logo
The liberals' license: How the left finds release in an age of rage

The liberals' license: How the left finds release in an age of rage

The Hill05-04-2025

'We should replace our piece of crap Constitution.'
Those words from author Elie Mystal, a regular commentator on MSNBC, are hardly surprising from someone who previously called the Constitution 'trash' and urged not just the abolition of the U.S. Senate but also of 'all voter registration laws.'
But Mystal's radical rhetoric is becoming mainstream on the left, as shown by his best-selling books and popular media appearances.
There is a counter-constitutional movement building in law schools and across the country. And although Mystal has not advocated violence, some on the left are turning to political violence and criminal acts. It is part of the 'righteous rage' that many of them see as absolving them from the basic demands not only of civility but of legality.
They are part of a rising class of American Jacobins — bourgeois revolutionaries increasingly prepared to trash everything, from cars to the Constitution.
The Jacobins were a radical group in France that propelled that country into the worst excesses of the French Revolution. They were largely affluent citizens, including journalists, professors, lawyers, and others who shredded existing laws and destroyed property. It would ultimately lead not only to the blood-soaked 'Reign of Terror' but also to the demise of the Jacobins themselves as more radical groups turned against them.
Of course, it is not revolution on the minds of most of these individuals. It is rage.
Rage is the ultimate drug. It offers a release from longstanding social norms — a license to do those things long repressed by individuals who viewed themselves as decent, law-abiding citizens.
Across the country, liberals are destroying Tesla cars, torching dealerships and charging stations, and even allegedly hitting political dissenters with their cars.
Last week, affluent liberal shoppers admitted that they are shoplifting from Whole Foods to strike back at Jeff Bezos for working with the Trump administration and moving the Washington Post back to the political center. They are also enraged at Mark Zuckerberg for restoring free speech protections at Meta.
One '20-something communications professional' in Washington explained 'If a billionaire can steal from me, I can scrape a little off the top, too.' These affluent shoplifters portrayed themselves as Robin Hoods.
Of course, that is assuming Robin Hood was stealing organic fruit from the rich and giving it to himself.
On college campuses, affluent students and even professors are engaging in political violence.
Just this week, University of Wisconsin Professor José Felipe Alvergue, head of the English Department, turned over the table of College Republicans supporting a conservative for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He reportedly declared, 'The time for this is over!'
Likewise, a mob this week attacked a conservative display and tent on the campus of the University of California-Davis as campus police passively watched. The Antifa protesters, carrying a large banner with the slogan 'ACAB' or 'all cops are bastards,' trashed the tent and carried it off.
Antifa is a violent and vehemently anti-free speech group that thrives on U.S. college campuses. In his book ' Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,' Mark Bray explains that 'most Americans in Antifa have been anarchists or antiauthoritarian communists. … From that standpoint, 'free speech' as such is merely a bourgeois fantasy unworthy of consideration.'
Of course, many of the American Jacobins are themselves bourgeois or even affluent figures. And they are finding a host of enablers telling them that the Constitution itself is a threat and that the legal system has been corrupted by oligarchs, white supremacists, or reactionaries.
This includes leading academics and commentators who are denouncing the Constitution and core American values. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Berkeley Law School, is the author of 'No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States.'
In a New York Times op-ed, 'The Constitution Is Broken and Should Not Be Reclaimed,' law professors Ryan D. Doerfler of Harvard and Samuel Moyn of Yale called for the nation to 'reclaim America from constitutionalism.'
Commentator Jennifer Szalai has scoffed at what she called 'Constitution worship.' 'Americans have long assumed that the Constitution could save us,' she wrote. 'A growing chorus now wonders whether we need to be saved from it.'
As intellectuals knock down our laws and Constitution, radicals are pouring into the breach. Political violence and rage rhetoric are becoming more common. Some liberals embraced groups like Antifa, while others shrugged off property damage and violent threats against political opponents. It is the very type of incitement or rage rhetoric that Democrats once accused Trump of fostering in groups like the Proud Boys.
Members of Congress such as Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) have called for Tesla CEO Elon Musk to be ' taken down ' and said that Democrats have to be ' OK with punching.'
Some take such words as a justification to violently attack a system supposedly advancing the white supremacy or fascism. Fortunately, such violence has been confined so far to a minority of radicalized individuals, but there is an undeniable increase in such violent, threatening speech and in actual violence.
The one thing the American Jacobins will not admit is that they like the rage and the release that it brings them. From shoplifting to arson to attempted assassination, the rejection of our legal system brings them freedom to act outside of morality and to take whatever they want.
Democratic leaders see these 'protests' as needed popularism to combat Trump — to make followers ' strike ready ' and 'to stand up and fight back.'
For a politician, a mob can become irresistible if you can steer it against your opponents. The problem is controlling the mob once it has broken free of the bounds of legal and personal accountability.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Newsom says California will sue Trump over National Guard, dares Homan to arrest him
Newsom says California will sue Trump over National Guard, dares Homan to arrest him

Yahoo

time39 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Newsom says California will sue Trump over National Guard, dares Homan to arrest him

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said California will sue the Trump administration on Monday over its deployment of the National Guard to quell Los Angeles protests against federal immigration raids. In an interview Sunday evening on MSNBC, Newsom said the lawsuit would challenge Trump's federalizing of the California National Guard without the state's consent, a move with little precedent in U.S. history. 'Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight. He's exacerbated the conditions. He's, you know, lit the proverbial match. He's putting fuel on this fire, ever since he announced he was taking over the National Guard — an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act,' Newsom said on MSNBC. 'And we're going to test that theory with a lawsuit tomorrow,' he added.. Asked to elaborate on the lawsuit, Newsom said that under Trump's executive order, 'it specifically notes — and under what the [Department of Defense] did — is they had to coordinate with the governor of the state. They never coordinated with the governor of the state,' he said. Newsom noted that he has deployed the National Guard before to respond to various emergencies. 'We have no problem, working collaboratively in a mutual aid system with local law enforcement. But there's a protocol, there's a process. He didn't care about that. And the worst part, he completely lied,' he said. The governor pointed to Trump's Truth Social post earlier on Sunday, in which he said the National Guard had done a 'great job.' Newsom said the state forces had not even been deployed at the time. 'It's Orwellian, simply lying to people, unconstitutional, illegal act, his mess. We're trying to clean it up,' he added. Later in the interview, Newsom was asked about border czar Tom Homan's comments indicating he would not rule out arresting Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass if they interfered in his efforts. 'Come after me, arrest me. Let's just get it over with, tough guy, you know? I don't give a damn. But I care about my community. I care about this community,' he continued. 'The hell are they doing? These guys need to grow up. They need to stop and we need to push back. And I'm sorry to be so clear, but that kind of bloviating is exhausting.' Newsom added. 'So, Tom, arrest me. Let's go.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Newsom says California will sue Trump over National Guard, dares Homan to arrest him
Newsom says California will sue Trump over National Guard, dares Homan to arrest him

The Hill

time4 hours ago

  • The Hill

Newsom says California will sue Trump over National Guard, dares Homan to arrest him

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said California will sue the Trump administration on Monday over its deployment of the National Guard to quell Los Angeles protests against federal immigration raids. In an interview Sunday evening on MSNBC, Newsom said the lawsuit would challenge Trump's federalizing of the California National Guard without the state's consent, a move with little precedent in U.S. history. 'Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight. He's exacerbated the conditions. He's, you know, lit the proverbial match. He's putting fuel on this fire, ever since he announced he was taking over the National Guard — an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act,' Newsom said on MSNBC. 'And we're going to test that theory with a lawsuit tomorrow,' he added.. Asked to elaborate on the lawsuit, Newsom said that under Trump's executive order, 'it specifically notes — and under what the [Department of Defense] did — is they had to coordinate with the governor of the state. They never coordinated with the governor of the state,' he said. Newsom noted that he has deployed the National Guard before to respond to various emergencies. 'We have no problem, working collaboratively in a mutual aid system with local law enforcement. But there's a protocol, there's a process. He didn't care about that. And the worst part, he completely lied,' he said. The governor pointed to Trump's Truth Social post earlier on Sunday, in which he said the National Guard had done a 'great job.' Newsom said the state forces had not even been deployed at the time. 'It's Orwellian, simply lying to people, unconstitutional, illegal act, his mess. We're trying to clean it up,' he added. Later in the interview, Newsom was asked about border czar Tom Homan's comments indicating he would not rule out arresting Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass if they interfered in his efforts. 'Come after me, arrest me. Let's just get it over with, tough guy, you know? I don't give a damn. But I care about my community. I care about this community,' he continued. 'The hell are they doing? These guys need to grow up. They need to stop and we need to push back. And I'm sorry to be so clear, but that kind of bloviating is exhausting.' Newsom added. 'So, Tom, arrest me. Let's go.'

Tesla still holds many valuable apolitical cards, says Morgan Stanley
Tesla still holds many valuable apolitical cards, says Morgan Stanley

Business Insider

time5 hours ago

  • Business Insider

Tesla still holds many valuable apolitical cards, says Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas says that while the disagreement between Elon Musk and President Trump will help Tesla (TSLA) demand and could potentially 'alienate multiple sides of the political spectrum,' the company 'still holds so many valuable cards that are largely apolitical.' The longer-term vectors that drive the stock's value have not changed much, and include Tesla's artificial intelligence leadership, robotics, manufacturing, supply chain re-architecture, renewable power, and critical infrastructure, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Further, Morgan Stanley does not believe the phasing out of electric vehicle tax credits in the 'Big Beautiful Bill' is material to the long term outlook for Tesla. It reiterates an Overweight rating on the shares with a $410 price target Confident Investing Starts Here:

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store