Why don’t we see the same kind of rhetoric on the left that we see on the right? This is something that’s been puzzling me for a while. It’s okay to say that the radical left wants women to kill their babies after birth (false) and that the left wants to put grown men in your young daughter’s school bathrooms (also false). It’s okay to say that to protect our Second Amendment rights, school shootings are something that must be accepted as a necessary evil. Most importantly, it’s okay to say that the left hates this country. And I’m not talking about the politicians in D.C., I’m talking about liberal voters. Not even Democrats specifically, just American citizens who lean left. Recently, the White House Press Secretary called the Democratic base of this country “Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals…” This is the press secretary for the President of the United States speaking, a woman who speaks every day from a podium that has the seal of the United States of America on it. I’m not saying the Democrats never use this kind of language; in response to Leavitt’s statement, Hakeem Jeffries said he wasn’t sure if she was “…demented, ignorant, a stone cold liar, or all of the above…” My confusion here is over why Democrats only attack high-level officials, not ordinary citizens like the right does. Donald Trump has said repeatedly in his speeches that the left is the “enemy from within,” and that we seek to destroy this country. I think we need to sit down and have a serious discussion about our rhetoric. It’s a dangerous choice, sure, and it shouldn’t be made lightly, but it needs to be discussed.
Zooming out for a second, there are some interesting things found in Pew Research’s* study “Americans say politically motivated violence is increasing, and they see many reasons why.” (Conducted in late September, 2025.) Compared to the 16% of Democrats/Lean Dems who viewed “Rhetoric/Behavior ofTrump/Republicans/conservatives/MAGA” as “the main reasons for politically motivated violence in this country over the past several years,” only 2% of Republicans/Lean Repubs said the same. That’s a 14 point difference. Similarly, only 1% of Dems/Lean Dems view the “Rhetoric/Behavior ofDemocrats/liberals” as a main reason, while 16% of Republicans/Lean Repubs said the same. Again, quite a huge difference. However, only 9% of Repubs/Lean Repub and only 9% of Dems/Lean Dem viewed “Rhetoric/Behavior of politicians/parties (general)” as one of the main reasons for political violence. So it seems those of both political affiliations are more eager to blame the other side than admit that rhetoric in general might be the problem.
Obviously sides are living in their own worlds, but I was most surprised by the 9%. With the amount of political assassinations these days, (The Hortman family, Charlie Kirk), I would have thought the number would be higher. Anyway, what’s really alarming is the fact that political rhetoric relies on being violent and offensive in order to get people riled up and involved, which is something I’ll explore later. For now, let’s play with words.
I’ve taken the liberty of writing some remarks that use the same way of speaking that the “radical” right does. (Obviously, I don’t condone this kind of speech, nor do I think it’s helpful for the country, but I want to see what kind of an effect it would have on people, liberal and conservative.)
To my friends down south, in the valleys of Mississippi and the Carolina marshes. To those who brandish the traitors’ flag:
You do not belong here. This is America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, and you are not American. You who raise the flag of another nation on American soil. Not just another nation, a traitors’ nation. I’m not sure what country you think you live in, but in America, we do things a little differently. In this country, we take pride in our flag. We are proud to raise it and proud to stand under it. We are proud to be Americans.
You, my friends, are not Americans.
More than 300 years ago, a starving people landed on these shores, hoping to make a home for themselves. It was only through their perseverance, only with their spirit, that this land became what it is today. That spirit is still alive today, and it has a name: The American spirit.
You defile our country with your false flags, your false idols, and your false monuments. You disgrace the memory of the people who built this nation, who built it with their blood, sweat, and tears. You disgrace the American spirit that our people, and only our people, have running in their noble blood. The spirit of the greatest country in the world.
How can you call yourself American?
It was this nation that built the telephone and developed the smartphone. It was this nation that first put a man on the moon. All of these accomplishments, and many more, would never have been possible without the American spirit. It would never have been possible without the drive of the American pioneer.
I am proud of what this nation has done. I am proud to be an American.
Are you?
It was you who turned your back on the promise of this country. You who tore down our flag and raised your own. It was you who took up arms against the children of this country. You who pillaged, burned, and killed across this country. You, my friend, are a traitor. You are not American, and as long as you pledge allegiance to your flag, as long as you celebrate the sworn enemies of the United States of America, you will never be American.
As long as you pledge allegiance to the sworn enemies of the United States of America, you will always be the enemy of the United States and the enemy of the American people.
To my fellow citizens of America, I offer you some warnings. Our nation is under siege, and it needs us to defend it. Those who raise the traitors’ flag wish to destroy everything we stand for and everything this country stands for, but we cannot let them. They wish to erase our history and our fight against their tyranny; we cannot let them. They want to uproot this nation from the inside, to make it burn, but we cannot let them. They want to rewrite our stories and vilify our fight for what our flag stands for, for fighting to protect what the flag of the United States of America stands for. They make empty promises and speak empty words, but the American people aren’t fools. When we, the citizens of the United States of America, say “liberty and justice for all” with our hands on our hearts and the American spirit coursing through our veins, we damn well mean it.
*The study in question:
Beshay. “Americans Say Politically Motivated Violence Is Increasing, and They See Many Reasons Why.” Pew Research Center, October 23, 2025. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/10/23/americans-say-politically-motivated-violence-is-increasing-and-they-see-many-reasons-why/.
