We’ve noted for some time now that Bernie Sanders is really not that radical or out of the mainstream of his party. Polling has consistently shown that Democrats are increasingly lurching to the left and embracing socialism. What makes Sanders different is that he’s honest about just how radical the left has become. 

Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer proved that outside of the Supreme Court Wednesday. Here’s what he said:

I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price! You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions [to protect life].

This was too much for the American Bar Association, which is dominated by the left. The ABA blasted Schumer for “threatening two sitting justices of the U.S. Supreme Court over their upcoming votes in a pending case.” The statement added that such threats “challenge the independence of the judiciary” and are “never acceptable.”

Chief Justice John Roberts, who has been shifting toward the center-left, was so concerned about Schumer’s “threatening statements” that he issued a very rare public rebuke, denouncing Schumer’s comments as “inappropriate” and “dangerous.”

Roberts is right. It was a very dangerous moment. The demonstrators outside the court were already acting like a mob before Schumer’s incendiary remarks.

In recent years, Supreme Court justices have been assigned additional security. No doubt you recall just how contentious Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation process was, largely because of outrageous rhetoric like Schumer just used. 

Leftist mobs roamed the streets of Washington and physically attacked Kavanaugh’s supporters. Christian women who went to Capitol Hill to pray during the hearings were assaulted. After his confirmation, protestors attempted to storm the court itself.

Schumer and his staff did not back down Wednesday. They doubled down and lied, suggesting that Schumer was referring to Republican senators, even though he specifically named two justices and warned that they would “pay the price.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned Schumer’s comments yesterday on the Senate floor. McConnell recounted the growing history of left-wing violence, including the mass assassination attempt that nearly killed Rep. Steve Scalise.

When Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Ilhan Omar or Rashida Tlaib say something that is completely beyond the pale, the left and its media allies defend them by suggesting they are young and inexperienced. 

You can’t say that about Schumer. He is a senior leader of the Democrat Party and the leader of Senate Democrats. His staff is made up of seasoned professionals.

On the Senate floor yesterday, Schumer expressed regret over his choice of words. But according to Reuters, he “seemed to stop short of a full apology." 

Violent & Silence

The violence during the Kavanaugh confirmation process and the violence that Schumer was clearly threatening is totally consistent with the violence of abortion itself.

When someone is operated on to remove a cancerous tumor, that is not an act of violence. It is an act of mercy to save a person’s life. Abortion is always an act of violence involving the use of caustic chemicals or piercing and cutting instruments to destroy a human being when it is most defenseless.

Leftists rail against gun ownership. But the pro-abortion feminist movement justifies far more taking of innocent human life than those killed through "gun violence” every year. 

Meanwhile, the left’s silence is deafening. To their credit, ABC and CBS did report on Schumer’s extraordinary outburst. But NBC did not say one word. Most Democrat politicians are silent too.

Will any reporter today demand that Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders condemn Schumer’s rhetoric? I’m not holding my breath.

Needless to say, it is impossible to describe the political crisis conservatives and pro-life advocates would be facing if Donald Trump, Mike Pence, or Mitch McConnell had stood outside the Supreme Court and similarly threatened Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor over their votes to continue abortion on demand.

Coronavirus Update

Difficult days are ahead of us as the nation confronts the novel coronavirus. But it is important to know that President Trump has done everything reasonably possible to limit the outbreak. It was extremely wise to appoint Vice President Mike Pence to oversee the federal response efforts, ensuring that the bureaucracy is not allowed to stand in the way. 

While many hospitals around the country are already under strain due to the regular flu season, there is good news that the media are not adequately disseminating. For example:

• Very few children are contracting the coronavirus. There have been virtually no deaths of children under the age of 10.

• 80% of the people who have contracted the virus do not get sick enough to require medical intervention. In fact, most will assume they have a normal cold or seasonal flu and will never even go to the doctor. That means most cases will never be diagnosed or reported.

• Because the numerator (the number of people who have the virus) is much larger than has been reported, the denominator (the number of people who have died from the virus) results in a death rate that is in reality much better than the 3% figure that is being reported from China.

• Just like the seasonal flu, those most at risk of the coronavirus are the elderly, and especially older people with serious medical conditions — heavy smokers, heart disease, diabetes, etc.

• As a result, people should avoid visiting nursing homes because you could have an undiagnosed case and would risk exposing others.

• If you have a loved one in a nursing home, you should call and ask what steps are being taken to isolate residents who are showing flu-like symptoms.

• You should also ask whether they have received the new guidance issued by the Trump administration to prevent the disaster that occurred at the Life Care Center in Washington state. By the way, that facility was cited last year for health violations during the regular flu season.

It’s Bernie vs. Biden

Sen. Elizabeth Warren ended her presidential campaign yesterday. Her decision to drop out isn’t terribly surprising after her disappointing third-place finish in her home state of Massachusetts. Her departure narrows the race to a two-man contest — Bernie Sanders vs. Joe Biden. (Yes, I know Tulsi Gabbard is still running.)

Aides say Warren spoke to both Sanders and Biden, but she is not expected to announce an endorsement any time soon.

While all the attention lately has been on the Democrat primary and the fired-up progressive base that wants to defeat Donald Trump, it’s also true that the conservative populist base wants Trump reelected, and it’s on fire too.

We noted yesterday that President Trump received more votes in the uncontested Republican presidential primary in Texas than the top four Democrats won combined in their contest. 

It was the same in Alabama and Utah. In North Carolina, Trump got more votes than Sanders, Bloomberg, Warren, and Buttigieg combined. In Tennessee, Trump won more votes than Biden and Sanders combined.

What you may not realize is that such results are not uncommon, and the president has been shattering records across the country. 

For example, in New Hampshire, Trump got more votes than any previous president, including popular incumbents like Barack Obama (2012), George W. Bush (2004), and Ronald Reagan (1984). The results are similar in other states, including Iowa.

In fact, the progressives at Rolling Stone are panicking, warning, “Trump is turning people out in historic numbers right now. Democrats need to act — fast.”