Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) recently found herself on the receiving end of a political tactic that her own party has unleashed upon the nation since the election of President Donald Trump. The House minority leader recently traveled to Coral Gables, Florida, to attend a campaign event and found herself being heckled by anti-communist protesters.

As Pelosi arrived at campaign headquarters of Democratic House candidate Donna Shalala, she was confronted by a group of protesters who hurled obscenities and accused her of being a communist. The protesters were able to get very close to the Democrat leader, but they did not attempt to physically assault her or even block her entry into the building. Many of the protesters appeared to be Cuban-Americans; in the video clip, uploaded to YouTube, a few could be heard yelling “Comunista!”

Democrats and Communism

It may seem somewhat hyperbolic to accuse Democratic politicians of having communist sympathies –just as ridiculous as it is for leftists to describe Republicans as Nazis or fascists – but these Florida protesters had a more legitimate point. Cuban immigrants and even the children and grandchildren of Cuban immigrants are familiar with the deprivations, repression, and state-sponsored terror that comes with living under a Communist regime.

Shalala had planned to campaign alongside Democratic Representative Barbara Lee who has been a vocal supporter of both the Cuban and Venezuelan dictatorships. In 2016, Lee suggested that Fidel Castro’s death should be mourned, describing his passing as a “very sad for the Cuban people.” She has also fought sanctions against Venezuela.

Following a strong backlash from Florida’s Latino population, Lee was dropped from the event but Pelosi showed up, nonetheless, and was considered guilty by association. Even those Democratic politicians who have never openly expressed support for murderous left-wing dictators like Castro, the late Hugo Chavez, and Venezuela’s current Maniac-in-Chief, Nicolás Maduro, refuse to condemn them and, by refusing, betray their sympathy for collectivist systems totally controlled by authoritarian central governments.

People in Glass Houses…

Pelosi herself did not engage the protesters. She appeared somewhat bemused by the confrontation and this could be explained in one of two ways: Most of the time, Pelosi looks bemused, so maybe she was completely unphased. On the other hand, she was, perhaps, wondering why a group of angry, political protesters was coming for her; had they mistaken her for a Republican?

Drew Hammill, a top aide for the minority leader, responded to the protest with head-exploding hypocrisy. “It is deeply sad but unsurprising that we now see that ugliness rearing its head,” he said, clearly having just returned from a two-year sabbatical in the jungles of Borneo. “It is stunning that Republicans … incite and condone violent actions like this. Republicans must condemn this vile and dangerous conduct, and stop the reckless and dangerous rhetoric that encourages it.”

Democrats have set in motion a trend toward political demonstration and protest that is becoming increasingly violent and personal. The past 23 months have seen countless examples of leftist violence, incitement of violence and threats of violence. Conservatives, for the most part, have resisted the trend; prominent figures on the right have preached restraint and composure, arguing that those on the right should not abandon their values and should ‘rise above’ such things.

That argument is laudable but sounds increasingly hollow as it becomes more apparent that such pacifistic behavior will not prevail against actual violence. Using the ballot box to keep the extreme left out of power is, therefore, more important than it has ever been. Ironically, however, success in doing so will only make the left more violent.