Author and podcasting star Ben Shapiro told his audience this week that it’s fascinating to watch political pundits attempt to manipulate viewers into thinking only Republican “mobs” exist.
The eponymous host of “The Ben Shapiro Show” says polling in the wake of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court is swinging to the right because Democrats have inexplicably decided to “look as ugly and terrible as humanly possible in public as often as possible.”
He noted two examples downplayed by the media: left-wing activists who chased Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and his wife out of a restaurant in September, along with recent calls by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to abandon civility until Democrats are in power.
Mr. Shapiro called the media behavior “gaslighting,” or manipulating someone into thinking a threat that he sees is all in his own mind.
“The media are doing their best to try and cover for this,” Mr. Shapiro said Wednesday. “So you have this conflict that is now happening, the gaslighting that is happening, where Democrats are openly stating — openly — that they are in favor of mob politics, that they are fine with mob politics. They’re fine with people showing up at restaurants and yelling at people. They are fine with people trying to beat down the 13-ton bronze door at the Supreme Court. They are fine with folks screaming at senators in elevators. They are fine with all of these things.”
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“All these things are just dandy, and then you have folks in the media say, ’No, no. Democrats aren’t saying that. There are no mobs. That’s not real. Why would you think that the mob stuff is real?’” he continued.
A CNN panel moderated by Don Lemon on Tuesday, for instance, included the host defending activists who chased the Cruz family out of a restaurant.
“Is it mob behavior? No, it’s not mob behavior,” Mr. Lemon said. “It’s people who are upset and angry with the way the country is going.”
BREAKING. Activists just chased @TedCruz out of a fancy Washington DC restaurant, chanting “We Believe Survivors!”
— Smash Racism DC (@SmashRacismDC) September 25, 2018
Cruz has been friends with creep Kavanaugh for 20 years. Now Cruz is on judiciary committee hearing his testimony.
Fascists not welcome! #CancelKavanugh pic.twitter.com/7mx6Tc32za
Mr. Cruz said that roughly 15 screaming individuals chased him down an alley with his wife until they were let in the restaurant’s back door to take shelter.
“You’re not allowed to listen to what the Democrats say,” Mr. Shapiro deadpanned of midterm election coverage. “The only mobs that exist are Republican mobs.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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