Let me begin with clarity. Political violence is to be condemned and abhorred. It certainly has no place in a democracy and it can only serve to make things worse. The events of July 13th were horrible and led to the tragic death of a bystander. It is unclear how many were wounded and it is chilling to understand that a presidential candidate came within millimeters of being assassinated.
I also note, for clarity, that this is just another example of why I do not see the need for AR style weapons to be readily available to the public. The threat they pose far outweighs whatever alleged usefulness they supposedly contribute. And I will confess to some level of frustration with Trump allies trying to pin blame for yesterday on their political opponents, given that most of those opponents would gladly have banned such weapons.
But speaking of blame, the main concern I have is what I texted to some friends and family yesterday: I fear it will mean less attempts to point out the truth of Trump’s fascistic and authoritarian goals while Trump becomes more fascistic and authoritarian.
This was in response to this:
So here we have a US Senator, and possible Trump VP, stoking the fires of political conflict only a few hours after an assassination attempt.
Let me be clear: Trump is a proto-fascist and clearly has authoritarian goals. This is true and remains true, and if his opponents stop noting this fact because of yesterday, then they will be playing into a common authoritarian playbook.
Side-note: J.D. Vance may be the most cynical politician I have observed in a lifetime of observing and professionally studying politics globally and over history.
We see a similar bit from the former Speaker of the House:
So here you have it: Democrats shouldn’t campaign because now criticizing Trump should be off the table. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that is clearly authoritarian territory.
Is Gingrich really suggesting that the young man who shot Trump was on that donor call? (Of course not, but that clearly doesn’t matter to Newt).
Side snark: Gingrich types “bill’s-eye” when he means “bull’s-eye”!–does that mean he is mentally incompetent? (A silly game, isn’t it?).
Another example:
Complaining that Trump’s opponents call him a fascist and an authoritarian and that’s why we are seeing political violence as the political equivalent of someone who murders their parents and then seeks sympathy for being an orphan. Trump started his run for the White House accusing Mexico of sending murderers and rapists to the US. His entire rhetorical milieu is steeped in threat and violence. His inauguration speech spoke of “this American carnage.” He praises the 1/6 insurrectionists convicted of crimes through due process as “hostages.” He told them on that day of the attack on the capitol that he “loved” them.
It should be noted that political violence and the radicalization of individuals are not just politician X saying bad things and their supporters then attacking their opponent, politician Y. Violent rhetoric and the general tone of politics can radicalize individuals and groups in a variety of nonlinear ways.
There is no doubt at all that the major purveyor of dark, violent rhetoric in US politics has been Donald J. Trump.
Here is an (incomplete!) list of posts at OTB on this subject written by me, James Joyner, and the late Doug Mataconis. If you revisit any of them, I would especially recommend the first one.
- Radicalizing Rhetoric
- Donald Trump’s Ninety Minutes Hate
- Trump: I Am “The Chosen One”
- Trump and the F-word
- The Politics of Images
- Speaking of Democracy-Eroding Rhetoric
- Violent Rhetoric: Legal But Dangerous
- Trump’s Rhetoric and the GOP’s Test
- Trump Calls Political Rivals “Vermin” and Seeks to “Root Out” the “Threat from Within”
- Trump Salutes Insurrection ‘Hostages’
Also worth noting:
I could go on and on (and on and on).
BTW, if we are going to blame supporters for rhetoric, let’s not forget (which James Joyner wrote about recently, Trump Truths Tied-Up Truck Taunt).
To be clear, I am not saying he got what he deserved nor am I suggesting that I know anything about the motives of the shooter. What I am saying is that Donald Trump has been an exceedingly toxic presence in American politics since at least July of 2015. To pretend like his opponents are the cause is absurd and flies in the face of clearly documented reality.
Further, no one, especially not the anti-Trump campaigners, should stop pointing all of this out.
