Trump teased a big pardon announcement yesterday. This led the media to rush and speculate that he was going to pardon Edward Snowden because that gave them the most insanity to run with. In the end, though, the pardon was much more mundane. The President finally cleared the record of Susan B. Anthony on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Anthony was a key leader in the women’s suffrage movement.

But because she’s now connected to Trump, even though she’s been dead for 114 years, she must be derided and canceled. The New York Times was first on the scene in their write-up, describing her this way.

The NYT on Susan B. Anthony's legacy:

"Ms. Anthony was tried for illegally voting, & protested the fine that she was charged …

"She is also an increasingly divisive figure, adopted by anti-abortion forces & criticized for relegating Black suffragists to the sidelines."

— Farahn Morgan (@FarahnMorgan) August 18, 2020

You see, Anthony not only cared about a woman’s right to vote, she also cared about a woman’s right to life and not having that taken in the womb out of convenience. That makes her a very “divisive figure” in today’s day and age, which is kind of nuts when you think about it. Our modern body politic is so ridiculous that it’s controversial to not want to kill babies. The Times also tacitly accuses her of being a racist (insert high pitched Tucker Carlson voice) because of course they do. Everything comes back to racism in today’s society. Historical context need not apply.

Of course, the canceling didn’t end there.

Here’s why Susan B. Anthony doesn’t deserve your ‘I Voted’ stickers pic.twitter.com/EiP0WUPvN7

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) August 18, 2020

This is the same phenomenon we see with figures like George Washington. Anthony lived in a much different time and was indoctrinated in a much different way. Yet, the good she did in her life far outweighs any prejudices she may have had. Prior to the last decade, most Americans used to understand that. Now, we must deride and destroy anyone who didn’t live up to the notions we currently hold in 2020.

Of course, this rule never applies to Democrat figures. We are assured that we must honor John Lewis, for example, because his Civil Rights era work far outweighs his radical support for abortion or the rabid partisanship with which he operated with for his entire political career. OK, but why does the same standard not apply to Anthony, whose work for women’s rights obviously goes far beyond any untoward comments she may have made in her lifetime?

The rules are simply that there are no rules. It’s all partisan all the time. In the case of Trump, it’s all orange man bad all the time. If that means canceling Susan B. Anthony, then so be it.

(Please follow me on Twitter!!! @bonchieredstate)