OPINION:
It can be inexplicable to witness the behavior of liberals as they appear fixated on their hatred for President Trump and conservatives in general and their apparent need to constantly publicly declare it.
But there is an explanation, at least in some of the very public cases of Trump Derangement Syndrome: The requirement to prove one’s fealty to Trump-hating leftist overlords impacts more people than you realize.
Case in point, a Twitter exchange between Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell and tennis great Martina Navratilova. While on the surface it might appear to be one of the thousands of idiotic attacks on a Trump supporter we see on social media every day, this one provides a window into what the left has done to the very people they claim to support and champion.
In her tweets, Ms. Navratilova publicly accused Mr. Grenell of being “sick” and OK with the “slaughter of civilians.” One would think to tweet something so awful at someone she must have seen a comment revealing some sort of monstrous inhumanity.
But no. The tennis legend was responding in the bizarre unhinged fashion to a very moving message from Mr. Grenell about his partner’s visit to Normandy with his grandfather: He tweeted, “In Normandy, where a hero Grandfather tells his grandson what it was like to be a 19 yr old Ohio teenager arriving in France to fight the Nazis. @mattlashey and Merle Lashey are lucky. So many buried here never got to have a family. #sacrifice #freedomisntfree”
Ms. Navratilova’s response? “You tweet this while our troops are under fire thanks to your guy trump? Have you any idea about what is going on in Syria now? #crickets”
Mr. Grenell, who is known for being honest and direct, was both in his response to her attack: “My 95 yr old grandfather visits Normandy for the first time after he landed there as a 19 yr old teenager and you ridicule his moment? Seek help immediately! You have #TrumpDerangementSyndrome #greatestgeneration”
The response is what we’ve all grown to expect from those who see everything through the prism of their hatred for Mr. Trump:
“Think about the timing,” she tweeted back. “I am not the sick one here- I thank your grandfather for fighting for our country. Same cannot be said for you. But I guess you’re ok with the slaughter of civilians in Syria thanks to your guy… ?#Impeach45”
And there it is, all boiling down for her as a sad virtue signaling to the left that she’s thinking correctly and can be trusted to parrot the narrative.
We all know the ambassador’s work and his history, and it’s safe to say Ms. Navratilova does, too. He is not only our representative in Germany, but he has also recently been appointed as our special U.S. envoy to the Serbia and Kosovo peace talks. Moreover, he is leading the Trump administration’s project to decriminalize homosexuality around the globe.
As a testament to what the left does to the very people they claim to represent, Ms. Navratilova has been reduced to sniping at another gay person who is actually doing work to improve the lives of everyone and working to, literally, save the lives of gay people in countries that remain determined to imprison and even kill them.
What’s especially sad in this exchange is it illustrates how the left creates a void of common decency, including in Ms. Navratilova, who is arguably one of the greatest athletes of the modern era. As an openly gay woman, she also has served as an inspiration and role model for many.
But her bizarre and disconnected attack on Mr. Grenell can be explained, I contend, as part of her continuing effort to prove her fealty to the left’s Trump-hating leftist overlords. Earlier this year she committed the crime of expressing an unapproved opinion and was targeted by the rabid left for disappearance and cancellation.
Her crime? In a Sunday Times of London opinion piece in February of this year, Ms. Navratilova wrote of her opposition to transgendered women competing in women’s sports.
The 18-time Grand Slam champion immediately came under an attack meant to destroy her work and reputation. She has been labeled as “transphobic,” removed from an LGBTQ nonprofit she served on and remains the target of disparaging commentary by leftists and activists. She herself noted in the offending op-ed the “growing tendency” of transgendered activists to “denounce anyone who argues against them and to label them all as ’transphobes,’ ” which she declared was another form of “tyranny,” according to a report by NBC News.
And that’s exactly what happened. After unrelenting efforts to “cancel” her, Ms. Navratilova eventually apologized and then in June, an Outsports headline confirmed the re-education of Martina: ” ’Perhaps I don’t know as much as I thought!’ Martina Navratilova talks about her new trans athlete documentary. The tennis legend who once called trans women ’cheaters’ hints that she may be more open-minded now.”
Which brings us back to attacking Mr. Grenell on social media for celebrating his World War II grandfather as an excuse to rage against Mr. Trump. Ms. Navratilova appears to still be trying to prove herself to her “community” punishers. Moreover, the strategy of the bullies on the left to destroy an icon like her is meant to send a message to every other liberal: Don’t you dare step out of line or you will pay a horrible price.
This from people who scream every day that Mr. Trump and conservatives are the threat to personal freedom.
• Tammy Bruce, president of Independent Women’s Voice, author and Fox News contributor, is a radio talk-show host.
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