Democratic Hypocrisy

Democrats have practiced lawlessness so deftly, active compliance with the law looks to Democrats and their supporters like Gestapo tactics.

A remarkable Facebook post was shared with me this morning. You need to read it first to understand my thoughts on the subject. It was by a lefty loon named James Greenberg and it is here: How safe should we feel?

My response follows - and I apologize in advance for the length - but it took what it took.

The curious fact is that for decades, Democrats have practiced lawlessness so deftly, active compliance with the law, like Trump’s completely normal and required by standing law enforcement of immigration law, look to Democrats and their supporters like Gestapo tactics.

They are not. What is happening would be completely unremarkable in a society and culture that followed the laws they passed for themselves. If “sanctuary cities” were cooperating with ICE, raids would not be necessary – and if presidents secured the border as they are required by principle and standing law, ICE would be at the border instead of downtown LA, DC, Chicago and Memphis.

Anybody who watches football long enough – or any competitive sport with officials with the power to penalize – will eventually run across a situation where, out of the view of the officials, a player takes a cheap shot at his opponent and when the opponent retaliates, THAT is when the officials are paying attention and the player responding to a punch in the gonads gets the unsportsmanlike conduct flag.

The narrative that Donald Trump’s administration uniquely threatens democracy through retribution, surveillance, and suppression of dissent, as outlined in James Greenberg’s essay, paints a dire picture of eroded civic safety. It warns of dissent being labeled as “domestic terrorism,” agencies like the DOJ and FBI turned into tools of retaliation, expanded detention and deportation systems, pervasive surveillance databases, and a silenced press - evoking historical parallels like McCarthyism and Jim Crow. Yet, this portrayal ignores similar tactics employed by Democratic administrations under Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as by Democrats during Trump’s first term (2017–2021). These actions - redefining dissent, weaponizing agencies, building enforcement infrastructure, and chilling discourse - mirror Greenfield’s critiques, revealing a Democrat pattern of distributing “protection unevenly” and conditioning safety on compliance. By examining Obama’s and Biden’s records alongside Democratic actions, the hypocrisy in singling out Trump becomes clear and obscures the fact that Trump is getting flagged for retaliating for all the gonad punches he has endured since he descended the Golden Escalator in 2015.

Greenberg’s essay claims Trump’s labeling of Antifa as terrorists and racketeering charges against liberal groups reframe opposition as conspiracy, making security a privilege. However, Democratic administrations have similarly branded dissenters as threats to suppress them. Under Obama (2010–2013), the IRS targeted conservative Tea Party, Patriot, and 9/12 groups, delaying tax-exempt approvals and demanding donor lists. A 2013 Treasury Inspector General report confirmed this suppressed mobilization, costing Republicans millions of votes in 2012. Obama called it “outrageous” but held no one accountable, protecting compliant groups while punishing critics.

Greenfield refers to ANTIFA as “leaderless” but that is not true. They are not leaderless, they are asymmetrical – just like terrorist organizations – and that does not make them less an organization or less dangerous.

Biden’s administration (2021–2023) took this further when Attorney General Merrick Garland, prompted by a National School Boards Association letter coordinated with the White House, directed the FBI to investigate “threats” at school board meetings. The FBI’s “EDUOFFICIALS” threat tag flagged parents protesting critical race theory and masks as potential domestic terrorists, despite no charges. FOIA lawsuits exposed White House enthusiasm for targeting parents, chilling their dissent. During Trump’s first term, Democrats like Biden, Kamala Harris, and Chuck Schumer labeled Trump supporters “fascists” or “insurrectionists” post-January 6, pushing resolutions branding Trumpism as “domestic terrorism.” This justified FBI probes into rally attendees while downplaying Antifa’s violence, normalizing the view of conservative dissent as terror - a tactic Greenberg’s essay attributes solely to Trump.

Greenberg’s essay decries Trump’s “enemies list” through figures like Kash Patel and Pam Bondi, alleging agencies like the DOJ and FBI are repurposed for retaliation. Yet, Democrats have similarly shifted agency missions. Obama’s IRS (2010–2013) used “Be On the Lookout” lists to target 292 conservative groups versus 20 liberal groups post-Citizens United, tied to White House rhetoric but without prosecutions, weaponizing taxes against dissenters. Biden’s FBI (2021–2025) monitored parents with the “EDUOFFICIALS” tag, including Moms for Liberty members, via social media, despite no violent acts, reframing civic engagement as extremism. During Trump’s first term, House Democrats subpoenaed over 100 Trump aides, labeling critics like Donald Trump Jr. as “threats,” while Biden’s transition team blacklisted “MAGA” officials, chilling GOP whistleblowers. These actions diffuse power through partisan directives, eroding neutrality as Greenberg’s essay fears, but under Democratic leadership.

Do not forget that Trump supporters like Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and others actually did/are doing actual jail time.

Greenberg’s essay warns of Trump’s growing detention camps, deportation budgets, and National Guard use, blurring civilian-military lines. Biden’s record, however, shows massive expansion here. Despite pledges to end private prisons, Biden’s ICE (2021–2025) added over 45,000 detention beds, costing over $3 billion annually, with 32,743 detainees by 2023 - 2.5 times Trump’s end-of-term numbers. ICE solicited new facilities in 2024, and Biden allocated $14 billion for deportations, continuing family separations. Obama (2014–2016) federalized the National Guard in Ferguson against Black Lives Matter protests, and Biden did so in 2020 Portland against racial justice protests, militarizing unrest. Democrats during Trump’s term, like New York’s Andrew Cuomo, funded local-ICE partnerships deporting over 400,000 annually, hypocritically supporting the infrastructure they later criticized. This mirrors the essay’s concerns but implicates Democrats.

Greenberg’s essay fears databases merging taxes, visas, and protest data, making visibility risky. Obama’s NSA (2009–2017) set this precedent with PRISM, collecting billions of emails and social media posts, monitoring Occupy Wall Street, and gathering bulk phone metadata, as exposed by Snowden. Biden’s DHS and ICE (2021–2025) expanded social media vetting for visas, flagging “anti-government” posts and protest attendance, jeopardizing immigrants’ status. Democrats during Trump’s term expanded FISA post-January 6, monitoring Trump supporters as “extremists,” normalizing political surveillance - paralleling the essay’s warnings but predating Trump’s second term.

Greenberg’s essay decries Trump’s lawsuits and FCC threats narrowing debate. Biden’s administration (2021–2023) coerced platforms like Facebook to remove “misinformation” on COVID and elections, suppressing over 10 million posts, leading to a First Amendment injunction. Obama and Biden pursued Espionage Act charges against Julian Assange, and seizing Associated Press records, criminalizing leaks. During Trump’s first term, Democratic attorneys general sued Fox News over election coverage, and House Democrats threatened FCC investigations of Sinclair for “propaganda,” chilling right-leaning media. These actions narrowed public discourse, echoing the essay’s “silence as the safest choice” critique but under Democratic pressure.

Spreading Fear to Marginalized Communities: Greenberg’s essay claims Trump’s rhetoric spreads fear among minorities, forcing a “defensive posture.” Obama’s record-high 3 million deportations via Secure Communities terrorized Latino communities, splitting families. Biden deported over 1.5 million by 2024, with National Guard deployments in Portland intimidating Black activists. During Trump’s term, Harris called border agents “Gestapo-like” while supporting budgets for the same enforcement, fueling fear among immigrants. This contradicts the essay’s implication that such fear is unique to Trump.

Disrupting Democratic Norms: Greenberg’s essay argues Trump’s fast-paced executive orders and firings cause institutional fatigue. Obama issued 277 executive orders, including DACA and EPA carbon rules, sued over 20 times for overreach, bypassing Congress. Biden fired Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz for criticizing policies and slow-probed Hunter Biden laptop critics. Democrats during Trump’s term issued over 100 subpoenas and pursued two impeachments, accelerating polarization. These disruptions frayed democratic patience, paralleling the essay’s critique of Trump’s tempo.

Greenberg’s invocation of Cicero - “How long will you abuse our patience?” invites wider examination of actions taken by the Democrat administrations that bookend Trump’s first term. Obama’s surveillance, Biden’s censorship, and Democrats’ targeting of Trump supporters mirror the very retribution, surveillance, and suppression they decry. The IRS, FBI, ICE, and NSA have been weaponized against dissenters; detention and deportation systems expanded; media pressured; and fear spread across communities. These actions show safety has long been conditional under Democrat presidents, they are not a Trump invention.

The fact us that there is not a single citizen under the Trump administration who has lost a single right, has been subjected to a political prosecution, has been put in any camp or deported, persecuted through a joint effort of multiple agencies, not a single citizen has been abused by the National Guard, or given harsh sentences for minor infractions - something that cannot be said for conservatives during the Obama or Biden administrations.