened because of the mainstream adoration these acts get from the Left and the media.
TAYLOR LORENZ CLAIMS SHE DID NOT CALL LUIGI MANGIONE ‘MORALLY GOOD’
Leaders of both parties must condemn the call to radicalism for political gain. It’s OK to attend a protest, question the narrative, vocally disagree with leaders, vote them out of office, write negatively about their politics, and so on. That’s covered in the First Amendment.
It is not OK to allow rioting, threats of violence, stalking, doxxing, and swatting for your ”cause.” If silence is violence, as leftists claim, then the Left’s silence regarding its own brutality is not just hypocritical; it’s practically criminal.
Elisha Krauss is a conservative commentator and speaker who resides in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and their four children. She advocates women’s rights, school choice, and smaller government.