Since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump — a vile and despicable act no matter one’s personal feelings toward Trump — I have been waiting for someone to address the proverbial element in the room. I have witnessed much hand-wringing from media figures and politicians, bemoaning the state of our politics, and how “we must bring the temperature down.” However, if it’s about the unvarnished truth, then, is it really a “we” thing? Or, is it more of a “them” thing?
The answer is not complicated — but it does require us to be intellectually honest, and to stow the selective cognitive dissonance. And in so-being, and so-doing, we can arrive at only one conclusion: it’s a “them” thing. The majority of political violence is espoused, promoted, and carried out by those on the right. This is not some partisan opinion; it is a demonstrable fact born out by statistical evidence, as well as empirical evidence.
In recent polling, it was found that twenty percent of americans believe that political violence is acceptable. The vast majority of that twenty percent consist of those on the right. That is fact, not hyperbole. When Paul Pelosi, the husband of the former Speaker of the House, was viciously attacked in their home by a deranged, hammer-wielding maniac, right wing media and political figures found it humorous. Details of the attack became a laugh line at “conservative” political events and Trump rallies.
The former President’s rhetoric is replete with violent references. It has been since the day he came down that escalator in Trump Tower in 2015, and it has only gotten worse since then. His rhetoric has fueled some of the most violent extremist in our society, and provided a permission structure for his like-minded supporters. Those like-minded supporters include many elected officials.
In our country (not discounting the turbulent 1960’s), little old ladies never had to fear volunteering at a polling station and doing what they saw as their civic duty — until Trump. In our country, poll workers never had to fear being terrorized and having their lives threatened — until Trump. In our country, serving on a jury was never hazardous to your health — until Trump. And in our country, people didn’t rampage through the halls of congress calling for the hanging of the Vice President of the United States — until Trump.
To continue to ignore these facts will only serve to empower those who have forgotten why our nation is already great: our diversity. Our diversity of thought, our diversity of ethnicity, and our diversity of faith. We must fight, not with violence, but with the power of ideals, to uphold those values; we must fight to continue being the great beacon of democracy and freedom that we are; we must fight to remain that eternally shining city on a hill, and we must always fight to bring the truth into the light of day.
Tony Enis
