If Mahmoud Khalil were a white supremacist migrant from Germany—or if he had been arrested on January 6th—liberals would have ensured he lost everything, served years in prison before deportation, and become the subject of a 60 Minutes expose. In it, brave FBI agents and “white radicalism” experts would solemnly warn of the growing dangers of global right-wing extremism. Moreover, all these liberals—including Jewish liberals—rushing to declare, “I’m pro-Israel and hate everything Khalil stands for, but…” are simply reaffirming their loyalty to the liberal establishment. Given the current chaos and polarization, this became an occasion to know who is who through ritualistic display, akin to flashing one's party card at a Soviet checkpoint—an obligatory declaration of ideological orthodoxy before proceeding. After everything the country has been through, they are still performing these rites of mutual recognition, still signaling fealty to a crumbling regime. It confirms what has long been evident: for liberals, maintaining their power group matters more than what remains of the country they want to monopolize. Like the Jacobins clinging to their tribunals in the final days of the Terror, they would rather preside over ruins than relinquish control.
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