Analysis: Trump Is Not Responsible For the Actions of a Mentally-Disturbed Supporter

[The Purge]

Just like Bernie Sanders was not responsible for the Steve Scalise shooter....or do you liberals have a problem with that?....Let's see who the first HYPOCRITE will be!

More at
Townhall.com ^ | October 26, 2018 | Guy Benson

The biggest story of the day is the arrest of a Florida man, in connection with the series of mail bombs sent to prominent critics of President Trump. In addition to reportedly having a criminal record for minor offenses and threats, the suspect appears to be a mentally unstable and cartoonishly-fanatical Trump supporter. This is unsurprising information. As I wrote yesterday, based on the identities of the bomb targets, Occam's Razor suggested that these acts of terrorism were politically-motivated. It now seems likelier than ever that they were. Allow me to make a handful of non-mutually-exclusive observations:

(1) Our country would be better off if our public officials and other prominent political figures debated issues with more substance, greater civility, and less hysteria. This very much applies to the president, who likes to claim -- among other things -- that his opponents "favor" or "love" ruthless gangs who murder Americans. It also very much applies to Democrats, who frequently frame Republican proposals as world-ending, or tantamount to mass killings.

(2) Overheated partisan rhetoric that falls well short of direct incitement to violence can be grotesque and counter-productive, but it should not be blamed for the actions of disturbed people. It's possible, if not likely, that this bomber heard Trump's words and decided to take it upon himself to punish or eliminate Trump's opponents. If so, that's a reflection on the bomber's evilness or mental illness, not Trump. Similarly, it's quite likely that the Congressional baseball shooter heard the words of numerous high-profile leftists and decided he needed to save the country by assassinating Republicans. That was a reflection on the shooter's evilness or mental illness, not the leftists he followed or favored.

(3) Demands that politicians and commentators calibrate their language in order to prevent depraved and insane people from engaging in depraved and insane conduct is more likely to harm free speech, or be exploited to disqualify legitimate political dissent as "dangerous," than it is to achieve that ostensible goal. Crazy people find reasons and imagine "cues" to do crazy things; the argument that non-incitement speech might push someone over the edge strikes me as slippery and specious. Couldn't something as simple as politician X alleging that politician Y is "hurting America" have this effect? The threshold for 'triggering' harmful impulses in the mind of a deranged person is unknowable, inconsistent and subjective. We therefore cannot shape our rules for discourse based upon that standard -- even if we agree that our broader discourse needs serious rehabilitation.


(4) Presidential tweets like this are unseemly and unhelpful:

Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this “Bomb” stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows - news not talking politics. Very unfortunate, what is going on. Republicans, go out and vote!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 26, 2018


Publicly lamenting that the arrival of pipe bombsat the homes and offices of your political opponents may slow your own party's momentum is a colossally terrible take. And it's not the news media's fault that it's devoting major coverage to this issue (the press frequently deserves plenty of criticism, but not for paying close attention to this story). Trump would be far better off expressing further solidarity with the targets of the explosive devices, and unleashing his famous fury against his apparent supporter who is allegedly responsible for this spate of terror. "If you think harming my opponents is somehow 'helping' me, you're dead wrong. You're dead to me. You're an animal who's hurting America -- and I always put America first." If Trump's overarching concern is putting the GOP in the best possible position ahead of the midterms, he should wield his megaphone to condemn these acts so vociferously and relentlessly that nobody -- from hostile journalists, to any members of MAGA Nation with a few screws loose -- could misinterpret his meaning. Prosecute this bomber to the fullest extent of the law, and pivot back to good news. For instance:

U.S. GDP grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the third quarter, putting the economy on track for its best year since before the recession.U.S. Economy Charged Ahead in the Third Quarter— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) October 26, 2018


GDP growth beat expectations in the third quarter, keeping the US economy on pace to exceed three precent annual growth for the first time in 13 years. There's every reason in the world for the president to share these developments far and wide. But first, he must lead.

HYPERBOLE.....LOOK IT UP, ABNORMAL!

This from a guy who think "abnormal" is a noun and types in all caps.

You ARE what I called you....ABNORMAL, and you continue to prove me right!

 

[The Purge]

So what's you're saying is you go both ways?

Why are you looking for a threesome?.....

Where is that puke smilie?

 

[Crepitus]

Just like Bernie Sanders was not responsible for the Steve Scalise shooter....or do you liberals have a problem with that?....Let's see who the first HYPOCRITE will be!

More at
Townhall.com ^ | October 26, 2018 | Guy Benson

The biggest story of the day is the arrest of a Florida man, in connection with the series of mail bombs sent to prominent critics of President Trump. In addition to reportedly having a criminal record for minor offenses and threats, the suspect appears to be a mentally unstable and cartoonishly-fanatical Trump supporter. This is unsurprising information. As I wrote yesterday, based on the identities of the bomb targets, Occam's Razor suggested that these acts of terrorism were politically-motivated. It now seems likelier than ever that they were. Allow me to make a handful of non-mutually-exclusive observations:

(1) Our country would be better off if our public officials and other prominent political figures debated issues with more substance, greater civility, and less hysteria. This very much applies to the president, who likes to claim -- among other things -- that his opponents "favor" or "love" ruthless gangs who murder Americans. It also very much applies to Democrats, who frequently frame Republican proposals as world-ending, or tantamount to mass killings.

(2) Overheated partisan rhetoric that falls well short of direct incitement to violence can be grotesque and counter-productive, but it should not be blamed for the actions of disturbed people. It's possible, if not likely, that this bomber heard Trump's words and decided to take it upon himself to punish or eliminate Trump's opponents. If so, that's a reflection on the bomber's evilness or mental illness, not Trump. Similarly, it's quite likely that the Congressional baseball shooter heard the words of numerous high-profile leftists and decided he needed to save the country by assassinating Republicans. That was a reflection on the shooter's evilness or mental illness, not the leftists he followed or favored.

(3) Demands that politicians and commentators calibrate their language in order to prevent depraved and insane people from engaging in depraved and insane conduct is more likely to harm free speech, or be exploited to disqualify legitimate political dissent as "dangerous," than it is to achieve that ostensible goal. Crazy people find reasons and imagine "cues" to do crazy things; the argument that non-incitement speech might push someone over the edge strikes me as slippery and specious. Couldn't something as simple as politician X alleging that politician Y is "hurting America" have this effect? The threshold for 'triggering' harmful impulses in the mind of a deranged person is unknowable, inconsistent and subjective. We therefore cannot shape our rules for discourse based upon that standard -- even if we agree that our broader discourse needs serious rehabilitation.


(4) Presidential tweets like this are unseemly and unhelpful:

Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this “Bomb” stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows - news not talking politics. Very unfortunate, what is going on. Republicans, go out and vote!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 26, 2018


Publicly lamenting that the arrival of pipe bombsat the homes and offices of your political opponents may slow your own party's momentum is a colossally terrible take. And it's not the news media's fault that it's devoting major coverage to this issue (the press frequently deserves plenty of criticism, but not for paying close attention to this story). Trump would be far better off expressing further solidarity with the targets of the explosive devices, and unleashing his famous fury against his apparent supporter who is allegedly responsible for this spate of terror. "If you think harming my opponents is somehow 'helping' me, you're dead wrong. You're dead to me. You're an animal who's hurting America -- and I always put America first." If Trump's overarching concern is putting the GOP in the best possible position ahead of the midterms, he should wield his megaphone to condemn these acts so vociferously and relentlessly that nobody -- from hostile journalists, to any members of MAGA Nation with a few screws loose -- could misinterpret his meaning. Prosecute this bomber to the fullest extent of the law, and pivot back to good news. For instance:

U.S. GDP grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the third quarter, putting the economy on track for its best year since before the recession.U.S. Economy Charged Ahead in the Third Quarter— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) October 26, 2018


GDP growth beat expectations in the third quarter, keeping the US economy on pace to exceed three precent annual growth for the first time in 13 years. There's every reason in the world for the president to share these developments far and wide. But first, he must lead.

HYPERBOLE.....LOOK IT UP, ABNORMAL!

This from a guy who think "abnormal" is a noun and types in all caps.

You ARE what I called you....ABNORMAL, and you continue to prove me right!

You are just another brainwashed tRumpkin.

 

[The Purge]

Just like Bernie Sanders was not responsible for the Steve Scalise shooter....or do you liberals have a problem with that?....Let's see who the first HYPOCRITE will be!

More at
Townhall.com ^ | October 26, 2018 | Guy Benson

The biggest story of the day is the arrest of a Florida man, in connection with the series of mail bombs sent to prominent critics of President Trump. In addition to reportedly having a criminal record for minor offenses and threats, the suspect appears to be a mentally unstable and cartoonishly-fanatical Trump supporter. This is unsurprising information. As I wrote yesterday, based on the identities of the bomb targets, Occam's Razor suggested that these acts of terrorism were politically-motivated. It now seems likelier than ever that they were. Allow me to make a handful of non-mutually-exclusive observations:

(1) Our country would be better off if our public officials and other prominent political figures debated issues with more substance, greater civility, and less hysteria. This very much applies to the president, who likes to claim -- among other things -- that his opponents "favor" or "love" ruthless gangs who murder Americans. It also very much applies to Democrats, who frequently frame Republican proposals as world-ending, or tantamount to mass killings.

(2) Overheated partisan rhetoric that falls well short of direct incitement to violence can be grotesque and counter-productive, but it should not be blamed for the actions of disturbed people. It's possible, if not likely, that this bomber heard Trump's words and decided to take it upon himself to punish or eliminate Trump's opponents. If so, that's a reflection on the bomber's evilness or mental illness, not Trump. Similarly, it's quite likely that the Congressional baseball shooter heard the words of numerous high-profile leftists and decided he needed to save the country by assassinating Republicans. That was a reflection on the shooter's evilness or mental illness, not the leftists he followed or favored.

(3) Demands that politicians and commentators calibrate their language in order to prevent depraved and insane people from engaging in depraved and insane conduct is more likely to harm free speech, or be exploited to disqualify legitimate political dissent as "dangerous," than it is to achieve that ostensible goal. Crazy people find reasons and imagine "cues" to do crazy things; the argument that non-incitement speech might push someone over the edge strikes me as slippery and specious. Couldn't something as simple as politician X alleging that politician Y is "hurting America" have this effect? The threshold for 'triggering' harmful impulses in the mind of a deranged person is unknowable, inconsistent and subjective. We therefore cannot shape our rules for discourse based upon that standard -- even if we agree that our broader discourse needs serious rehabilitation.


(4) Presidential tweets like this are unseemly and unhelpful:

Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this “Bomb” stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows - news not talking politics. Very unfortunate, what is going on. Republicans, go out and vote!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 26, 2018


Publicly lamenting that the arrival of pipe bombsat the homes and offices of your political opponents may slow your own party's momentum is a colossally terrible take. And it's not the news media's fault that it's devoting major coverage to this issue (the press frequently deserves plenty of criticism, but not for paying close attention to this story). Trump would be far better off expressing further solidarity with the targets of the explosive devices, and unleashing his famous fury against his apparent supporter who is allegedly responsible for this spate of terror. "If you think harming my opponents is somehow 'helping' me, you're dead wrong. You're dead to me. You're an animal who's hurting America -- and I always put America first." If Trump's overarching concern is putting the GOP in the best possible position ahead of the midterms, he should wield his megaphone to condemn these acts so vociferously and relentlessly that nobody -- from hostile journalists, to any members of MAGA Nation with a few screws loose -- could misinterpret his meaning. Prosecute this bomber to the fullest extent of the law, and pivot back to good news. For instance:

U.S. GDP grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the third quarter, putting the economy on track for its best year since before the recession.U.S. Economy Charged Ahead in the Third Quarter— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) October 26, 2018


GDP growth beat expectations in the third quarter, keeping the US economy on pace to exceed three precent annual growth for the first time in 13 years. There's every reason in the world for the president to share these developments far and wide. But first, he must lead.

HYPERBOLE.....LOOK IT UP, ABNORMAL!

This from a guy who think "abnormal" is a noun and types in all caps.

You ARE what I called you....ABNORMAL, and you continue to prove me right!

You are just another brainwashed tRumpkin.

And you are a brainwashed communist.....I win!

 

[Crepitus]

HYPERBOLE.....LOOK IT UP, ABNORMAL!

This from a guy who think "abnormal" is a noun and types in all caps.

You ARE what I called you....ABNORMAL, and you continue to prove me right!

You are just another brainwashed tRumpkin.

And you are a brainwashed communist.....I win!

No you idiot, I'm a capitalist, just like most Democrats.

 

[g5000]

Just like Bernie Sanders was not responsible for the Steve Scalise shooter....or do you liberals have a problem with that?....Let's see who the first HYPOCRITE will be!

You are looking for hypocrites? You are far far too late, my friend.

The line of pseudocon hypocrites is around the block. They couldn't wait to blame Democrats for the bombs. They could not wait for FACTS. They could not wait for EVIDENCE. They could not wait to EAT THE BULLSHIT spoon fed to them by their propagandists.

In fact, they are still going at it!

A guy mails some pipe bombs to some Democrats.

And the tards go, "It has to be Democrats doing this! Logic!"

It turns out it was a Trumpie with a van covered in Trumpie stickers.

And the tards go, "Those stickers must be only a day old! Otherwise roving gangs of demented Democrats woulda vandalized it! Therefore Deep State! Logic!"

It turns out the guy put those stickers on his van at least ten months ago.

And the tards go, "It's Obama's fault...somehow! Logic!"

These fucking tards never quit being tards. GEEZUS!

 

[g5000]

The Tard Herd spent massive amounts of energy trying to pin the blame for the bombs on Democrats.

All. Fucking. Week.

Topic after topic after topic after topic after topic.

If you think they should be let off the hook and not take some blame toward Republicans, you are one seriously stupid hypocrite.

Sheeeeee-it, they are STILL trying to blame Democrats!

 

[The Purge]

HYPERBOLE.....LOOK IT UP, ABNORMAL!

This from a guy who think "abnormal" is a noun and types in all caps.

You ARE what I called you....ABNORMAL, and you continue to prove me right!

You are just another brainwashed tRumpkin.

And you are a brainwashed communist.....I win!

No you idiot, I'm a capitalist, just like most Democrats.

No, today most are socialist. Just the brain dead ones like you are TRUE Communist!

 

[The Purge]

Just like Bernie Sanders was not responsible for the Steve Scalise shooter....or do you liberals have a problem with that?....Let's see who the first HYPOCRITE will be!

You are looking for hypocrites? You are far far too late, my friend.

The line of pseudocon hypocrites is around the block. They couldn't wait to blame Democrats for the bombs. They could not wait for FACTS. They could not wait for EVIDENCE. They could not wait to EAT THE BULLSHIT spoon fed to them by their propagandists.

In fact, they are still going at it!

A guy mails some pipe bombs to some Democrats.

And the tards go, "It has to be Democrats doing this! Logic!"

It turns out it was a Trumpie with a van covered in Trumpie stickers.

And the tards go, "Those stickers must be only a day old! Otherwise roving gangs of demented Democrats woulda vandalized it! Therefore Deep State! Logic!"

It turns out the guy put those stickers on his van at least ten months ago.

And the tards go, "It's Obama's fault...somehow! Logic!"

These fucking tards never quit being tards. GEEZUS!

You mean we acted like DemonRATS the way you did with the Scslise shooting!... blaming Republicans!...Hypocrisy is all you have!

 

[g5000]

Just like Bernie Sanders was not responsible for the Steve Scalise shooter....or do you liberals have a problem with that?....Let's see who the first HYPOCRITE will be!

You are looking for hypocrites? You are far far too late, my friend.

The line of pseudocon hypocrites is around the block. They couldn't wait to blame Democrats for the bombs. They could not wait for FACTS. They could not wait for EVIDENCE. They could not wait to EAT THE BULLSHIT spoon fed to them by their propagandists.

In fact, they are still going at it!

A guy mails some pipe bombs to some Democrats.

And the tards go, "It has to be Democrats doing this! Logic!"

It turns out it was a Trumpie with a van covered in Trumpie stickers.

And the tards go, "Those stickers must be only a day old! Otherwise roving gangs of demented Democrats woulda vandalized it! Therefore Deep State! Logic!"

It turns out the guy put those stickers on his van at least ten months ago.

And the tards go, "It's Obama's fault...somehow! Logic!"

These fucking tards never quit being tards. GEEZUS!

You mean we acted like DemonRATS the way you did with the Scslise shooting!... blaming Republicans!...Hypocrisy is all you have!

Go ahead and show where I blamed Republicans for the Scalise shooting. Go ahead and show topic after topic after topic started by lefties calling the shooting a hoax put on by Republicans.

I'll wait here.

 

[g5000]

Face it. The pseudocon tards fucked up. They spent the week making asses of themselves, ejaculating in their own faces with no FACTS or EVIDENCE for their hilarious bullshit.

They went on and on and on blaming Democrats.

Turnabout is TOTALLY fair play.

You can't prematurely blame Democrats for this and then not accept blame for Republicans when the truth comes out.

Idiots.

In fact, you tards are so fucking stupid, you won't learn from this. Just as you have NEVER learned from your thousands of mistakes of the past.

 

[The Purge]

Just like Bernie Sanders was not responsible for the Steve Scalise shooter....or do you liberals have a problem with that?....Let's see who the first HYPOCRITE will be!

You are looking for hypocrites? You are far far too late, my friend.

The line of pseudocon hypocrites is around the block. They couldn't wait to blame Democrats for the bombs. They could not wait for FACTS. They could not wait for EVIDENCE. They could not wait to EAT THE BULLSHIT spoon fed to them by their propagandists.

In fact, they are still going at it!

A guy mails some pipe bombs to some Democrats.

And the tards go, "It has to be Democrats doing this! Logic!"

It turns out it was a Trumpie with a van covered in Trumpie stickers.

And the tards go, "Those stickers must be only a day old! Otherwise roving gangs of demented Democrats woulda vandalized it! Therefore Deep State! Logic!"

It turns out the guy put those stickers on his van at least ten months ago.

And the tards go, "It's Obama's fault...somehow! Logic!"

These fucking tards never quit being tards. GEEZUS!

You mean we acted like DemonRATS the way you did with the Scslise shooting!... blaming Republicans!...Hypocrisy is all you have!

Go ahead and show where I blamed Republicans for the Scalise shooting. Go ahead and show topic after topic after topic started by lefties calling the shooting a hoax put on by Republicans.

I'll wait here.

You encompasses the DemonRATS as a whole .I imagine you think everything is about YOU personally... Narcissistic troll

Liberal Shoots Republicans; Democrats Blame GOP Gun Policies
The Daily Caller
Jun 14, 2017 · Liberal Shoots Republicans; Democrats Blame GOP Gun Policies ... Scalise took over $7000 from the @NRA last election cycle. I hope

 

[The Purge]

Face it. The pseudocon tards fucked up. They spent the week making asses of themselves, ejaculating in their own faces with no FACTS or EVIDENCE for their hilarious bullshit.

They went on and on and on blaming Democrats.

Turnabout is TOTALLY fair play.

You can't prematurely blame Democrats for this and then not accept blame for Republicans when the truth comes out.

Idiots.

In fact, you tards are so fucking stupid, you won't learn from this. Just as you have NEVER learned from your thousands of mistakes of the past.

You mean LIKE DEMONRATS did WITH NO Evidence from Balsy Ford....and then get 2 more whores with NO EVIDENCE to lie about an incident with KAVANAUGH!

 

[g5000]

Every single person on the bomber's list is someone Fox News and Donald Trump have regularly targeted with their vitriol.

What's it gonna take for you tards to wake up? Do more people have to die?

 

[miketx]

Just like Bernie Sanders was not responsible for the Steve Scalise shooter....or do you liberals have a problem with that?....Let's see who the first HYPOCRITE will be!

More at
Townhall.com ^ | October 26, 2018 | Guy Benson

The biggest story of the day is the arrest of a Florida man, in connection with the series of mail bombs sent to prominent critics of President Trump. In addition to reportedly having a criminal record for minor offenses and threats, the suspect appears to be a mentally unstable and cartoonishly-fanatical Trump supporter. This is unsurprising information. As I wrote yesterday, based on the identities of the bomb targets, Occam's Razor suggested that these acts of terrorism were politically-motivated. It now seems likelier than ever that they were. Allow me to make a handful of non-mutually-exclusive observations:

(1) Our country would be better off if our public officials and other prominent political figures debated issues with more substance, greater civility, and less hysteria. This very much applies to the president, who likes to claim -- among other things -- that his opponents "favor" or "love" ruthless gangs who murder Americans. It also very much applies to Democrats, who frequently frame Republican proposals as world-ending, or tantamount to mass killings.

(2) Overheated partisan rhetoric that falls well short of direct incitement to violence can be grotesque and counter-productive, but it should not be blamed for the actions of disturbed people. It's possible, if not likely, that this bomber heard Trump's words and decided to take it upon himself to punish or eliminate Trump's opponents. If so, that's a reflection on the bomber's evilness or mental illness, not Trump. Similarly, it's quite likely that the Congressional baseball shooter heard the words of numerous high-profile leftists and decided he needed to save the country by assassinating Republicans. That was a reflection on the shooter's evilness or mental illness, not the leftists he followed or favored.

(3) Demands that politicians and commentators calibrate their language in order to prevent depraved and insane people from engaging in depraved and insane conduct is more likely to harm free speech, or be exploited to disqualify legitimate political dissent as "dangerous," than it is to achieve that ostensible goal. Crazy people find reasons and imagine "cues" to do crazy things; the argument that non-incitement speech might push someone over the edge strikes me as slippery and specious. Couldn't something as simple as politician X alleging that politician Y is "hurting America" have this effect? The threshold for 'triggering' harmful impulses in the mind of a deranged person is unknowable, inconsistent and subjective. We therefore cannot shape our rules for discourse based upon that standard -- even if we agree that our broader discourse needs serious rehabilitation.


(4) Presidential tweets like this are unseemly and unhelpful:

Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this “Bomb” stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows - news not talking politics. Very unfortunate, what is going on. Republicans, go out and vote!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 26, 2018


Publicly lamenting that the arrival of pipe bombsat the homes and offices of your political opponents may slow your own party's momentum is a colossally terrible take. And it's not the news media's fault that it's devoting major coverage to this issue (the press frequently deserves plenty of criticism, but not for paying close attention to this story). Trump would be far better off expressing further solidarity with the targets of the explosive devices, and unleashing his famous fury against his apparent supporter who is allegedly responsible for this spate of terror. "If you think harming my opponents is somehow 'helping' me, you're dead wrong. You're dead to me. You're an animal who's hurting America -- and I always put America first." If Trump's overarching concern is putting the GOP in the best possible position ahead of the midterms, he should wield his megaphone to condemn these acts so vociferously and relentlessly that nobody -- from hostile journalists, to any members of MAGA Nation with a few screws loose -- could misinterpret his meaning. Prosecute this bomber to the fullest extent of the law, and pivot back to good news. For instance:

U.S. GDP grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the third quarter, putting the economy on track for its best year since before the recession.U.S. Economy Charged Ahead in the Third Quarter— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) October 26, 2018


GDP growth beat expectations in the third quarter, keeping the US economy on pace to exceed three precent annual growth for the first time in 13 years. There's every reason in the world for the president to share these developments far and wide. But first, he must lead.

A mentally disturbed person here's the shit trump has been spewing for over two years over and over they will not be able to separate facts from fiction and eventually act on it. There are more out there on both sides.

The democrats have been calling for violence for a long time liar. You forget about that huh?

 

[g5000]

Trump's idea of "some nice people":


]

THE JEWS WILL NOT REPLACE US!

VROOOOOMMMMMMM!!!

 

[The Purge]

Every single person on the bomber's list is someone Fox News and Donald Trump have regularly targeted with their vitriol.

What's it gonna take for you tards to wake up? Do more people have to die?

Who died .you fucking liar!!! YOU ABNORMAL scum just make it up as you go!...Now A DEMONRAT DIDTRU TO KILL SCALISE, but not a word from you! Pathetic!

 

[caddo kid]

Just like Bernie Sanders was not responsible for the Steve Scalise shooter....or do you liberals have a problem with that?....Let's see who the first HYPOCRITE will be!

More at
Townhall.com ^ | October 26, 2018 | Guy Benson

The biggest story of the day is the arrest of a Florida man, in connection with the series of mail bombs sent to prominent critics of President Trump. In addition to reportedly having a criminal record for minor offenses and threats, the suspect appears to be a mentally unstable and cartoonishly-fanatical Trump supporter. This is unsurprising information. As I wrote yesterday, based on the identities of the bomb targets, Occam's Razor suggested that these acts of terrorism were politically-motivated. It now seems likelier than ever that they were. Allow me to make a handful of non-mutually-exclusive observations:

(1) Our country would be better off if our public officials and other prominent political figures debated issues with more substance, greater civility, and less hysteria. This very much applies to the president, who likes to claim -- among other things -- that his opponents "favor" or "love" ruthless gangs who murder Americans. It also very much applies to Democrats, who frequently frame Republican proposals as world-ending, or tantamount to mass killings.

(2) Overheated partisan rhetoric that falls well short of direct incitement to violence can be grotesque and counter-productive, but it should not be blamed for the actions of disturbed people. It's possible, if not likely, that this bomber heard Trump's words and decided to take it upon himself to punish or eliminate Trump's opponents. If so, that's a reflection on the bomber's evilness or mental illness, not Trump. Similarly, it's quite likely that the Congressional baseball shooter heard the words of numerous high-profile leftists and decided he needed to save the country by assassinating Republicans. That was a reflection on the shooter's evilness or mental illness, not the leftists he followed or favored.

(3) Demands that politicians and commentators calibrate their language in order to prevent depraved and insane people from engaging in depraved and insane conduct is more likely to harm free speech, or be exploited to disqualify legitimate political dissent as "dangerous," than it is to achieve that ostensible goal. Crazy people find reasons and imagine "cues" to do crazy things; the argument that non-incitement speech might push someone over the edge strikes me as slippery and specious. Couldn't something as simple as politician X alleging that politician Y is "hurting America" have this effect? The threshold for 'triggering' harmful impulses in the mind of a deranged person is unknowable, inconsistent and subjective. We therefore cannot shape our rules for discourse based upon that standard -- even if we agree that our broader discourse needs serious rehabilitation.


(4) Presidential tweets like this are unseemly and unhelpful:

Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this “Bomb” stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows - news not talking politics. Very unfortunate, what is going on. Republicans, go out and vote!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 26, 2018


Publicly lamenting that the arrival of pipe bombsat the homes and offices of your political opponents may slow your own party's momentum is a colossally terrible take. And it's not the news media's fault that it's devoting major coverage to this issue (the press frequently deserves plenty of criticism, but not for paying close attention to this story). Trump would be far better off expressing further solidarity with the targets of the explosive devices, and unleashing his famous fury against his apparent supporter who is allegedly responsible for this spate of terror. "If you think harming my opponents is somehow 'helping' me, you're dead wrong. You're dead to me. You're an animal who's hurting America -- and I always put America first." If Trump's overarching concern is putting the GOP in the best possible position ahead of the midterms, he should wield his megaphone to condemn these acts so vociferously and relentlessly that nobody -- from hostile journalists, to any members of MAGA Nation with a few screws loose -- could misinterpret his meaning. Prosecute this bomber to the fullest extent of the law, and pivot back to good news. For instance:

U.S. GDP grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the third quarter, putting the economy on track for its best year since before the recession.U.S. Economy Charged Ahead in the Third Quarter— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) October 26, 2018


GDP growth beat expectations in the third quarter, keeping the US economy on pace to exceed three precent annual growth for the first time in 13 years. There's every reason in the world for the president to share these developments far and wide. But first, he must lead.

(1) Steve Scalise is a REPUBLICAN
(2) Steve Scalise is a REPUBLICAN in the era of TRUMP
(3) NOT A GOOD PLACE TO BE IN, IMO
(4) Steve, make better choices!!!
(5) BE CAREFUL of those you connect yourself to, STEVE
(6) Steve, you have made some shitty choices, IMO

 

[buttercup]

Face it. The pseudocon tards fucked up. They spent the week making asses of themselves, ejaculating in their own faces with no FACTS or EVIDENCE for their hilarious bullshit.

They went on and on and on blaming Democrats.

Turnabout is TOTALLY fair play.

You can't prematurely blame Democrats for this and then not accept blame for Republicans when the truth comes out.

Idiots.

In fact, you tards are so fucking stupid, you won't learn from this. Just as you have NEVER learned from your thousands of mistakes of the past.

Do you understand the concept of using a patsy? Do you also understand that it doesn’t ALWAYS come down to Democrat versus Republican? In other words, not everyone is stuck in that false dichotomy, and there are certain powers that want to keep both sides constantly fighting each other. Divide and conquer. Do you understand that?

 

[g5000]

Face it. The pseudocon tards fucked up. They spent the week making asses of themselves, ejaculating in their own faces with no FACTS or EVIDENCE for their hilarious bullshit.

They went on and on and on blaming Democrats.

Turnabout is TOTALLY fair play.

You can't prematurely blame Democrats for this and then not accept blame for Republicans when the truth comes out.

Idiots.

In fact, you tards are so fucking stupid, you won't learn from this. Just as you have NEVER learned from your thousands of mistakes of the past.

Do you understand the concept of using a patsy? Do you also understand that it doesn’t ALWAYS come down to Democrat versus Republican? In other words, not everyone is stuck in that false dichotomy, and there are certain powers that want to keep both sides constantly fighting each other. Divide and conquer. Do you understand that?

Oh, I most certainly do understand that. I 've been saying it for a very long time on this forum.

Patsy, huh? Already drinking the piss.

Did I not just say you tards would NEVER learn from your stupidity? And here you are going on about a "patsy".

GEEZUS!