Perhaps Republicans should look back to how Democrats responded to the June 14, 2017, assault weapon attack on Republican representatives practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game. Democratic leaders knew the shooter, James Hodgkinson, was an angry, Trump-hating progressive — not crazy in the sense that David DePape is crazy, just angry, from a progressive Democratic perspective. He was a supporter of and volunteer for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). A watcher of Rachel Maddow and MSNBC. An absorber of Democratic talking points. A man angry enough to attack Republicans with a semi-automatic rifle and a 9 mm handgun, gravely wounding Scalise and four others.
Here is what Democrats did after the Scalise attack: They condemned the violence. They wished Scalise well. They praised law enforcement. And they moved on. They did not concede that their rhetoric might have contributed to Hodgkinson's actions. They did not even acknowledge the accusation.
After citing quotations from both Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders, York concluded:
Can you find any recognition of collective guilt there? Any apology? Any vow to change in the future? No. Now, obviously, Pelosi and Sanders did not have much of the press corps targeting them, suggesting that they bore responsibility for the shootings, so they were not under the pressure that McCarthy and other Republicans are under today. But their response to the baseball shooting is a model of how Republicans can respond to the Paul Pelosi attack today. Say the right things. Condemn the violence. Wish Pelosi well. Praise law enforcement. Then move on.
Well, I can tell you that Republicans aren't heeding York's advice. They aren't saying the right things. They aren't condemning the violence against Paul Pelosi much less wishing him well. They aren't praising law enforcement and they sure as hell aren't moving on.
After Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Donald Trump, Jr. had a good chuckle at Pelosi's misfortune, the defeated former President chimed in:
It’s weird things going on in that household in the last couple of weeks. You know, probably, you and I are better off not talking about it. The glass, it seems, was broken from the inside to the out and, you know, so, it wasn’t a break in, it was a break out.
The whole thing is crazy. I mean, if there’s even a little bit of truth to what’s being said, it’s crazy. But the window was broken in and it was strange the cops were standing there practically from the moment it all took place.
And for good measure, the senior Trump also made a point of saying he's "not a fan of Nancy Pelosi."
So let's review. Trump isn't saying the right thing. He didn't condemn the violence nor did he wish Pelosi well. Trump didn't praise law enforcement and actually did the opposite. Of course, given all that has happened after the 2020 election, the last thing he wants to do is to move on.
And this is the problem with York's advice. With very few exceptions, Trump and Republicans consider Nancy Pelosi an enemy to be destroyed and as such Paul Pelosi is an enemy by default. Forget about showing him any measure of compassion. They won't acknowledge there was an assault in the first place. It is their contention that Paul Pelosi is not the victim of a crime. Notice how Trump said, "I mean, if there’s even a little bit of truth to what’s being said" as if he had any claim to being a beacon of honesty.
Of course, York mentions none of it. Why would he? Instead he asks of Democrats, "Can you find any recognition of collective guilt there? Any apology? Any vow to change in the future?" Last I checked, Democrats never disputed that Steve Scalise was shot nor did they utter an unkind word about him or his family. And they certainly never had a kind of word for James Hodgkinson whereas Charlie Kirk wants "a patriot" to bail out Pelosi's attacker notwithstanding the fact he is being held without bail.
Defeated former President Trump and the quislings who go along with him are clear of compassion and devoid of decency. They accept what is said by Trump and the conservative echo chamber at face value Because of this they derive pleasure in the suffering of others who dare to hold a contrary view and anyone associated with with such persons. The individual who attacked Paul Pelosi was part of this echo chamber. The failure of a critical mass of this country to condemn this attack does not bode well for us because the reaction to the attack on Pelosi is the tip of the iceberg. It won't be long before this critical mass will condone murder possibly in the name of people exercising their right to vote. If that happens then lynch mobs are soon to follow.
In view of these conditions, Byron York's advice is lost on Trump and Republicans as those horses left the barn long ago and are never coming back.
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