If they wished only to criticize the President’s response, they could easily have done so while remaining members of the newly formed panels. They could have even used their position to start a dialog with Trump about the issue: “Mr. President, I join you in advancing the cause of US workers, but your take on what’s going on in Virginia and elsewhere is backward.” That is, in fact, what Walmart’s CEO had done, as well as had the head of Blackstone.

But in the climate liberals have created, especially where race and sex are concerned, criticism isn’t enough, no matter how stern and slashing. The villain must be isolated. Interaction of any kind is the same as endorsement. Even sitting down to debate with the President at a meeting would violate their moral code.

It’s the kind of righteous distaste I’ve seen from liberal academics when they’ve found themselves at professional gatherings stuck in the presence of a conservative. Contentious, but polite conversation is asking too much of them.