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The problem(s) with Trump blaming Dems for apparent assassination attempt
The more Donald Trump blames Democrats for apparent assassination attempts, the more outrageously wrong his argument appears.
Link to tweet
Trump believes it's excessive to say he's a threat to democracy, but
- he really has endorsed an authoritarian-style vision
- it's not just Dems who made the accusation against him
- he's repeatedly accused his perceived foes of being threats to democracy
- he really has endorsed an authoritarian-style vision
- it's not just Dems who made the accusation against him
- he's repeatedly accused his perceived foes of being threats to democracy
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/problems-trump-blaming-dems-apparent-assassination-attempt-rcna171310
In the wake of Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt, the Republican candidate is already on the offensive and pointing fingers without regard for evidence or propriety. Less than 24 hours after the alleged would-be shooter was taken into custody, Trump told Fox News Digital that the suspect “acted” on “highly inflammatory language” of Democrats.
In case that was too subtle, the former president also published a statement to his social media platform condemning Vice President Kamala Harris’ debate rhetoric, adding: “Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!”
So, a few things.
First, the investigation into the alleged would-be shooter is just beginning. The idea that the former president can speak to the suspect’s motivations, in detail, is difficult to take seriously. Given the preliminary evidence, Ryan Wesley Routh’s politics were, to put it mildly, idiosyncratic, supporting Republican, Democratic and independent candidates — including, in 2016, Trump himself. To characterize him as some kind of lifelong Democratic partisan is a stretch.
Second, Trump clearly sees accusations that he’s a “threat to democracy” as beyond the pale, but, in reality, the Republican candidate really has endorsed an authoritarian-style vision that would undermine democracy. This assessment is based almost entirely on Trump’s own rhetoric and public statements. When the former president’s critics, in Democratic politics and elsewhere, accuse him of being a threat to democracy, their case is rooted in fact.
Third, these assessments aren’t just coming from the left. Trump’s own former defense secretary, Mark Esper, has described the former president as a “threat to democracy.” The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward, who remained neutral in every presidential race throughout his lengthy career, made an exception for Trump, calling him a “threat to democracy.” Retired federal Judge J. Michael Luttig, a giant of conservative jurisprudence, directly accused Trump and his allies of waging a “war on democracy,” adding that the former president is a “clear and present danger” to American democracy.
Fourth, if Trump genuinely believes that accusations about “threats to democracy” are beyond the pale, he should probably take a moment to explain why he keeps accusing people he dislikes of being “threats to democracy.” At last week’s presidential debate, for example, he pointed at his Democratic rival and declared, “They talk about democracy. ‘I’m a threat to democracy.’ They’re the threat to democracy.”.....
To be sure, I’m mindful of the circumstances. Trump doesn’t want to be criticized, and he would love nothing more than to bully Democrats into pulling their punches in the campaign’s final 50 days, even as he condemns them in increasingly hysterical terms. Many Republicans apparently want the public to believe that it’s dangerous to tell voters that a dangerous candidate is actually dangerous.
Indeed, one notable politician asked over the weekend, “Are we not allowed to talk about these problems because some psychopaths are threatening violence?”
The question came from Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance.
“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,” Trump said of the gunman in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at.” ... Trump pointed to Biden and Harris’ past comments casting Trump as a “threat to democracy,” while telling Americans they are “unity” leaders.
In case that was too subtle, the former president also published a statement to his social media platform condemning Vice President Kamala Harris’ debate rhetoric, adding: “Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!”
So, a few things.
First, the investigation into the alleged would-be shooter is just beginning. The idea that the former president can speak to the suspect’s motivations, in detail, is difficult to take seriously. Given the preliminary evidence, Ryan Wesley Routh’s politics were, to put it mildly, idiosyncratic, supporting Republican, Democratic and independent candidates — including, in 2016, Trump himself. To characterize him as some kind of lifelong Democratic partisan is a stretch.
Second, Trump clearly sees accusations that he’s a “threat to democracy” as beyond the pale, but, in reality, the Republican candidate really has endorsed an authoritarian-style vision that would undermine democracy. This assessment is based almost entirely on Trump’s own rhetoric and public statements. When the former president’s critics, in Democratic politics and elsewhere, accuse him of being a threat to democracy, their case is rooted in fact.
Third, these assessments aren’t just coming from the left. Trump’s own former defense secretary, Mark Esper, has described the former president as a “threat to democracy.” The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward, who remained neutral in every presidential race throughout his lengthy career, made an exception for Trump, calling him a “threat to democracy.” Retired federal Judge J. Michael Luttig, a giant of conservative jurisprudence, directly accused Trump and his allies of waging a “war on democracy,” adding that the former president is a “clear and present danger” to American democracy.
Fourth, if Trump genuinely believes that accusations about “threats to democracy” are beyond the pale, he should probably take a moment to explain why he keeps accusing people he dislikes of being “threats to democracy.” At last week’s presidential debate, for example, he pointed at his Democratic rival and declared, “They talk about democracy. ‘I’m a threat to democracy.’ They’re the threat to democracy.”.....
To be sure, I’m mindful of the circumstances. Trump doesn’t want to be criticized, and he would love nothing more than to bully Democrats into pulling their punches in the campaign’s final 50 days, even as he condemns them in increasingly hysterical terms. Many Republicans apparently want the public to believe that it’s dangerous to tell voters that a dangerous candidate is actually dangerous.
Indeed, one notable politician asked over the weekend, “Are we not allowed to talk about these problems because some psychopaths are threatening violence?”
The question came from Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance.
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