(CNN)Blaming racism for a lost election is nothing new for some on the left. The tea party wave in 2010
was ascribed to racism, even as Republicans
captured Senate seats in a number of states President Obama won. And President Obama's re-election in 2012
didn't stop Democrats from blaming racism for their defeat two years later. So it's no surprise that as the results came in for Donald Trump, charges of racism followed. CNN contributor Van Jones
called Trump's victory a "whitelash," while CNN's Fareed Zakaria
argued racism was a pillar of Trump's electoral success.
But although some Democrats have seldom faced a defeat they couldn't attribute to the personal failings of the voters, the 2016 election may be unique to the extent in which the left weaponized charges of racism. In 2016, in their view, racism wasn't just an amorphous problem, but an inherent flaw in the American body politic that prevented liberal politicians from marching to victory. The left
alleged that the candidate himself was a racist, leveling the same charge against his advisers and campaign staff. Hillary Clinton's
infamous "basket of deplorables" speech labeled half of Trump's supporters — more than 30 million Americans — as "irredeemable" racists.
That Trump
won states and voters that had twice gone to President Obama hasn't stopped Democrats from doubling down. As Trump has laid out his Cabinet,
new charges of racism have emerged, with little evidence to support them.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/01/opinions/democrats-the-party-who-cried-racist-talley/index.html
