People Who Play By The Rules…don’t

Illinois conservative gadfly Dan Proft has polluted the airwaves with the most racist, mean spirited political ad ever. Released by his newly funded PAC, People Who Play By The Rules, the ad targets black Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin because he supported, along with likely over a hundred million Americans, Black Lives Matter.

Proft says that supporting the nationwide effort to end unwarranted police killings of blacks disqualifies Irvin from being the Republican nominee. In Proft’s demented worldview, Black Lives Matter is a Marxist organization determined to burn down American cities while destroying the nuclear family. Gee, didn’t catch that part of the Black Lives Matter agenda at BLM rallies I attended.

Proft doubles down on the fear and loathing by adding clips of rioting that did occur during the Floyd protests; even quoting President Trump saying Black Lives Matter “is a symbol of hate.” At least Proft was decent enough to leave out Trump’s comment “Can’t you just shoot them.”

When the ad began, I thought it was a Democratic attack ad on J.B’s likely opponent backed by Ken Griffin’s $45 million dollars. As it unspooled its hate, I realized the Trump treason faction of the Illinois Republican Party simply can’t continence a moderate black Republican with the audacity to support protesting the senseless police killing of his people.

Dan Proft may be playing by the hardball rules of politics, but he’s violating the more important moral societal rules that keep our fragile democracy from splitting apart.