I'm Sure SOME of the 'Hands Off' Protesters Knew Why They Were There, But Then Again...

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

You can't take 'man on the street' interviews TOO seriously. They serve as a great way to amuse yourself or to feel much smarter than others, but to maintain my integrity, I have to admit that there is always a lot of cherry-picking to get the juiciest bits. 

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On the other hand, you should never be able to go to a college campus and find people who don't know where Canada is, how many branches of government there are, or even be able to identify what century the Civil War took place in. 

Similarly, one shouldn't be able to interview people at a protest in which they are chanting angry mantras and holding signs calling for the assassination of somebody and discover they have no idea what they are angry about. The are raging, but have no idea about what. 

People were out in force to protest the cut on Social Security benefits, of which there have been none. They worry that they are losing rights, but can't name one that they have lost. 

Certainly not the right to protest or assert that Donald Trump should die. For people concerned that fascists are roaming the land, they are pretty confident that wishing for the death of Orange Hitler is consequence-free. 

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I expect that most of the protesters weren't paid, but there isn't any question that many of them were. It has been a common tactic for quite a while, but during Trump's second term, the efforts have scaled up quite a bit. 

There are all sorts of examples of people with talking points handed to them and chants pre-printed to ensure they are prepared to participate. It is a kind of theater, and the media is more than happy to play along with the charade. 

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I wouldn't want to claim that this movement has no organic support. I doubt that people at Indivisible rallies were told to shout about assassinating Trump as happened, but the core movement is astroturf. 

The left is angry. They have hated Trump for a decade, and have been building up to mass resistance and violence for as long. That time is now, and if the campaign to terrorize Tesla drivers is any indication, it will only get worse. 

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