The Democrats have a "crying wolf" problem

Don’t get me wrong. Of course, in politics, all sides are guilty of exaggerated claims and unfair attacks. But there’s a particular tendency on the left to portray opponents as not just wrong but evil, and in a unique way. It’s an offshoot of Krauthammer’s Second Law that “conservatives think liberals are misguided; liberals think conservatives are evil.” This bizarre tic explains, or perhaps is explained by, the finding that conservatives understand liberal positions better than liberals understand conservative positions.

But here’s the key point in this Clinton vs. Trump matchup: Democrats’ long history of crying wolf poses a unique problem in this cycle. Several distinguished speakers at the Democratic National Convention maintained that this election is “not about left or right,” but about something more fundamental, because Trump reflects something uniquely corrosive to American democracy. As a #NeverTrump conservative, I fully agree with them! But too many liberals have been saying exactly this sort of thing about all sorts of other Republicans for an awfully long time. The words have lost their sting.

If your movement — even if it’s often only the fringes of your movement — calls George W. Bush a racist, claims that Mitt Romney is a “severe danger,” and assails John McCain as an “unstable, hot-headed liar” who is “unfit to be president,” is it any wonder that many Americans are skeptical when you warn of the dangers of Trump? Why should we trust you this time? You’ve cried wolf too many times before.