I am pretty good about holding both sides accountable for shrill rhetoric that inflames nuts, but this is not a “we” issue. This is a “they” issue where “they” happen to be the political Left.
We’re on multiple assassination attempts of the President of the United States. Progressives seem split between them being false flags, and upset that they failed. When righwing violence happens, the American press corps and Democrats combine to hold the right collectively responsible for any and all rhetoric that might have inspired the violence.
The only time the Left rejects collective responsibility is when a progressive opens fire. Then, and only then, is it just the individual, and no one else is responsible.
Barack Obama, yesterday, insisted the shooter’s motives were unknown. The New York Times did not even feature the assassination attempt on its Sunday front page, though the event happened before 9 pm the night before. Oddly, the New York Times also screwed up the print version of its crossword puzzle on Sunday. Both these things suggest something is badly breaking down there.
After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, progressives insisted it had to be a right-winger who fired the fatal shot. Heather Cox Richardson, the most widely read person on Substack, gave her readers permission to believe someone from the right opened fire.
The Left keeps giving permission structures for violence.
The would-be Trump assassin this time was active on Bluesky, which is an incubator for left-wing insanity. He argued that anyone who voluntarily attended an event with the President of the United States could be shot because no one should want to hang out with Donald Trump. The “no good person would hang out with Trump” is a very common argument these days on the Left.
𝕏According to the Network Contagion Research Institute, 56% of ~~Democrats~~ self-described leftwing voters justified the Butler, PA, assassination attempt on Donald Trump. A significant number of progressives also justified the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Less than a week ago, the New York Times presented a podcast conversation with Hasan Piker where he rationalized Thompson’s murder and voiced support for sabotage, shoplifting, and other malfeasance. Piker has openly called for the assassination of Donald Trump
Americans with graduate degrees are far more likely to both identify as progressive and also to 𝕏support political violence. Overall, 25% of very liberal people 𝕏believe political violence is acceptable, compared to only 3% of conservatives.
This is not really a both sides situation. While there are violent people on the right, including some not subsidized by the Southern Poverty Law Center, it was progressive James Hodgkinson who attempted the mass assassination of Republican members of Congress. It was Floyd Lee Corkins who attempted the mass murder of employees of the Family Research Council. We’ve had multiple assassination attempts on Donald Trump, two by men who were absolutely connected to progressivism.
The Left manufactures right-wing ties to shooters, including claiming the political assassinations in Minnesota were by a rightwinger. They have tried to insist that others who have committed political violence are on the right, like Charlie Kirk’s assassin.
But the Left keeps getting more violent.
The fundamental difference, again, between leftwing and rightwing violence is that rightwing violence is roundly and loudly condemned and, more and more often, leftwing violence is excused, justified, or explained away by the American press corps and Democrats.
The other day, Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference and called for “maximum wafare” against Donald Trump. On Saturday, a progressive tried to kill Donald Trump. And now, Hakeem Jeffries is attacking anyone asking him questions about what he meant by "maximum warfare.”
Even as the Left has become more and more violent, the rhetoric of the Left inspiring the violence has not toned down. A fair press would hold the Left accountable for the rhetoric, but we do not have a fair press. Instead, they’ll insist Donald Trump is responsible.
But it sure seems to me that the real threat to democracy is all the progressives trying to murder the guy who won the popular vote.
