Jerry Shenk: The Democrats’ ‘Little Shop of Horrors’

The libretto of the creepy stage and screen musical comedy, “Little Shop of Horrors,” sets the theme of a production in which: “… the human race suddenly encountered a deadly threat to its very existence.”

The “threat” is the appearance of an alien man-eating plant that craves human blood. The plant grows extraordinarily fast, brings attention and prosperity to a struggling inner-city flower shop, but its demands for more and more “food” create a moral dilemma.

Substitute “Democrat Party” for the shop owner and “Democrats’ radical base” for the carnivorous plant, and you have a perfect metaphor for the self-imposed moral dilemma facing today’s party.

President Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2024 victories clearly broke them. Since those losses, aimless Democrats have been vilifying Trump/his voters and inflaming their radical base. They have destroyed civility in Washington and in liberal enclaves across America.

Worse, they’ve made their radical base bloodthirsty — literally. Democrats’ vile rhetoric has encouraged their unhinged adoption/acceptance of violence and assassinations as legitimate political strategies.

However, Democrats are not dealing with a single “plant.” They face dozens of hungry carnivores demanding more and more political “food” —  hardline positions on issues that are antithetical to America’s traditional values. Nevertheless, elected Democrats are frantically — desperately — trying to feed them all.

The party understands that, if it concedes to, or merely cooperates with, the Trump administration on anything, elected Democrats are likely to pay a price. They may be eaten, metaphorically, at least, and, in the often-violent political climate they have created, potentially suffer worse fates.

That is why Democrats shut down the government, why they are allowing the American military, federal workers and public benefits, including SNAP, to go unpaid, even though the party has supported many clean, bipartisan continuing resolutions in the past.

Soulless Democrats are willing to use — are using — needy American families as “leverage” to add $1.5 trillion(!) in highly-partisan, profligate budgetary spending, notably free health care for illegal aliens.

They know that, if they give in, congressional Democrats will face primary challenges, and some will lose reelection.

Quelle horreur!

To Democrat incumbents, feeding political red meat to their radical fringe — and keeping their jobs — is far more important than actually feeding disadvantaged children and paying the American military!

In addition, Democrats and their radical base have become so enamored of criminals that elected Democrats in the federal system are openly obstructing federal law enforcement, especially U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

In fact, California and House Democrats are busy creating a “master tracker” application for activists to report ICE enforcement operations, create a centralized doxxing tool, and potentially endanger agents and their families.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), a member of the U.S. House, and Karen Bass, Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, held a press conference to announce the app, one that is almost certain to result in even more attacks on ICE and interfere with enforcement operations.

In effect, Democrats are willing to get ICE agents killed to prevent the arrest and deportation of criminal aliens — and to feed the party’s radical base.

Democrats in uncivilized Portland and in the Oregon State government are making every effort to keep National Guard troops off their Antifa-controlled, crime-ridden streets and from protecting federal property.

On October 22, in the sort of empty gesture that has become common among out-of-power Democrats, (a catheterized?) Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley held the U.S. Senate floor overnight, speaking for more than thirteen consecutive hours to protest President Trump, his administration, and their efforts to restore order.

Merkley was merely polishing his resume for the party’s radical base, but to what effect? Perhaps Merkley aspires to be the very last elected Democrat eaten.

Anti-law enforcement and government shutdown radicals are but two of the “deadly plants” that Democrats are feeding. To that short list, one might add climate fanatics, Hamas-niks, abortionists, open border advocates, men in women’s sports, “democratic” socialists, and even communists, among other ravenous factions.

Democrats don’t understand that capitulation to their radical base diminishes them.

America has always produced people who have been, are, or have the potential to be heroes. Today’s elected Democrats and most of their allies, individually and collectively, have forfeited their potential.

They have become cowards, terrified of recriminations — or worse — from the insatiable radicals they fostered, encouraged, and now must feed to stay “safe” … maybe …

Contact columnist Jerry Shenk at jshenk2010@gmail.com