Projection 101

As many people know, the NY Times has utterly prostrated itself before the God of Balance and hired some fairly, shall we say, sub-par columnists of late. Included therein is notable climate-science denier Bret Stephens. I suppose the Times wants to ward off the inevitable conservative "bias" attacks, not that it would work. (Incidentally, have you ever noticed that supposedly "liberal" mainstream media outlets routinely have Republican/conservative voices, whereas "Fair & Balanced FoxNews" rarely, if ever, has an actual "liberal" on to defend the liberal position?)

Anyway, Bret Stephens put on a master class in projection in his column today. He started off by applauding Mona Charen, who was booed at CPAC a few days ago, for her courage in telling conservatives that they are hypocrites for supporting Donald Trump and Roy Moore while lambasting Democrats who took money from Harvey Weinstein (no mention of Steve Wynn, conveniently). Mr. Stephens laments the intra-party war going on in the Republican party between the (vast majority) portion of his party that supports Trump, and the Never Trumpers. He then turns to the Democrats:

a parallel contest is taking shape within the Democratic Party, most visibly in the rift between traditional liberals and the social-justice warriors of what used to be the far left.

Oh really? Do tell!

One side believes in the power of reason, the possibility of persuasion, and the values of the Enlightenment. It champions social solidarity for the sake of empowering the individual, rather than creating a society of conformists. 

This is interesting, coming from a conservative house organ. Which Democrats "believe in the power of reason, the possibility of persuasion, and the values of the Enlightenment"? Well, Mr. Stephens doesn't grace us with that opinion. However, he gives us this turdburger:

As for the other side, it thinks it knows what’s True. It considers compromise knavish. It views debate — beyond its own tightly set parameters — as either pointless or dangerous. And while it sees itself as the antithesis of Trumpism, it is, in its raging intolerance and smug self-satisfaction, Trumpism’s mirror image.

Mr. Stephens, when liberals own AM radio and fill it up, 24 hours/day, with talk-radio hosts lambasting any Democratic politician for agreeing, in any way, shape or form, on any issue, with Republicans, then maybe you'll have a point. When a Democrat publicly states that the party's #1 goal is making Pres. Trump a one-term president, you may have a point. 

As of today, you are merely projecting Mr. Stephens.

My advice to traditional liberals is not to repeat the establishment Republican mistake of not taking the threat of populist illiberalism seriously, and of not fighting it fiercely. The fabric of an open society is more frayed than most people realize, and it is coming unraveled from more than one end. What happened to the G.O.P. in 2016 could happen to the Democrats in 2020.

Take your own advice Mr. Stephens. Talk to your right-wing friends and tell them that their 8 years of race-tinged criticism of Obama, their 8 years of apologetics for George W. Bush, their ongoing praise for Donald Trump is devaluing their brand and opening it up to racists and demagogues. 

Until then, I will take advice from people who haven't made the worst possible decisions for most of my adult life.