There’s a venerable saying: “a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged.”
That pithy aphorism expresses what most would think a common-sense, universal truth, namely that people can choose to believe pretty much anything until reality whacks them in the head in a way that can’t be ignored. Only then can long-held political delusions give way to reality. Only then can Democrats, in one bruising moment of clarity, become Republicans.
Why are you laughing?
OK, you got me. While that kind of miraculous transmogrification is possible and appears to be increasingly common with the advent of Donald Trump’s second term, it’s still not a sure thing. It appears even when one’s bones are broken, that’s not enough to convince some blue-city dwellers Democrat policies are just a bit faulty:
Graphic: X Post
In a sane world, most citizens would choose law and order over mob rule or being reduced to prey by voracious thugs. Unfortunately, many Americans are so consumed by Trump Derangement Syndrome that they’d rather endure rampant crime than accept his efforts to make their cities safer.
A Chicago resident, one Jill Ciminillo, learning that Chicago might be next on the list of cities President Trump plans to clean up, remains, like Chicago’s spectacularly unpopular Mayor Brandon Johnson, a true believer:
Upon hearing this, a Chicago woman, Jill Ciminillo — who once endured a harrowing carjacking and assault in the crime-ridden city — sent an incredibly stupid message to Trump. In a now-deleted post from her now-deleted account on X, she wrote: “Dear @realDonaldTrump… I’ve been carjacked in Chicago with my arm broken. I still don’t want you or your troops here. TIA. BTW, there are no red hats here.”
Graphic: X Post
Ciminillo, an obviously petite woman, appears to be an automotive journalist of some repute. One would think someone making a living in that world would be more grounded in reality. We don’t know if it was her own vehicle stolen or whether it was a vehicle she was testing for an article, but in either case one would think a petite woman whose forearm was violently broken during the commission of a felony might want to reexamine her beliefs about crime, and perhaps consider moving somewhere less violent.
A fellow woman had some useful advice:
Was Ciminillo compelled to virtue signal? She appears to have been doing it for some time, perhaps during Trump's first term. If so, the TDS is strong in her:
Graphic: X Post
Has her Trump Derangement Syndrome-fueled defiance enhanced her social status? Do most Chicagoans suffer from TDS to that degree? Brandon Johnson’s 26% approval rating suggests they don’t and allows for the probability there are red hats in Chicago, just not anywhere Ciminillo frequents.
Though she's been working at it awhile, perhaps Ciminillo isn’t so far gone as to be totally unable to recognize reality. After all, she did quickly take down her post and X account, but whether from social pressure or realizing with considerable embarrassment what she had to say was pretty stupid and self-destructive, we have no way of knowing.
In any case, Normal Americans await the completion of Ciminillo’s journey to objective reality. Other Democrats have proved it’s not only possible, but rewarding and doesn’t involve broken bones.
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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.