America can’t seem to catch a break. Rather, event after event, without respite, piles on to doom us. The shooting just the latest coffin nail, driving the country toward dystopian Trumpdom. He couldn’t have choreographed it better if he’d tried.
“The election’s over,” my astute wife immediately judged. The wicked gods are cackling.
The narrative has always been that some deep nefarious forces conspire against him. The investigations, impeachments, “weaponized” criminal prosecutions. As if he’s a completely innocent martyr. Now he can posture as almost literally a martyr, wearing his red badge — probably will flaunt that stigmata bandage in his convention speech.
This textbook narcissist con man, pretending he’s all in it for his people, can now tell them, “I took a bullet for you!”
The blood wasn’t dry before the Republican hypocrisy machine went into overdrive. Rally-goers screaming invective at news reporters, blaming them. MAGA mouths rushing to incriminate President Biden and Democrats, because they’ve rhetorically attacked Trump.
As if their demonization by Republicans hasn’t been far more incendiary. What, us? Bearing at least some responsibility for political hatreds?
And who’s responsible for America’s gun madness? Republicans have blocked every reasoned effort to curb it and bar weapons designed for mass killing. My gosh, we recently had to argue over whether someone with a record of domestic violence can buy guns. Thirty thousand dead annually. Likely Trump’s shooter got his weapon thanks to Republicans’ own deranged gun worship.
And surely it’s Republicans, not Democrats, who’ve been playing with the fire of political violence. Many embracing it as an appropriate recourse when they don’t like democracy’s results; even as a kind of patriotic holy war. Look at all those election workers and officials throughout the country quitting, intimidated by waves of death threats. A local friend expressed real misgivings about continuing her own civic contribution manning the polls.
So far down this road had Republicans gone that they could justify an attempt to violently overthrow our democratic government. People died. Trump connived it, egged it on, refused to stop it. Now blatantly lies to avoid responsibility, yet calls the January 6 rioters “hostages” and even “warriors,” whom he’ll pardon.
So much for “law and order.” And these people are shocked, shocked, that their hero was shot at?