Conservatives have learned nothing over the past 10 years or so about how to handle being called racist, how to handle cancellation crews, and how to handle “rage mobs.” Andrew Breitbart outlined the leftist strategy back in 2012 in his final CPAC speech and told conservatives how they should respond:

Breitbart told conservatives who are accused of racism (or any other -ism) to “ignore it,” and turn it back around. He put the media on notice, saying:

“No more. We’re gonna go after you….We’re gonna listen to every word that comes out of your mouth and we’re gonna hold you to the same standard that you hold us, which is an impossible one. And you’re gonna have a hell of a time in 2012 because America has finally awoken to your Saul Alinsky bulls**t tactics, and we’re coming to get you.”

The Saul Alinsky bulls**t tactics have majorly increased since then, and we’ve seen example after example of what happens when people “bend a knee to the rage mob.” It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference because an “apology” isn’t what they want; they want conservatives completely canceled.

Far too many conservatives are self-cancelling in 2020, tucking tail and retreating in the face of the most ridiculous racism accusations. The most recent example is that of United States District Court Judge Carmac J. Carney of the Central District of California, who was appointed in 2003 by George W. Bush. Carney was recently appointed chief judge of that district and started his four-year term June 1.

One of his first appearances as chief was at a webinar hosted by the Los Angeles Federal Bar Association on June 9. Carney spoke about the reopening of the Central District Courthouses and his transition to the role of chief district judge. He complimented the Clerk of Court, Kiry Gray, a Black woman and 35-year employee of the federal court system who was appointed to her post in 2015, saying:

“Fortunately for me, we have just a fabulous clerk of the court in Kiry Gray. She’s so street-smart and really knows her job.”

Some viewers, according to the Los Angeles Times, were upset because they “interpreted the compliment as having a derogatory and racially insensitive layer.” Say what?

Those viewers shared the incident and their interpretation with others, adding fuel to the upsetness. Before long, some of the Offended Ones made it known that they believed Carney’s remarks were so vile and terrible that he should step down from his role as chief judge.

Understandably, Carney was frustrated on many levels. His critics were equating a well-meaning compliment with the actions of the police officers who killed George Floyd. He shared that frustration with Gray, and some who heard about the conversation thought that, too, was racially insensitive and disrespectful (because nuance is dead in this country).

Two and a half weeks after the webinar, on June 26, Carney announced that he was stepping down from the position as chief judge. In an email to court staff and judges, Carney said he was doing so to avoid division in the court, hurtful and unnecessary publicity, and that remaining in the post would cause “a diversion from the Court’s essential mission of administering justice” and that he didn’t want the court to become politicized.

With all due respect, Judge Carney, by resigning your post you allowed the court to become politicized. When attorneys who are admitted to appear in federal court and federal court judges lack the intellectual capacity to understand the English language and allow themselves to be swayed by ignorant, politicized rhetoric, then demand changes in the court system based on flawed logic and false, politicized interpretations of the words and actions of one of their peers, the court has become politicized.

In the email, Carney explained that he’d never heard of another definition of the term “street smart.”

“To me, the term means a person of great common sense, initiative, and ability to work with people and get things done. It saddened me greatly to learn that some people view the term to be demeaning to people of color. I never knew that there was a different definition of the term.”

Judge Carney, there is not a different definition of the term. The traditional Merriam-Webster dictionary and the colloquial Urban Dictionary provide similar definitions, and women are routinely advised that being “street smart” is a good thing, a quality that can keep them safe. It’s disappointing that Judge Carney chose to step down instead of sending an email telling those who thought he was implying something negative to bugger off. We don’t do ourselves any favors by canceling ourselves.