I’ve been reading about Tucker Carlson’s attempts to vilify Senator Tammy Duckworth. Carlson is following the now-traditional Trump method, i.e., use only short words to accuse your critics of the very faults of which you are yourself guilty. So in this case, Carlson, who if he doesn’t suffer from bone-spurs, surely could suffer from bone-spurs if needed, has called Sen. Duckworth a coward. That makes me think that cowardice is something he knows a thing or two about. Likewise, Tucker, a comedian who does a prime-time burlesque of political commentary, has called Sen. Duckworth a fraud. Again, that makes me think that this preppy-pseudo-populist-pundit knows a good deal about fraud. Finally, he denounced her as one who “hates America.” Here too he is closely imitating his Leader, for Trump has said that the members of the so-called Squad in the House of Representatives “hate America.” I’m guessing Carlson seized on this particular canard because Sen. Duckworth and members of the Squad share some notable features that are sure to make reactionaries pee in their pants. They are all courageous women, they’ve all been elected to high office, they are all terrifyingly smart, they are all women of color, and are all effective critics of the right-wing fraudsters whose camp-followers tune in to Tucker’s show. They are, for people like Carlson, menace incarnate.